PROJECT TOPIC: INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON OUTDOOR

ADVERTISING AGENCY PRACTICE.

A STUDY OF SELECTED OUTDOOR ADVERTISING AGENCIES IN LAGOS.

BY

ROSEMARIE USIGBE

03/09/03/102p

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background Of The Study

The role of the media industry is multi-faceted, but certainly one of the most indispensable roles is

to deliver advertising through a variety of media vehicles to reach the target audience with a high

enough frequency that those exposed to the advertising process the messaging. For decades

advertisers have gained access to our homes via radio, television, cable, print media and the

internet, in an effort to expose us to messaging that ideally will motivate us to purchase the

advertiser’s product or service and generate incremental revenue for the advertiser. As consumers

become progressively more difficult to reach through traditional media, i.e. television and print;

billboards, the oldest form of advertising, has experienced a steady and significant rate of growth

worldwide Lopez-Pumarej (2005) .As consumers you are exposed to hundreds and may be even

thousands advertising messages every day. They may appear in the form of billboards,

newspapers, television commercials, sales letter, internet advertising and a host of others. These

are just a few of the many communication tools that companies and organization use to maintain

contact with their customers, client, and prospects, which invariably is what is referred to as

advertising.

Advertising by its definitional status according to Arens (2004) is the structured and composed

non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature

about products (goods, services and ideas) by identified sponsors through various media.

Based on the above on advertising “whether we like it or not, advertising is all around us”. The

people who keep track of such things tell us that the average person is exposed to advertising

messages between the time he opens his eyes in the morning and clicks off his light at night

Malickson and Nason (1977). This means that advertising has integral part of our social and

economic system. Formally, the depth of importance of advertising was not adequately impacted

upon the society, which was due to several reasons such as “ the nature of the field service to

others has submerged the ability of practitioners in advertising to sell their own profession, to hoist

it on the local national and international flag pole as one of the worlds leading. This is no longer

the case as advertising has grown over the years as an outstanding business activity: and therefore

has influenced both the business and society as a whole Dr. Josef Bel -Molokwu (1995).

According to McCann Erickson, Inc, in his perspective into advertising is “truth well told? “.

Albert Lasker, who has been called the father of modern advertising said that advertising is

salesmanship in print, but this came before the advent of radio and television and at a time when

the nature and scope of advertising were considerably different from what they are now.

Advertising can be defined as a communication process, a marketing process, an economic and a

public relations process or an information and persuasion process depending on the point of view.

Advertising is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually

persuasive in nature about product, services or ideas by identified sponsors through various media

Bovee & Arens (1986).

Advertising is a form of communication through media about products, services or ideas paid for

by an identified sponsor. In its simplest sense,the word advertising is that it is persuasive

communication using a particular medium about goods ,services or ideas, paid for by sponsors

except for exceptional occasions to targets of clients which the essence of the medium cannot be

taken for granted,most especilly the targets medium of communications.

In this perspective of the above prostulations Arens (2004) say advertising reaches targets through

a channel of communication referred to as a medium.

An advertising medium is any paid means used to present an ad to its targets audience , newpaper

advertiisng ,outdoor advertiisng etc .Historically , advertisiers have used the traditional mass media

of radio ,television.,newpapers,magazines, and billboards to send their messages.but today

technolgy enables advertising to reach us effectively through a variety of addressable

media( direct mail ) and interactive media ( internet, interactive billboards).

However technology fuels the growth of billboard construction and deployment, and has

dramatically improved the printing, displaying, and tracking of billboards. Technological advances

have resulted in a significant increase in expenditures on billboards and made billboards

comparable with other forms of media. Digital technology has created dramatic improvements in

print quality, Pumarejo and Bassell (2006) over the past several years. Low quality images painted

or printed on vinyl sheets that are glued onto traditional billboard structures are a thing of the past.

Currently a billboard poster 48 feet wide and 14 feet high has the same high quality resolution that

once only magazine publications achieved. The use of digital printing enables advertisers to print

high quality posters quickly and cheaply (OAAA 2006). However, electronic billboards have

become increasingly more popular as display technology becomes more pervasive and

technological advances enter the marketplace. While large LCD “billboard” screens have been

effectively used, FED, Field Emission Display, introduced by Sony and TCI in April 2007,

promises greater resolution (Home Theater News 2007). Digital billboards allow an endless

number of images to be projected in a short period of time. The motion of the billboards helps

draw attention to the images being displayed. Interactive billboards have been gaining momentum

as they prove successful in not only getting attention, but engaging the viewer.

Thus technology made the communicative efficacy of billboards skyrocket worldwide and hence

their appeal to advertisers who, in the other media, are sometimes ignored by consumers.

“Outdoor” is one of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. advertising market. In 2006 alone,

spending on these communication mediums reached an astounding $6.8 billion. This represents an

8 percent increase per year from 1995 to 2005 (OAAA 2006). Due to digital imaging, billboards

and other outdoor media can now be mounted practically anywhere and have grown to

unprecedented size. As a result, their power to reach consumers and to tower over and dominate

the landscape has increased dramatically (Yin 2002). Alarmed municipalities have tried to control

the explosive deployment of billboard images, but the industry is known for agilely circumventing

most regulation

Technology and innovations in life are the key factors of perfection in any business entity. And in

words of Winston church hill:’ to improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often. In the light

of this notion, advertising in this modern age of highly competitive market economy, has became a

push-botton word with a powerful communication force and a vital marketing tool helping to sell

goods, services, images and ideas through channels of information and persuasion.

Channels here refer to the media, which is used to pass across persuasive messages like the

television, radio, print, internet and the outdoor medium. What then is outdoor advertising? In the

words of Osunbiyi (2001)’ Outdoor advertising is a form of advertising which is remarkable for its

uniqueness, in that it does not circulate around the market but the market circulates around it with

little or no audience selectivity”. Outdoor advertising in Nigeria since its inception till date has

witnessed technological innovations trend over the years it has witness changes that have defined

its present level today and which would in the near future guarantee greater recognition of the

sector. The changes in outdoor have been in form of technology, physical shape of structures and

locations as well as relationship with major players in the Nigeria economy and the outdoor

advertising agencies.

Outdoor advertising has for a long time been seen as a support medium. But overtime, this concept

has changed as it has acquired greater recognition through innovation and emerging trends. As

outdoor Advertising gained prominence in the media world, its usage among advertising and

agencies increased and it thus acquired greater value which translates to better pricing. Osunbiyi

notes further that outdoor advertising reaches a large numbers of urban, semi-illiterates and the

stark illiterate, rural dwellers that can neither read nor write.

Besides it is easy to understand because of its simple language. The birth of advertising agencies

saw various trends which has seen them go high-tech, back then around the 1990’s most billboards

faces were either hand painted on plywood or metal. But today, computer painting technology has

almost completely eliminated the old fashioned sign painting.

The new technology has made operators more competitive and creative with advertisers also

seeing the medium in a new light. In June 1992 ultra-vision/waves were introduced by Benjamin

black and Co. later another new product in the outdoor agency sector which is the digital electronic

billboard’, installed by optimum exposure at Apongbon, Lagos Island and recently also in Ikeja,

Maryland, this kind of billboard has features like a television changing messages electronically

after few second.

In this content, technology and innovation cannot be ignored in this highly competitive and

dynamic outdoor advertising sector due to the demand by advertising and its target audience to

captivate its target to inform and sell its product goods and services, thus the survival 0f outdoor

advertising agencies in business is its ability to bring fresh innovations that will entice both

advertisers and its target audience.thus in the end digital technology cannot be ignored,rather it

should be used to enhance our idea values as a bait to draw the targets audience ,advertisers -

consumers to a fresh way of communication or re-inventing a familiar concept or message.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Although ,outranked to the third position by electronic media-namely television and radio in the

media mix in Nigeria. A study conducted by research international market trends in 2004, outdoor

advertising remains a very attractive medium of advertising. This position is helped by the

emerging new products in the sector,many employing electronic devices to capture attention

Anyacho(2007).

The outdoor medium is versatile,flexible,gives corporate visiblity, and gives motion appearances

with the use of electronic devices to billboards, colourful perspiration and it gives white coverage

that is seen evereywhere you go as a consumer.

Digital technology can be seen as a new innovation in the outdoor advertising practice in Nigeria .

The world of outdoor-media display is continually changing with new companies investing more

in innovations and new technologies.Improvement in print production and lighting have already

enhanced the the appeal of the outdoor medium as a new digital technology,3-D imagery and fibre

optics.Better tracking systems and the abilty to change advertisement with wireles technolgy are

also on the agenda.According to the outdoor Republic in one of its article “outdoor advertising in

Lagos mega city” “the primary message of the advertisiers is up and on display 24 hours a day at

rates that are far lower than a television spot.The coming of technolgy in todays outdoor

advertising has gone high tech, the way billboards are made until the 1990s most billboards were

using the sign painting and plywood but with the advent of digital technolgy which has given way

to vinyl. In addition, huge graphics can be produced more quickly at lower cost.Also with the short

comings of power generation like generators,inverters,with also geographicla informational system

has made outdoor side monitoring on the computer possible, while planning and buying are made

easier at the same time within the foyr walls of an office.

We live today in what can be described as a “media surrounded society where there is an

overwhelming intrusion of media into our live comprising radio, television, newspaper, magazines,

satellites, direct mail and billboards. It is through these different media that we get information,

education and entertainment Osunbiyi (2001). Hence as innovation and technology are the driving

force towards which most adverts are exposed to many advert and their influence matters

significantly, of which it has a downward push forward trend towards both the advertiser and the

outdoor agencies. Thus in essence of this context and point of view, it is therefore imperative to

bring about innovative outdoor designs captivate its targets.

All of this postulation lies the crux of the matter that influence of digital technology by outdoor

agencies practice, that the role of the media industry is multi-faceted, but certainly one of the most

indispensable roles is to deliver advertising through a variety of media vehicles to reach the target

audience with a high enough frequency that those exposed to the advertising process the

messaging. For decades advertisers have gained access to our homes via radio, television, cable,

print media and the internet, in an effort to expose us to messaging that ideally will motivate us to

purchase the advertiser’s product or service and generate incremental revenue for the advertiser.

As consumers become progressively more difficult to reach through traditional media, i.e.

television and print; billboards, the oldest form of advertising, has experienced a steady and

significant rate of growth worldwide, thus the study is on a search to understand the influence of

digital technology on the outdoor practice in terms of its level utilization and its influence on the

practice in securing advertiser’s patronage and preference in its campaigns for its targets.

1.3 Research Questions

These questions are posed to find out the influence of digital technolgy on outdoor advertising

agency practice of which the study postulates the following research questions as basis for giving

fresh insights into answering the statement of the problem and to give findings for the study:

1 What is the role of digital technolgy in oudoor agency practice in Nigeria?

2 What role does digital technology play in the prefernce for outdoor advertisement by

advertisers in advertising campaigns ?

3 What influence does digital technolgy have on the persuasive value of outdoor advertising

messages?

1.4 Purpose Of The Study

The purpose of the study is to determine the influence of digital technology on the outdoor

advertising agency practice, taking into focus selected outdoor advertising agencies in

Lagos to assess the influence digital technology has on the advertising agency practice in

Nigeria. Furthermore, the study the study was also concerned with understanding the role

digital technology plays in the preference for outdoor advertisement by advertisers in

advertising campaigns, so as to have a clear understanding of their preference, and also its

role in Nigeria’s outdoor practice.

1.5 Rationale Of Study

Taking a gross analysis of the outdoor practice in Nigeria it has gone through various stages,

taking cue from Afro media with its introduction of the 1958,8 sheet, 16 sheet,and bulletin boards

in Lagos .In 1986 the enthrants of new generation outdoor practitioners began to witness new

trends and innovations. This coincided with technological advances in print production and an

element of digital technology has radically transformed the way billboard are produced. The

billboards used to be hand painted on plywood or metal with its attendant inconsistencies.Paints

are prone to fading: wood became scotched by the sun.

Today digital technolgy has nearly eliminied the old fashioned sign-writing & plywood has given

way to technologies like backlit boards wall-drapes,scrollers,outlight board,ultra-wave board and

the RGB boards (Radio graphic boards) giving it more interactive nature and attractiveness to both

targets and advertisiers .Thus this study was embarked upon based on the assumption that digital

technolgy has a significant influence on outdoor advertising practice in terms of its patronage by

advertisers and its exposure value in terms of attraction of prospective consumers

1.6 Significance Of The Study

Talking a gross observatory analysis of the advertising industry, the outdoor sector has also had it

own visibility, from its early old fashioned way as fabricated and designed by these outdoor

agencies.

However with the coming of digitalization in terms of sophistication in printing, there has been

development in terms of outdoor technological advancement like the 3-D billboard in Maryland

round about which has invariably changed the face of outdoor, same also is the artistic outdoor of

other agencies. The crux of this study is to find out how the influence of digital technology has

improved their services, competition and even patronage on advertisers in terms of doing business

as an outdoor agency.

It is in the opinion of the researcher that the , the findings and the recommendations at the end of

this study will be of immense benefit to outdoor agency practitioners in Nigeria in order to see

how technology has improved its services in terms of competition, patronage and services to its

targets and advertisers and also to know the extent of influence digital technology has on the

practice

Also the research study in terms of its findings will also be beneficial to the advertisers to know

the latest technolgies in the outdoor practice that wil be suitable and cost efficient to his objectives

and goals in terms of outdoor placement and planning.

In a general perspectve the study outdoor will be beneficial in a scholarly perspective to students in

the field of advertising to adding value and intellectual- impetus on the concept of the influence

of digital technology on the outdoor practice .

Theoretically this study as asserted by its theoretical basis in its theories utilized like the: the

technological determinism theory,media dependency and diffusion of innovation which by virtue

of its prostulations on the influence of technolgy individuals,society in terms of theway they

feel ,think and act.Thus the findings will help to show how digital technolgy influences the

outdoor practice .

1.7 Deliminitation of studyThis study covers few agencies in Lagos only of which selected agencies of these agencies were

selected on the basis of their level of digital technology usage in their outdoor practice’s as to

ascertain the influence digital technology has on their practice .Furthermore the is also concerned

only on the outdoor practice in Lagos and will be limiting itself on this area alone .So also the

study does not cover other aspects of outdoor like it business activities, production and placement

in terms of media placement with also consumer perception rather it focuses on its influence on

agency practice.

1.5 Definition Of Terms

Outdoor advertising agencies.

In this study outdoor advertising are agencies that engage themselves using the outdoor medium in

creating publicity for advertisers message using the outdoor medium which includes,rooftop

billboards,unipoles,scrollers,ultrawave-billboards,etc

Advertising

Advertising in this study is the non-personal form of communication paid for by an identified

sponsor, which is relayed through various media with the objective of influencing individual

behaviour towards, the advertiser’s products, services or idea.

Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising in this study is creating awareness or placing products or services in the media

that is displayed outside the home that is, on the road, highways, market place, transit vans, posters

and a host of other innovations in outdoor advertising with the sole objective of exposing

advertising messages and creating attention to the target audience.

Billboards

Billboards in this study are metals or wooden panels erected for the purpose of carrying

advertising messages.

Media

Media in this study are the various medium used by advertising like the traditional medium of

radio, T. V, Newspaper also the support of medium, known as the outdoor media and other

specialized media like the internet.

Digital technology –

Digital technology in this study enables immense amounts of information to be

compressed on small storage devices that can be easily preserved and transported. Digital

technology has transformed how people communicate, learn and work.

REFERENCES

Bhatia (2000); Advertising in Rural India: Language, Marketing Communication

and Consumerism,

Eskilson, J. (2007); Graphic Design: A New History, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale

University Press.

McChesney, W. “The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas”.

Monthly Review Press, New York, (May 1, 2008)

Belch and Belch. (2001); Advertising and Promotion; An Integrated marketing

communications perspective, 5th Edition; McGraw-Hill Companies, New York.

Bovee and Arens(1989); Contemporary Advertising, New York; Richard D. RWIN 4th edition

Daramola I. (2001) :Introduction to Mass Communication, Lagos; Rothan Press Limited.

Folarin B. (1998): Theories of Mass Communication, An Introductory Text, Stirling-Horden

Publisher, Ibadan Nigeria.

Osunbiyi,(2003) B: Advertising Principles and Practices; Lagos:Sholak Printing Press.

AHAAMU. (2001). Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) Media University,

March 16 outdoor advertising seminar at the Bravo Group, New York City.

Chinyelu, M. (2003). Harlem business alliance targets Nigerian consumers. New York

Amsterdam News, December 18. Ciezadlo, A. 2004. A timeline for Manhattan outdoors. Retrieved

May 24, 2005, from http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/ admap/timeline.html Crouch, S. 2006.

Lopez-Pumarejo and Bassell vital industry? Retrieved December 9, 2005, from

http://www.miamin- ewtimes.com/Issues/2002-03-29/ news/metro2_print.htmlg. 2001

(February15).

Outdoor Advertising Association of America (2006). History of outdoor advertising.

RetrievedFebruary,23,2006,fromhttp://www.oaaa.org/outdoor/sales/his- tory.asp PSA Research.

2005. A resurgence in one of the oldest media presents new opportunities. Retrieved May 24,

2005, from http://www.psaresearch.com/case- foroutdoorpsa.html

Reynolds, M. (2003). Branding the great out- doors. Multichannel News, June 9. Scenic America.

2006. Billboards and sign control. Retrieved February 23, 2006, from

http://www.scenic.org/Default. aspx?tabid=61 Siegal,

CHAPTER TW0

REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE

2.0

INTRODUCTION:

Lagos consumers can now get their messages not only through the traditional media

channels, but even as they down load their web based email surf, through the net, go to

cinemas and check promotional text messages, in spite of all these, the growth in lighted

and tri-vision displays, painted and even neon-signs, as seen in Lagos traffic filled

highways and roads, highlight the growing popularity of outdoor advertising.

One hundred and twenty five million Nigerians now commute to work daily. In the last

twenty years, the number of miles they travel in a week has doubled, and drivers are

spending more time stopped in traffic. The nature of what outdoor advertisers call the “trip

chain” has also changed, as the number of working mothers who commute has increased.

The typical trip to work now includes dropping the kids at school or daycare, going to the

daily business activities, and before returning home, shopping and seeing the kids play.

With 70 percent more women in the workforce than twenty years ago, it has become

increasingly difficult to reach them through what outdoor marketers call “traditional

media.” In addition, this high spending demographic is a group they do not want to miss.

They are, as a result, among the top targets of advertising. Marketers describe outdoor

advertising as the “catalyst” between mobility and sales. Hard-eyed Wall Street analysts,

on the other hand, define this important market less abstractly. For them “outdoor” is every

media that reaches consumers out of the home, including radio. This type of advertising is

increasingly convenient because of its relatively lower media cost per thousand (CPM), and

its reinforcement of other media. Utilizing GPS technology, Nielsen Outdoor uses their

Npod tracking system to provide GRP, reach, and frequency information. The ability to

calculate the “opportunity to see” a particular billboard and use this information in media

planning puts billboards on a level playing field with other media forms that enjoyed

measurement-rating systems for decades.

Outdoor advertising, in other words, increases the number of targets reached and easily

mixes in with other media. It thus generates a continuous hum in the marketplace and has a

synergistic effect. The new millennium begins as the “brand century”. Billboards and other

outdoor advertising remind people that a brand or service is a good choice, stimulates long-

term product recognition, and broadens market-wide media distribution while

complementing print, radio, and television ads. Outdoor advertising has as many mass

marketing applications. It safe- guards against media fragmentation (it breeds cohesive

multi-media communication), capitalizes on creativity, offers directional support (indicates

where to go and what to contact in strategic sites), provides point-of-sale reminders, and

facilitates cooperative advertising opportunities as when. The purpose of this section is to

give a brief introduction of the study in relation to the review of all known literature that

has relevance to the problem being studied on the influence of digital technology on the

outdoor advertising agency practice and the theory guiding it.

This chapter will be having an analytical purview into the outdoor medium, its innovations, how it

was and at present, its innovations, in outdoor agency practice using theoretical and empirical

studies if any? To access the influence of digital technology on the outdoor advertising agency

practice.

2.1 What Is Advertising

It would be difficult for any business to survive today in this era of high competittion without the

use of advertising .Doing buiness without advertising is like “winking at a dark “. No one knows

what you are doing except you. This is the main reason why every advertisers has embraced

advertising as a necessary marketing tool.

According to Oxford Journals (2003:2), Advertising is a form of communication that typically

attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of

product or service. Central to the contemporary global economy and the reproduction of global

production networks, it is only quite recently that advertising has been more than a marginal

influence on patterns of sales and production Oxford Journal, (2003). The formation of modern

advertising was intimately bound up with the emergence of new forms of monopoly capitalism

around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century as one element in corporate strategies

to create, organize and where possible control markets, especially for mass produced consumer

goods. Mass production necessitated mass consumption, and this in turn required a certain

homogenization of consumer tastes for final products. At its limit, this involved seeking to create

‘world cultural convergence’, to homogenize consumer tastes and engineer a ‘convergence of

lifestyle, culture and behaviours among consumer segments across the world Oxford Journals,

(2003)

Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products and

services through the creation and reinvention of the "brand image”. For these purposes,

advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual information. Every major

medium is used to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines,

newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and billboards. Advertising is often placed by

an advertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization. Bhatia (2000).

Without any doubt, messages given in advertisements deeply affect us and our purchasing

behaviours. In capitalist societies, the relationship between the industry and consumers is quite

complicated; on one hand, consumers are allowed to interpret industry's messages on their own, on

the other hand, the industry encourages consumers to participate actively in the interaction. It is the

industry, however, that dominates the communicative processes and even though it may be

possible for consumers to formulate their own needs and desires through commodities, their

freedom is eventually accommodated into the capitalist system. Therefore, advertising as one of

the most important weapons of the capitalist system is highly criticized by many people for

creating false needs which people strive to satisfy and thus encouraging people to consume more.

Kilbourne (2000).

Advertising has been defined in various dimensions by reputed scholars in the field of worldwide.

According to Albert Lasker (Bovee and Arens, 1989), advertising is referred to as salesmanship in

print i.e. (the definition was as a result of a revolution in the printing machines, so this can be

traced to his own time).

Gillion Dyer (1981) defines advertising “as the action of drawing attention to something, notifying

or informing somebody of something”. Furthermore Burskirt(1982) defines advertising “as a paid

form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by identified

sponsor”.

Also Bovee and Arens (1989) define advertising “as a non-personal communication of information

usually paid for and usually identified with sponsor through the various media. According to

Woodrow (2002), who sees advertising from the perspective of a business activity and refers to it

“as a group of activities aimed at disseminating information usually paid for and usually identified

with a sponsor through the various media”.

Advertising is an indispensable and crucial form of communication. This means that as soon as

man could grant, he began to advertise. Even though advertising forces no one to make a purchase

or adopt an idea or service, it exercises no sinister power of hypnosis to compel any one to part

with his money. Advertising makes notification of choice freely available to ensure a claim that

advertising is a cornerstone of any free society Jefkins (1982)

Daramola (2003) said “the principle behind advertising is to grab attention and establish identify

for the product or service and in order to achieve its goal, advertising employs the technique of

dramatization, stresses urgency and appeals to audience emotions”. He said further that in order to

create a lasting impression about the product, service or idea advertisement is used repeatedly in

the newspaper, television or radio so that the people will get familiar with it. Basically, this

explains the fact that as the advertisement are used often in media until listeners, readers or

viewers become familiar with the concept, idea or product and service been advertised.

Shrimp (2000), Benson, (1999) says “advertising is valued because it is recognized as performing

a variety of critical communications functions for the business firm and other organization which

includes informing, persuading and reminding”.

The above definition explains that advertising makes consumers and audience members aware of

new brands, services or ideas, educates them about the features and benefits and facilitate the

creation of positives thought towards the issue or product been advertised. Furthermore, effective

advertising persuades customers to try advertised products and services, also advertising keep the

brand concept or idea in consumer’s memory for a long time.

Conclusively, there are varied definitions of the concept of advertising such that a better

understanding of the phenomenon is guaranteed. Berson-Eluwa and Virgina (1999) emphasized

that “advertising provides a public service because it gives us information about products/service”.

No wonder the International Advertising Association states, “to be properly informed the

consumer and audience members of any organization, individual, government, product, service,

ideas or concept need advertising”.

2.3 Different Types, Purpose and Medium of Advertising

According to Daramola (2003 ) there are various types of advertising one of which are, “financial

advertising which comes from the banking sector and other financial institution” Jefkins (1985)

refers to financial advertising “as all forms of communication addressed to customers or clients

which can also include company reports, prospective for new share issues and various financial

announcement”.

Furthermore, Daramola (2003) refers to classified advertising “as widely used by the individual

person, or small firms to advertise their wares, request for positions etc and that classified columns

are made available by newspaper and magazines. Benson (1999) refers to “corporate advertising

otherwise known as institutional or prestige advertising as form of advertising aimed at projecting

a company image and identity and corporate advertising may lead indirectly to sale of goods and

services, but the primary aim is to promote the goodwill and image of a company”. Frank Jefkins

(1973), refers to trade advertising “as advertising addressed to distributors, wholesalers, agents,

importers/exporters and numerous kinds of retailers, large and small”. He went further that

“persuasive advertising is also known as hard-sell advertising and it is the most obvious kind

which surround us in our daily urging us to buy manner of product and services”. Furthermore,

Daramola (op.cit) says “product advertising is calculated to sell a definite product and is employed

to move product and stimulate the use of services by customers”.

Frank Jefkins (1973) refers to informative advertising “as that which supplies the basic information

about a particular product or services” and “it involves giving out necessary background about the

qualities and benefits inherent in a product, service or idea to an identified sponsor” etc. Benson

Eluwa (1999:158) refers to persuasion in advertising “as been the type of advertisement that tries

to influence the sensibilities of its audience by providing either emotional or factual information

that the recipients cannot resist”.

What Is Outdoor Advertising

In the words of Stephen Freitas Chief marketing officer outdoor advertising Association of

America (OAAA), 20 March 2006, he says as cited by Lagos state signage and advertisement

Agency in their journal on “redefining the outdoor Environment” he says: consumers are spending

more time away from home where they are being exposed to increasingly more outdoor messages

instead in home media”.

Time magazine also added that, “outdoor advertising the most powerful way to reach a mass

audience efficiently – a medium where there is no remote control” various scholars have defined

outdoor advertising and some of these definitions are: Osunbiyi (2001) “outdoor Advertising is a

form of Advertising which is remarkable for its uniqueness in that it does not circulate around the

market but the market circulates around it with little or no audience selectivity.

Former managing Director of lintas says; advertising is not just are minder medium in Nigeria, it is

a main medium to many illiterates rural dwellers who are not exposed to radio, television and

newspapers. And these people are really many and have a significant amount of purchasing power

that advertiser cannot ignore.

Belch and Belch (2001:438) says outdoor advertising encompasses many advertising forms

including outdoor (billboards and signs) transit (both inside and outside the vehicle) skywriting

and a variety of other media.

Outdoor advertising or out of home media is part of the display advertising market which includes

newspaper, magazines, television, radio and cinema.

Outdoor is broadly defined as all communications that is experienced outside the home. Its main

formats are billboard, transit panels (for example buses, trains and airports) and panels on street

furniture (mainly bus shelters). Akinbobola (1998) Frank Jefkins equates outdoor advertising with

outdoor advertisement which he defined as any word letter model, sign, placard board, device or

representation whether illuminated or not used for the purpose of advertisement announcement or

direction including any hoarding or similar structure used or adapted for the display of

advertisement.

Advertising Media And The Outdoor Advertising

According to Anyacho (2007) The media,(plural of medium) , refers to vehicles used to convey

information, entertainment, news and advertising messages to an audience .It includes : radio,

television, cable telelvisin, newspaper ,magazines ,outdoor boards,the internet and direct mail.

However ,some forms of interactive media are emerging as powerful avenues of advertising.media

is therefore, aconnecting link between producers of goods and services and their consumers.

However Anyacho further asserted that the choice of media for advertising poses a problem when

we have to decide which medium or media mix will rearch a clients prospective customers.

Advertising media are generally classified according to their visibilty for advertising.The theme

media are the conventional mass media of communication through which the bulk of advertising is

carried out.

The outdoor advertising market can be segmented into 3 main sectors billboards, transit and street

furniture, with other miscellaneous product. Recent advance have improved the quality of many

outdoors formats, particular in the more developed markets where increases in panel numbers are

unlikely or difficult and market growth comes mainly from revenues reflecting increased value for

advertisers (source: goggle search. com).

Although ,outranked to the third position by the electronic media- namely television and radio in

the media mix in Nigeria, as confirmed by a study conducted by research international market

trend in 2004, outdoor advertising remains a very attractive medioum of advertising. This

posoition is helped by the emerging new products in this sector, many employing electronic

devices to capture attention

TYPES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

Lagos state signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) journal on redefining the outdoor

environment highlighted and analytical formats of various format of Outdoor, it says that outdoor

advertising covers four main categories of display advertising.

LARGE FORMAT TRANSIT

Super-sites (12.66m x 3.35m) Buses

Spectacular (anything larger than super-sites) Taxis

Railways

Airport externals Internal Airports

STREET FURNITURE POSTERS

Bus shelters, kiosks, seating 4 sheet (1.0m x 1.5m)

Illuminated street lamp poles 96 sheets (3.0m x 12.0m)

Internal / external shopping centres 6 sheets (1.2m x 1.8m)

Street signs 48 sheets (3.0m x 6.0m)

Also outdoor republic advertising journal march /April maiden edition, also made some

classification of outdoor as (out-of-Home)

PLACED BASED T.V ALTERNATIVE OUTDOOR

Schools Stadium

Airports

Sports Bars Marine vessels

Elevators Recreational

Rest centres

Toilet Doors

Parking lots

Gas pumps

Bikes & Racks

PLACED BASED

Napkins

Cups Sleeves

Cleaner Bags

Postcards

Wild postings

Matchbox

BILLBOARDS STREET FURNITURE

Bulletins Bus shelters

Spectaculars Bus benches

Murals News stands

16, 40, 48, 96 sheets Public phones

Kiosk in –store malls.

Type Size Location

8 sheet billboard 5ft.x10ft Markets,feeder roads

16 sheets billboards As above

40 sheets billboards Shopping centres,markets,premises,theatres,supermarkets,airports,stadium

premises,railway terminus,seaports,car parks and beaches

48 sheet billboards 10ftx6ft Dual carrige ways,highways.

Spectacular

billboards,Unipole/Tower

spectacular

20ftx60ft

60ftx70ft

Dual carriage ways,expressways,superhighways.

Rooftop billboards 16ft x 48ft Top of strategically located buildings

Ultra-wave/

vision,ultramix,ultramix (3faces)

Highways,major Township roads

Motion/mobile advert Stickers or Buses & theater,halls

rollers

Backlit boards 48ft x16ft Highways,major township roads,affulent,up market target

Source Anyacho (2007)

Osunbiyi (2001) also analysed, the types of outdoor advertising as Billboard. He says billboards

are – “large structuring erected on highways and roads for the display of huge advertising poster”

Billboards expose passersby to the brief and bold advertising messages.

Osunbiyi also further explained that billboard is an advertising structure composed of wood, paper

(poster) or a variety of other durable materials, situated outdoors, along roads, in public places and

on rooftops of building.

The poster is the basic form of outdoor advertising and the least costly per unit, A poster is a

structure of blank paper with a standardized size border. The poster is that paper materials on

which advertising concepts are printed on to be posted on billboards for display.

SKY ADVERTISING DISPLAY

Sky display is advertising formed in the sky by light projectors on the ground or by aircraft that

produce messages by using smoke amplified announcement or flying banners.

In Nigeria, the first sky advertising display was by the late Elder statement, Chief Obafemi

Awolowo in 1959, He used this form of advertising to campaign for his prime minister-ship bid on

the platform of the Action Group (AG).

SANDWICH BOARD

It consists of two placards fastened together at the top with straps supported on the shoulders of the

carrier or sandwich man.

TRANSIT ADVERTISING

Transit advertising appears on the inside of public transportation vehicle – buses, taxis, subways,

trains and even airplanes. The outside advertisements are really moving billboards and they are

designed as such, very simple in design with few words, their strength is their graphic.

STREET SIGN

This is also one of the modern outdoor advertising tools. The street signs are directional signs

which show vividly the road or street name. It has a glass covered surface on a pole carrying the

street name.

Belch and Belch (2001) also added other outdoor advertising media like:

Mobile Billboards

Another outdoor medium according to Belch and Belch is mobile billboards. Some companies

paints Volkswagen Beetle with ads called Beetle boards, others paints truck and vans. Still others

put ads on small billboards, mount them on trailers and around and/or park in the geographic areas

being targeted.

In-store media

Advertising spend billions of dollars to promote other products in supermarkets and other stores

with untypical media like displays, banners, and self signs. These point-of-purchase materials

include video displays on shopping carts, kiosks that provide recipes and beauty tips and coupons

at counters and cash registers boards.

Characteristics of Outdoor Advertising

According to Anycho (2007) outdoor advertising as asserted by him is characterised into its :

Versatilty

The outdoor advertising medium presents a variety of products thereby offering a number of

opportunities to advertisiers to showcase their brands in attractive and attention manner. Outdoor

products available are illuminated boards,mobile ads, static,unlit versions,rooftop, high rises and

suspended versions.

Flexibilty

Location flexibilty is another feature of outdoor advertising which makes it attractive to

adverisers.Boards can change locations by being moved freom one place to anther .in similar

manner, the messages on the boards can be changed on the same location at various times as need

arises.

Changes can also be made on the messages to suit changes in season, climate or business .for

instance , in electioneering year boards are wusually taken up by candidates campaigning for

elective postions,and as soon as the elections are over the boards are reverted to products

branding .

Corporate visibilty

Many outdoor boards are large and imposing on their audince. Bilboards have enormous impacts

and can create a stand out image for advertisiers .

Advertisers and their agencies take delight in seeing their brands displayed in a dominant

way ,ocupying strangic positipns in an important location.

Motion

The applicatiion of electronic devices to billboards operations now gives a simulation of

movements on the boards. It is a well known fact that movement induces attention. Advertisements

prepared with simulation of movement tend to put life into an inannimate object,making it more

attention catching than iot otherwise would have been .

Colour

Outdoor advertisements can be presented in rich and attractive colours.The rich application of

colours allows the presentation of the product in original form. This creates a permanent identity

of the brand in the minds of the audience .

Wide Coverage

Outdoor boards have become part of us.We see it everywhere- in buses,taxi-cabs,along the roads

as we are walking ,at residential places ,on the highways and beside residential places . The

medium, by being ubiquitous can reach all classes of people.

Historical Background of Outdoor Media from the Global

Perspective

According to Belch and Belch (2001) “outdoor advertising has probably existed since the days of

cave dwellers. Both the Egyptians and the Greeks used it as early as 5,000 years age: Also outdoor

republic in its maiden issue publication, in its cover story on outdoor “as world’s oldest form of

advertising---“ it posit that times have changed radically in outdoor as its share of display and ad

spend continues to increase over the last decades. It further added that the first Egyptian merchant

who chiseled sales messages onto store tablets and placed them along public roadways-to be

painted walls in the ancient Rome and Pompeii, promoting games and local businesses, being the

earliest form of marketing communication.

By the 15th century, the evolution from papyrus to paper and the invention of the printing press had

given advertiser’s more flexibility.

Messages now could easily be moved from one location to another, making bill posting an

accepted practice in the word. Three hundred years later, a new printing process, lithography,

improved the aesthetic quality of poster printing and expanded the creative possibilities of

advertisings design.

Posters become a serious art form by the late 1800’s many posters by such artists as jules cheret

and Co. are considered as master pieces today. In America the poster or broadside was a major

means of reporting news to the populace.

Late in the 19th century, companies began leasing space on wooden boards for the placement of

advertising messages. These posters were called “bill” and the term “BILLBOARD” was born

EARLY OUTDOOR ADVERTISING PRATICE IN

NIGERIA

Outdoor agency practice has come along way since its inception according to outdoor advertising

agency news vol. 2 no 1 Billboards in Nigeria come in various shapes and sizes adorning major

streets and highways in virtually all states of the federation , including the fedral capital

territory .outdoor advertising practice came to Nigeria as a result of the establishment of west

African Publicity limited by the Royal Niger Company now United African company on the 31st

August ,1928.The company started wall panels,fly-posting of double and crown posters on walls

and 8-sheet locations.The West African Publicity Limitedc later gave rise to lintas, full service Ad

agency and afromedia, The first outdoor hoardings company in Nigeria which was established in

1959 as full outdoor advertising company .Later , the Railway Advertising Service was formed ,

followed by the likes of Nigeria Advertising service .(NAS),Wilmer publicity Gilbertson

Advertising Limited , Greenland Advertising ,Nigeria Commercial and industrial Enterprise And

publicity Association of Nigeria Limited.However Ademulegun further asserted that these above

companies that pioneered the practice right from 1959 into 1970,s ;operating within limited areas

in lagos ,Aba,onitsha,Kaduna,Ibadan,Benin,ondo and Abeokuta .According to olaghere although

agency practice in west africa started with the registration of west African Publicity on August 31st

1928 it did not develop outdoor Advertising beyound the posting of double and quad crown

posters

However Afro-media as an advertising agency championed the development of outdoor

advertising in Nigeria. Many companies emerged to compliment Afro-media effort in the growth

of outdoor advertising. These companies include:

Railway Advertising services

Nigerian Advertising services

Wilmer Publicity

Gilbertson Advertising Limited.

Nigerian Commercial and Industrial Enterprise

Publicity Association of Nigeria Limited.

With the emergence of the above named companies and many others, outdoor advertising medium

grew bigger and stronger. There became a need to have a body to deal with government in matters

relating to bye-laws among others as practices had improved. This need led to the information of

outdoor adverting contractors of Nigeria (OACAN) the Association became more effective in

control and maintenance of standards in the industry.

According to Olaghere (1994), the association made strong representation to government today,

we have a new regulatory body known as outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN)

with over seventy members (70) made of young dynamic practitioners. The association was put

together after the demolition of billboards in Lagos in 1991. Presently, OAAN is doing

tremendously well in controlling and regulating of outdoor advertising practice in Nigeria. In fact,

it is the only outdoor advertising sub-sector recognized by advertising practitioner’s council of

Nigeria (APCON) to practice outdoor advertising.

In contemporary Nigeria, outdoor advertising formats, methods and practice were standardized.

There was mechanization of procedures of erection of billboards and bill posting operations by the

use of company owned vehicles in place of existing arrangement where two operations were

undertaken by use of public transportation which was unreliable.

Furthermore, proper planning system was set up based on research conducted. According to

Olaghere (1994), this system involves proper documentation of all billboards giving such details as

dated of erection, landlord’s name, address of billboards annual ground rent payable to land lords

or rates of local government council and campaign.

2.1 OUTDOOR ADVERTISING IN LAGOS

According to Sunday Otokiti (2006: 30), in his article on strategies for resource, consciousness,

creation and control in Lagos state, he says: “Lagos state lies approximately between 6 022N and

6052 and it is a 180km long Atlantic coastline”. He furthers went to say that “Lagos state is

perhaps the smallest state in Nigeria in terms of land area she represents only 0.4 percentage point

of Nigeria land space and accounts for about 7.8% of population growth over 9% per annum,

resulting in additional 365,000 persons per annum and about 100 per day.

Also Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi (2008: 5), registrar advertising practitioner’s council of Nigeria

(APCON). In his presentation: “ outdoor advertising in Lagos megacity” he says Lagos is already a

megacity, he further added that a megacity is a new kind of market that has new requirements, but

also given its big size offers a lot of opportunities to whomever recognizes it and has the skills and

patience to pursue it. He however added that many consumers in Lagos now spend a large portion

of their time outside the home and on the road as they go to and from the office, thanks to heavy

traffic”. Consumers in transit to and from a place get the advertisers message through eye –

catching signs tracts are colourful by day and even more at night”. He also added that “ironically

the notorious Lagos traffic can give outdoor ads a distinct advantage since billboards, neon signs,

and colourful posters cater to a captive audience.

However, Lagos is becoming an increasingly competitive market, in which outdoor agencies will

continually be challenged to reach a consumer base that is regularly bombarded with various

medium of advertisement, as they watch the T. V, listen to radio and read their daily newspapers

and also get attracted by innovative billboards as they go about their daily activities.

Lagos consumers can now get their messages not only through the traditional media channels, but

even as they down load their web based email surf, through the net, go to cinemas and check

promotional text messages, inspite of all these, the growth in lighted and tri-vision displays,

painted and even neon-signs, as seen in Lagos traffic filled highways and roads, highlight the

growing popularity of outdoor advertising.

In the developed market like the U. S, the increasing recognition of the importance and impact of

outdoor advertising can be seen in the expanding amounts allocated to it. In 2001 alone, the

outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) reported that about $5.1 billion was spent on

outdoor advertising, with approximately 60% 0f that going to billboards and nearly 20% going to

transit media.

Thus this brings us to the concept of digital technology on the outdoor media advertising?

DIGITAL INNOVATION IN OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

Digital technology can be seen as a new innovation in the outdoor advertising in Nigeria.

According to Longman dictionary of contemporary English, “innovation is a new idea, method or

invention; it also says that it is the introduction of new ideas or methods.

Also makanjuola Alabi CEO of LASAA, in their journal of Redefining the outdoor environment”

it says the world of outdoor media display is continually changing with companies investing more

in innovations and new technologies.

Improvements in print production and lighting have already enhanced the appeal of the outdoor

medium as new digital technology, 3.D imagery and fibre optics. Better tracking systems and the

ability to change advertisements with wireless technology are also on the agenda. Outdoor

republic, in one of their article by Alhaji Kankarofi on “outdoor advertising in Lagos megacity”,

also added that “the primary message of the advertiser is up and on display 24 hours a day at rates

that are far lower than a television spot--- he further added that eye catching variety of outdoor ads

present the creative flexibility that is provided by improvements in technology as well as the

resourceful inventiveness of outdoor companies that seek to bring the advertiser closer to the

consumer.

MODERN TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS IN OUTDOOR

ADVERTISING

The age of technological advancement has changed the mode of outdoor advertising. Modern

trends have given colour and new look to outdoor advertisements. According to Marc Qunther

(1999), it is hip, it is high tech, and it’s a hot media stock play. No it’s not an internet startup, it’s

the billboard business”.

Today, the outdoor advertising world has gone high tech, digital technology has transformed

radically the way billboards are made until the 1990s most billboards faces where either painted on

plywood or metal. Quality was inconsistent worst still paint faded and wood chipped or worse the

poster tears off.

Today, computer painting technology has almost completely eliminate the old fashioned sign

painting while plywood has given way to durable vinyl that can be cut to any size, and then rolled

into tubes for easy shipping. In addition, huge graphics can be produced more quickly and at lower

cost and digital printing ensures faithful reproduction. The advent of vinyl technology has

significantly changed the entire system.

Most billboards are now posted with self adhesive vinyl or flex vinyl, there is also the corex

materials. Corex was first used by coca-cola and later joined by First Bank, though they are no

longer as popular as the self adhesive vinyl (popularly known as SAV). Initially, these materials

were printed and produced abroad. But presently, many printing companies have improved and are

equally producing the material locally. The new technology has made operators more creative and

advertisers are seeing billboards in new-light. The board social trend is also favoring the billboards

market.

Nigerians are spending fewer hours at home because of the economic situation and people are

spending more-time than ever in their cars, energy crisis is not helping the electronic media as

most clients feel that it is a waste of money to advertise where only the few that are privileged to

have generator will or hear it.

Consequently upon the above, advertisers want something that will impact fully and attention

getting for their brands. And over the past years, new waves of structures have emerged. These

have grabbed the attention of audience and headlines. Billboards structures are becoming more

sophisticated and valuable communication tools with this, increased value leads, to increase

revenue and increased demand and acceptability by advertisers.

According to Alimi (1990), the increase in the patronage of outdoor sector is due to the

unreliability and unaffordability of other media, (T.V cost and NEPA) newspaper and magazine

proscription/cost, the down turn in the economy which makes client seek alternatives which they

consider cheaper and more reliable and impactful activated the latest trends in outdoor advertising

industry.

In June 1992, ultra-vision/waves were introduced by Benjamin Black &Co. the unique advantages

of ultra-vision have been positively exploited by big advantages in different sectors of the

economy.

Ultra-vision is always illuminated and switches message face electrically while ultra-waves also

switch messages electrically but in blades. It has the capability of displaying more than one

message. It is a remarkable innovation.

The root top is another new product. It was introduced by media link in 1990. It came into

existence because of the cluttering of billboards sites along the major routes of Lagos. It has the

advantage of greater number of traffic due to its unique and high rise positioning.

Recently too, media link brought in the backlit. Backlit is illuminated structure of about 30ft x 10ft

and very visible at night (Root top picture fixed).

Optimum Exposures is a major player in outdoor advertising today. In 1995, it came out with

spectacular (4 poles). It has a display area of 20 feet by 50 feet. It came as the largest size and its

advantage is that it is lighted at night.

The unipole spectacular followed shortly. Invent media brought in the ultra waves unipole

spectacular. This has the ability to switch from one message to another. The unipole are scattered

all over the major cities of Nigeria with a high presence in Lagos. It is a attention grabbing and has

full security guarantee from vandals.

Furthermore, the industry has witnessed other new innovations such as larger life size, product

replica (star bottle),40 sheet ultra waves etc. Another new product is the digital electronic

billboard installed by optimum Exposures at Apongbon, Lagos Island. It has features like a T.V,

changing messages electronically after few seconds. However, the operation of this structure is

affected by the problem of energy in Nigeria.

The stage of outdoor advertising in Nigeria seems set for a total departure from the traditional

formats. With the incursion of educated young men and women more things are yet to come.

However, it is worthy to observe that most of the new structures are ideas and products existing

presently in Europe and America. Attempt should be made towards developing what we can

proudly call a Nigeria indigenous outdoor media.

REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL STUDIES

To better understand the concept of digital technology on outdoor agency practice, it is empirically

pertinent to look into the concept of this study. One of such study is the one conducted by FB

Consumer Research Services Inc., a roster member of the local Marketing and Opinion Research

Society (MORES), on outdoor advertising as an effective and strong out-of-home advertising

medium, which they made use of Manila a mega city of 15 Million people making use of a survey

and a random-selection of respondent to include vehicle motorist and commuters who travel along

some prominent routes.

The survey in its findings showed that more respondent look at billboards than other medium,

likening the findings to the Nigerian advertising industry

Outdoor advertising is a strong medium for out-of-home advertising due to the fact that traffic

which is mostly a serious chaos in Lagos State motorists and commuters spend more time looking

at billboards, which a person going through a regular route gets to see a specific outdoor

advertising at least once a day.

Another study conducted by Butler Gum, a company that provides dental products venture into

outdoor advertising in an attempt to increase awareness of their products in the competitive dental

health care market, consulted the services of clear channel outdoor and Perception Research

Services (PRS), which at the end of the campaign, the Butler Dental outdoor advertising elevated

brand awareness.

Finally another campaign done in terms of innovation is the one done on Bluetooth as an

interactive element of your outdoor campaign". The innovation, (Blue tooth Advertising)

mostly in Europe like U.K, Canada, Asia and Australia who brought forth the innovation which

has been fully embraced by big brand names like HSBC, NIKE, NOKIA, BAILEYS, VODKA,

COCA-COLA, FORD et cetera.

In their outdoor campaigns including cinemas, billboards, street panels, transport, retail and point-

of-purpose media, giving their audience the opportunity download content from the advertisement

on to their personal mobile device, which invariably in making a form of relationship with the

advertised brand if only for a few seconds.

The result of a street survey on this innovation, on Bluetooth advertising revealed that respondent

asserts that:” it would be good if the messages could be personalized, I know I could always ignore

anything and to be honest I really don’t mind this sort of marketing.

Also another study as conducted by Perception Research Services (1983), and separately reported

by its President Young(1984) was intended to “observe the attention-getting ability of outdoor

boards from the perspective of the individual in an automobile Young (1984). This work measured

the eyegaze behavior of 200 licensed drivers who viewed a 27 minute video of a drive through

three metropolitan areas to “observe the stopping power of outdoor”. Although insufficient detail

was presented in the published reports to independently review the research, the results are

illuminating. First, the author suggests that recall scores (based on questioning of the

participants immediately after the simulated drive) “grossly (understates) the true impact

of outdoor advertising … that outdoor is generating approximately two and one-half times as much

attention as recall scores would ever indicate” (Young: 20). Second, the research found that

“outdoor advertising located near highway signage tends to generate greater attention. We

hypothesize that the highway signage tends to wake up the driver; his state of alertness increases

and his attention to advertising and signage in the immediate area tends to get enhanced” (Young).

Finlly, the research found that outdoor advertising attracts attention regardless of whether the

displayed message is of interest/relevance to the driver or not. These findings, and particularly the

last, obviously intended for an audience within the billboard industry, provide a useful comparison

to the findings of several of the studies. In particular, Young’s finding that billboards attract a

driver’s attention whether or not the message is of interest or relevance, is quite similar to the

findings of Crundall, et al. (1999), and Theeuwes, et al. (1998, 1999), both of whom showed that

drivers do not, and cannot, ignore such irrelevant stimulation, even during the performance of a

high priority task. Interestingly, Young’s findings run directly counter to arguments routinely

made by industry representatives in discussions with regulators – that there is no adverse safety

consequence of billboards because, when a driver is engaged in a demanding task, he simply

ignores the advertisement.

Holistically on the point of view of these empirical studies, its posit that innovation are pertinent to

gaining attention, awareness and brand recall for advertisers, messages, due to its uniqueness and

its characterisitics of being able to gab attention .

Theoretical Framework

In giving the research study a theoretical basis/background a number of selected theoretical

framework were tied to the study of digital technolgy and the outdoor advertising agency

practice.Thus in essence of this postulations thev outdoor which is a medium through which

outdoor advertising uses to pass across its message ,which by virtue of its psycology needs to

attract its target .And innovations in the form of digital technology will as a matter of necessity

add more impetus in improving its status .Theories of media innovations asserted for this study

are;

Technological determinism theory

Media dependency theory

Diffusion of innovation theory

Diffusion of innovations

Diffusion of Innovations according to its postulations is a theory of how, why, and at what rate

new ideas and technology spread through cultures. The concept was first studied by the French

sociologist Gabriel Tarde (1890) and by German and Austrian anthropologists such as Friedrich

Ratzel or Leo Frobenius. Its basic epidemiological or internal-influence form was described by H.

Earl Pemberton, who provided examples of institutional diffusions such as postage stamps or

compulsory school laws. The publication of a study of Ryan and Gross on the diffusion of hybrid

corn in Iowa was the first sustainably visible contribution in a broader interest in innovations

which was especially popularized by the textbook by Everett Rogers (1962), Diffusion of

Innovations (Rogers : 1962 ). He defines diffusion as "the process by which an innovation is

communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system."

According to Daramola (2001) diffusion of innovation theory is to communicate to members of a

social system a discovery or ideas based on research. Diffusion however, refers to a process by

which new ideas are communicated to members of a social system. Innovation on the other hand

means new ideas or inventions (outdoor media innovations) that are to be diffused to members of a

social system. This may include ideas, practices, and behavior... to be diffused to members of the

social system. The process consists of:

A new idea

The individual with knowledge of innovation...

Thus holistically on the theories given above consumer perceptions in terms of their selection

exposure, retention, perception, determines their attitude, formation, which invariably is based on

the level of the °Diffusion of Innovation.”

The origins of the diffusion of innovations theory are varied and span across multiple disciplines.

Rogers identifies six main traditions that impacted diffusion research: anthropology, early

sociology, rural sociology, education, industrial, and medical sociology. The diffusion of

innovation theory has been largely influenced by the work of rural sociologists. In the book

Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers synthesizes research from over 508 diffusion studies and

produces a theory for the adoption of innovations among individuals and organization.

The adoption process

Diffusion of an innovation occurs through a five–step process. This process is a type of decision-

making. It occurs through a series of communication channels over a period of time among the

members of a similar social system. Ryan & Gross first indicated the identification of adoption as a

process in 1943 (Rogers: 1962 ). Rogers categorizes the five stages (steps) as: awareness, interest,

evaluation, trial, and adoption. It should be noted that an individual might reject an innovation at

anytime during or after the adoption process. In later editions of the Diffusion of Innovations

Rogers changes the terminology of the five stages to: knowledge, persuasion, decision,

implementation, and confirmation. However the descriptions of the categories have remained

similar throughout the editions.

Five stages of the adoption process

KNOWLEDGE

In this stage the individual is first exposed to an innovation but lacks information about the

innovation. It should be noted that during this stage of the process the individual has not been

inspired to find more information about the innovation.

PERSUASION

In this stage the individual is interested in the innovation and actively seeks information/detail

about the innovation.

DECISION

In this stage the individual takes the concept of the innovation and weighs the

advantages/disadvantages of using the innovation and decides whether to adopt or reject the

innovation. Due to the individualistic nature of this stage Rogers notes that it is the most difficult

stage to acquire empirical evidence Rogers (1964 ).

IMPLEMENTATION

In this stage the individual employs the innovation to a varying degree depending on the situation.

During this stage the individual determines the usefulness of the innovation and may search for

further information about it.

CONFIRMATION

Although the name of this stage may be misleading, in this stage the individual finalizes their

decision to continue using the innovation and may use the innovation to its fullest potential.

Rates of adoption

The rate of adoption is defined as: the relative speed with which members of a social system adopt

an innovation. It is usually measured by the length of time required for a certain percentage of the

members of a social system to adopt an innovation Rogers ( 1962 ). The rates of adoption for

innovations are determined by an individual’s adopter category. In general individuals who first

adopt an innovation require a shorter adoption period (adoption process) than late adopters.

Within the rate of adoption there is a point at which a innovation reaches critical mass. This is a

point in time within the adoption curve that enough individuals have adopted an innovation in

order that the continued adoption of the innovation is self-sustaining. In describing how an

innovation reaches critical mass, Rogers outlines several strategies in order to help a innovation

reach this stage. These strategies are: have an innovation adopted by a highly respected individual

within a social network, creating an instinctive desire for a specific innovation. Inject an

innovation into a group of individuals who would readily use an innovation, and provide positive

reactions and benefits for early adopters of an innovation.

Characteristics of innovations

Rogers defines several intrinsic characteristics of innovations that influence an individual’s

decision to adopt or reject an innovation. The relative advantage is how improved an innovation is

over the previous generation. Compatibility is the second characteristic, the level of compatibility

that an innovation has to be assimilated into an individual’s life. The complexity of an innovation

is a significant factor in whether it is adopted by an individual. If the innovation is too difficult to

use an individual will not likely adopt it. The fourth characteristic, trial ability, determines how

easily an innovation may be experimented with as it is being adopted. If a user has a hard time

using and trying an innovation this individual will be less likely to adopt it. The final

characteristic, observability, is the extent that an innovation is visible to others. An innovation that

is more visible will drive communication among the individual’s peers and personal networks and

will in turn create more positive or negative reactions.

Adopter categories

Rogers defines an adopter category as a classification of individuals within a social system on the

basis of innovativeness.. The categories of adopters are: innovators, early adopters, early majority,

late majority, and laggards Rogers ( 1962 )

Innovators

Innovators are the first individuals to adopt an innovation. Innovators are willing to take risks,

youngest in age, have the highest social class, have great financial lucidity, very social and have

closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators.

Early Adopters

This is second fastest category of individuals who adopt an innovation. These individuals have the

highest degree of opinion leadership among the other adopter categories. Early adopters are

typically younger in age, have a higher social status, have more financial lucidity, advanced

education, and are more socially forward than late adopters Rogers ( 1962  ).

Early Majority

Individuals in this category adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time. This time of

adoption is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. Early Majority tend to be

slower in the adoption process, have above average social status, contact with early adopters, and

show some opinion leadership

Late Majority

Individuals in this category will adopt an innovation after the average member of the society.

These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority

of society has adopted the innovation. Late Majority are typically skeptical about an innovation,

have below average social status, very little financial lucidity, in contact with others in late

majority and early majority, very little opinion leadership.

Laggards

Individuals in this category are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike some of the previous

categories, individuals in this category show little to no opinion leadership. These individuals

typically have an aversion to change-agents and tend to be advanced in age. Laggards typically

tend to be focused on “traditions”, have lowest social status, lowest financial fluidity, oldest of all

other adopters, in contact with only family and close friends, very little to no opinion leadership.

Diffusion in organizations

However Rogers further asserted that Innovations are often adopted by organizations through two

types of innovation-decisions: collective innovation decisions and authority innovation decisions.

The collection-innovation decision occurs when the adoption of an innovation has been made by a

consensus among the members of an organization. The authority-innovation decision occurs when

the adoption of an innovation has been made by very few individuals with high positions of power

within an organization Rogers ( 2005 ). Unlike the optional innovation decision process, these

innovation-decision processes only occur within an organization or hierarchical group. Within the

innovation decision process in an organization there are certain individuals termed "champions"

who stand behind an innovation and break through any opposition that the innovation may have

caused. The champion within the diffusion of innovation theory plays a very similar role as to the

champion used within the efficiency business model Six Sigma. The innovation process within an

organization contains five stages that are slightly similar to the innovation-decision process that

individuals undertake. These stages are: agenda-setting, matching, redefining/restructuring,

clarifying, routinizing.

Consequences of adoption

There are both positive and negative outcomes when an individual or organization chooses to

adopt a particular innovation. Rogers states that this is an area that needs further research because

of the biased positive attitude that is associated with the adoption of a new innovation Rogers

(2005). In the Diffusion of Innovation, Rogers lists three categories for consequences, desirable vs.

undesirable, direct vs. indirect, and anticipated vs. unanticipated.

Prior to the introduction of the Internet, it was argued that social networks had a crucial role in the

diffusion of innovation particularly Tacit knowledge in the book The IRG Solution - hierarchical

incompetence and how to overcome it. The book argued that the widespread adoption of computer

networks of individuals would lead to the much better diffusion of innovations, and with greater

understanding of their possible shortcomings, and the identification of needed innovations that

would not have otherwise occurred - the Relevance paradox.

diffusion of innovations theory Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated

through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. Diffusion is a special

type of communication concerned with the spread of messages that are perceived as new

ideas.

An innovation, simply put, is “an idea perceived as new by the individual.” An innovation is an

idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption. The

characteristics of an innovation, as perceived by the members of a social system, determine its rate

of adoption.Thus by virtue of this the influence of digital technology on the outdoor practice and

the competition that has set in terms of remaining relevant to the practice to both advertisers and

consumers,the agency practice has seen theadoption of various digital technologies to sustain its

business.

Thus the diffusion of innovation theory by its postulates has meant that organisations adopting

digital technologies as a bid to remain relevant in business the opyion left to them is that it is either

they flow with the latest trend or stay irrelevant to its targets.

Technological determinism Theory

We all experience the role technology plays in social change on a daily basis. Whether cleaning

our home, purchasing an air ticket over the internet, paying for shopping at a supermarket or

borrowing a book from the library, we all experience a constant prodding to our normal and

routine ways of doing things that can be attributed to the introduction of some new technology or

other. But do such experiences provide evidence to support the thesis of technological

determinism? One of the few sources of agreement in the recent technology literature, is that the

answer to this question must be no, i.e., technological determinism must be wrong. However, I

want to suggest that this ‘agreement’ actually obscures a problem with the treatment of technology.

Namely, I want to suggest that this rejection of technological determinism has meant that certain

questions posed by so-called technological determinists remain untheorised or even unaddressed.

Indeed I shall also argue that these questions are difficult to deal with in any sustainable way

within the framework suggested by many of technological determinism’s critics, at least those

most rooted in social constructivism. Implicitly, of course, I am suggesting that these questions

asked by so-called technological determinists are important ones. And indeed I believe their

importance explains why so many writers on technology are continually drawn to the thesis of

technological determinism, accounting for the often noted fact that "as moths to the flame we

[theorists of technology] find ourselves continually attracted to technological determinism’s

alluring but dangerous glow" Smith ( 1996).

It is fair to say that technological determinism is most usually referred to in a crude,

undifferentiated manner. To the extent that different strands of the technological determinist

argument are distinguished, it is most common to find discussions of hard and soft technological

determinism Smith & Marx, (1996). The hard-soft distinction is based upon a spectrum of

technological determinisms – with movement along the spectrum involving the degree of agency,

or the power to effect change, attributed to technology. At the hard end, technology has certain

intrinsic attributes that allow little scope for human autonomy or choice. At the other end of the

spectrum, soft determinism, simply emphasises the large scope for human interventions and

choice. Indeed, for Smith and Marx at least "the soft determinists locate [technology] in a far more

various and complex social, economic, political and cultural matrix" (1996,). The immediate

problem with such accounts, however, is that it is not clear why they should be considered to be

deterministic at all. Neither hard nor soft are deterministic in any sense, given that some scope for

the human choice is accepted by both, the disagreement being over how much. Indeed, this point

seems to be the motivation for Bimber’s very useful if rarely cited, distinctions between

nomological, unintended consequences and normative uses of the term technological determinism

(Bimber, 1996). The nomological is that which takes the 'determinism' in technological

determinism most seriously: "technological determinism can be seen as the view that, in the light

of …the state of technological development and laws of nature, there is only one possible future

course for social change" (1996: 83). There is no scope for human desires or choices.

Now, although this definition accords most closely with the philosopher’s (or common sense?)

meaning of the term, Bimber argues that it is actually almost impossible to find any examples of

technological determinism if such a definition is strictly adhered to. The most likely candidates

(perhaps unsurprisingly?) emanate from the economics domain. The most familiar of these is

Marx’s famous statement that "the hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam-mill

society with the industrial capitalist" Marx, (1971). However, it is very difficult to attribute

anything like a hard or nomological form of technological determinism once a wider

reading of Marx is undertaken Dickson, (1974); Rosenberg, (1976); Harvey:(1999). One sense in

which Marx might be understood as encouraging such an interpretation is in his insistence that

history or sequence matters, and indeed this can sound unduly mechanistic, and has been

interpreted by later Marxists in an unduly mechanistic way (an obvious example is Heilbroner:

(1967). But the crucial point that Marx, and indeed Heilbronner, are making is that some kinds of

technology could not happen without others and some kinds of technology could not happen

without others and that some kinds of social organisation could not happen without certain

technological developments. This idea of the importance of sequence recurs throughout accounts

that have been held up as examples of technological determinism.

However, neither the nomological nor the unintended consequences uses of the term are, Bimber

argues, the most familiar face of technological determinism within the technology literature.

Rather, in what he dubs the normative version of technological determinism, technology appears to

us as autonomous because the norms by which it is advanced are "removed from political and

ethical discourse and … goals of efficiency or productivity become surrogates for value-based

debate over methods, alternatives, means and ends" Bimber, (1996). Here technological

development is an essentially human enterprise in which people who create and use technology are

driven by certain goals that rely unduly on norms of efficiency and productivity. Thus other

(ethical, moral) criteria are excluded, producing a process that operates independently of larger

political processes and contexts. The end point is one in which society adopts the technologist's

standards of judgement. Thus there is a technological domain, which includes elements of society

generally, which acts as constraint and causal force on other aspects of society.

\

Basic postulates Technological Determinism theory

Technological Determinism state that media technology shapes how we as individuals in a society

think, feel, act, and how are society operates as we move from one technological age to another

(Tribal- Literate- Print- Electronic). Marshall Mcluhan ( 1962) .

The theory explains when new systems of technology are developed, the culture or society is

immediately changed to reflect the senses needed to use the new technology. We learn and feel and

think the way we do because of the messages we receive through the current technology that is

available. The radio required us to only listen and develop our sense of hearing. On the other hand,

television engages both our hearing and visual senses. We then transfer those developed senses

into our everyday lives and we want to use them again. The medium is then our message.

Ontological Assumptions:

Humans do not have much free will at all.  Whatever society as a whole is using to communicate,

they too will use to communicate.  Therefore they will adapt to the medium they are using so that

they can send and receive messages like everyone else.

Epistemological Assumptions:

We know that there is one truth by observing what has happened over time.  As the medium

changes so does society's way of communicating.  People can only use the medium for which it

was created (phone for talking over lines or electronic mail for talking via computer).  If the

medium is impersonal (television) then the message too is impersonal.

Axiological Assumptions:

This theory is objective in that everyone will act and feel the same no matter what the medium

they are using provided that they are using the same medium.  Values are not involved because

evidence is seen strictly through observation.

Holistically the technological determinism theory states that media technolgy (digital technolgy)

shapes how we as individuals in a society think,act,and how the society operates as we move from

one technolgy to another,which invariably means that looking at a gross analysis of the Mcluhan

theory . The outdoor practice has transisted overtime and due to the fact that the society is

dynamic and trends in the society changes with the time thus technological advancement in the

practice is the only driving force that propels the sector which most advertisers and targets focus

on in terms of doing business.In lieu with this technology becomes the determinant to the growth

of the practice.

Media dependency theory

Media dependency theory was asserted by a theorist Sandra ball-Rokeach and melvin De-fleur in

1976. The theory asserts that the more dependent an individual is on the media for having his or

her needs fulfilled the more important the media will be to that person. The media dependency

theory says the more a person becomes more dependent on the m edia to fulfil these needs, the

media will become more important on that individual. Media-System Dependency, first

introduced by Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur (1976) in his own perspective he, defined as “a

relationship in which the capacity of individuals to attain their goals is contingent upon the

information resources of the media system.” Those information resources can be categorized as the

ability to create and gather, process, and disseminate information. According to Baran and Davis

(2009), "media systems dependency theory assumes that the more a person depends on having his

or her needs met by media use, the more important will be the role that media play in the person’s

life, and therefore the more influence those media will have on the person". As the world becomes

more complex, people turn to media to make sense of what’s happening. The more a person relies

on media for information, the more that person is influenced by media.

Historical media perspectives

The “hypodermic needle” or “magic bullet” effect, first introduced in the 1920s, suggested that

mass media had a profound, immediate psychological effect on its audience. It implied that the

communicator, in this case the media, had significant control over the message receiver. This idea

is no longer seen as valid by social science scholars. However, the public at large still views the

media as having a significant effect on public opinion and behavior (Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur

1976, Ball-Rokeach (1985), Miller (2005).

The original theory

Early research described media-system dependency in relation to meeting information needs:

understanding the social world (i.e. currents events),conforming to social norms (i.e. trends, pop

culture),fantasy-escape from social reality (i.e. entertainment) .

Dependency is said to increase as one's needs increase. For example, during large-scale social

crises such as war, fantasy-escape needs increase dramatically, thus increasing dependency on

media-systems as a source of entertainment Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur ( 1976).

The new theory

Later research suggests that media-system dependency involves more than just meeting the needs

of an audience. DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach (1989) suggest that there are actually three factors that

influence dependency:

information needs

individual personalities (i.e. values)

stage of development (i.e. age)

These factors cause media to have a “selective influence” on any particular member of an

audience. For instances, the lyrics of an explicit song may not register to a young child, but may be

the epitome of popularity to a teenager or college student, while maybe being socially

unacceptable to parents and grandparents Miller ( 2005).

Current uses

In modern society, media-system dependency is utilized most significantly by political and

economic systems. Ball-Rokeach (1985) suggests that there is even interdependence between

them, with each helping the other attain fundamental goals. The goals of each system create a

symmetrical, mutual need or contingency with the other. These systems, known as the central

dependency systems rely so heavily on one another that effort to create asymmetry by one system

or another are generally circular in nature. The same contingencies are not present in family,

educational, religious, and those other systems not considered as central dependencies Ball-

Rokeach ( 1985).

Current research

Much of the modern research on media-system dependency focuses on hot button political items

such as abortion Ball-Rokeach and Power ( 1990), health care Wilkin and Ball-Rokeach (2006);

Morton and Duck (2001, 2000), and internet usage Patwardhan and Ramaprasad (2005). There has

also been a great deal of research surrounding the events of September 11, 2001, producing such

titles as Dependency During a Large-Scale Social Disruption: The Case of September 11 Lowrey

(2004), Media System Dependency and Public Support for the Press and President (Hindman

(2004), and Agenda Setting in a Culture of Fear: The Lasting Effects of September 11 on American

Politics and Journalism Matsaganis and Payne (2005). This solidifies even more the notion of

interdependence between media, economic, and political systems.

Technology's impact

In 1976, Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur stated that as technology increases the way in which media

can be delivered, its influence becomes even more powerful. Today, with TiVo, podcasts, smart

phones, and ever expanding ways to stay connected, this assertion could not be more true.

Business transactions can be made electronically in real-time anywhere in the world. News is

known internationally almost as quickly as it is known locally. Businesses and individuals depend

so heavily on media systems that even small outages seem catastrophic. Media-system dependency

has, in a sense, become a global pandemic.

Holistically based on the postulates of the media dpendency theory it asserts that " the more a

person depends on having his or her needs met by media use, the more important will be the role

that media play in the person’s life, and therefore the more influence those media will have on the

person" thus in lieu with this postulates it means that going by the assertion of this theory it means

that to survive in business means that the outdoor agency practice needs to be in tune with the

latest media channels thus presuposes that the outdoor practice creating a form of dependence on it

for competitive survival .

CONCLUSION

The study had an analytical view into the the influence of digital technolgy in the outdoor agency

practice for which the study intends to take a gross analysis into the outdoor medium looking at

how the practice was in its crude and raw form how it has metamorposized to its present trend of

digital technolgy for which this study intends to fill in the gap in terms of digital technology in the

outdoor practice its influence on the practice for which the findings of this study hopes to be

beneficial to the outdoor practice to ascertain the potentialty of digital technology and how it has

created an impact on the sector adding more attraction to both advertisers and target audience in

the busines of outdoor .

References

Ademulegun k.(1998): outdoor Advertising A critque Article,70 years of outdoor Advertising in

Nigeria OAAN.

Akinbobola F. (1998): Effective use of outdoor Advertising’ , in 70 years of outdoor Advertising

in Nigeria ,Lagos: OAAN.

Akinbobola,Folusho B.(1995): selling outdoor to clients;OAAN .workshop on outdoor Advertising

(unpublished).

Alimi (2000): The problems and prospects of outdoor Advertising in Nigeria with the theme ‘the

outdoor advertising in the New Millenium challenges’.Apcon/OAAN joint Seminar(unpublished).

Alimi L.(1999): ‘New Trends and Innovations in outdoor Advertising in Nigeria ‘,in Advertising

Annual, vol.III.APCON.

Arens.W.F. (2001): Contemporary Advertising ; ILLINOIS;Richard. D. Irwin

Belch & Belch (2001): Advertising and Promotion;An integrated marketing communications

perspective,5th edition;Mcgraw-Hill Companies,New York.

Bovee & Arens (1989): Contemporary Advertising, New York;Richard D.Irwin 4th edition .

Daramola.I.(2001) : Introduction to Mass communication ,Lagos; Rothan Press Limited.

Folari B. (1998) : Theories of Mass communication,An introductory text,stirling-Horden

Publisher, Ibadan ,Nigeria.

Googlesearch.com

Jefkins .F. (1985) : Advertisng; M and E. Series ,London .

Kankorfi G.A: Advertising in Lagos Megacity’- Outdoor Republic, Nigeria’s Premier Journal on

Out-Of –Home dvertising.

Maknjuola A: Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria(APCON)b 13th Advertising Day

“Redefining The Outdoor Environment”

Marc.Q.(1999): The Great Outdoors,Fortune Magazine,united states of America .

Molokwu B.(1995) :The Nigerian Advertising Environment; Past ,present and the future,seminar

paper,APCON.(Unpublished).

Momeke .I. (1996) The Development and future of advertising in Nigeria in Nigeria,Seminar

paper,APCON.(Unpublished).

O.A.A.N (1998);Seventy years of Advertising in Nigeria.

O’Guinn et.al.(1998); Advertising;South –Western College Publishing,cincinnati ohio.

Osunbiyi ,Bedemi :Advertising principles & Practice ; Lagos : Sholak Printing Press

Otokiti .S: Strategies for Resource Conciousness, creation and control in Lagos state’ ,The Cultral

Determinants- vol 3. Lagos organistion Review.

CHAPTER THREE

METHOD OF STUDY

3.0 INTRODUCTION

After a serious analysis of all study techniques used in data gathering, the survey method was

adopted. Survey research studies both large and small population by selecting and studying

samples chosen from the population to discover the relative incidence, distribution and

interrelations of sociological and psychological variables. Also the survey method was chosen to

its numerous advantages and peculiarity. It is suited to studies which have individuals as the unit of

analysis to represent a larger population.

The respondents of the survey are often opinion, attitudes, belief and interests and the reason

people give for their action.

Osuala, (1981) in his book, attempts to determine the incidence, distribution and interrelation

among variances. It also involves drawing up a set of questions on aspects of a subject to which

selected members of the population are requested to react.

Survey researchers do not study the whole population but samples drawn from the population. The

researcher can then utter the characteristics of the defined population. Survey research focus on

people, the vital facts of people, their beliefs, uncovering data, motivation and behavior. Surveys

do more than mere covering data, they interpret synthesize and integrate these data and point to

implications and interrelationship.

What this study focuses on is the influence of digital outdoor advertising on the outdoor agency

practice in Lagos.

Generally survey method enables the researcher to make generalizations about the characteristics

of, or predictions about the behavior of a great body of people requiring measurement along a

broad spectrum of opinions, attitudes, feelings, beliefs, ideas, information and understanding

which is why it has been considered the best methods for my study topic.

3.1 RE-STATEMENT OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1 What is the role of digital technolgy in outdoor agency practice in Nigeria?

2 What role does digital technology play in the prefernce for outdoor advertisement by

advertisers in advertising campaigns?

3 What influence does digital technolgy have on the persuasive value of outdoor advertising

messages?

3.2 Research Design

The research design for this Qualitative study is the survey method. It adopted the descriptive

survey design which was used for the study. A descriptive survey is concerned with the gathering

of data for the purpose of describing and interpreting existing conditions, prevailing practices,

belief, attitudes and ongoing process.

3.3 POPULATION OF STUDY

The research population of the study is selected outdoor advertising agency in Nigeria. The

Selected sample frame were chosen on the basis of their structure and innovative practice / pattern

of digital technology in their Agency practice from various outdoor agencies in Lagos and also

based on the fact that they are members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria. Of

which they include.

New crystal communication limited 17A,Wilmer street off town planning way Ilupeju,

Lagos Nigeria

WeatherHeads International Nigeria Limited, 294, Ikorodu Road Anthony Village Lagos.

Spectacular Outdoors Limited 17, Adekitan Street ,off Palm Avenue Mushin Lagos

Nigeria

Tripple A Outdoor 51A, Faramobi Ajike Street Anthony Village, Lagos Nigeria

Media Link Limited 6,Oyetola Idowu Street ,off sura Mogaji Street, Ilupeju Lagos Nigeria.

Unik Sites Nigeria Limited Tapa House ,3/5 Imam Dauda Street,Off Eric Moore Road,

Surulere-Lagos Nigeria .(source Adnew:2006).

3.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND PROCEDURE

A simple size of five selected outdoor advertising agency was selected using Purposive

sampling Technique on the basis of their structure and innovative practice on outdoor service.

Selected on the basis of specific characteristics or qualities and elimination of those who fail

to meet these criteria.

Purposive sample is deliberately chosen and it attempts to represent a specific portion of the

population and not all and sundry (Tejumaiye: 2003).

3.5 SAMPLING PLAN

In other to have equal representation of the outdoor advertising practice on the digital technology and

outdoor advertising agency practice a sample frame of 5 selected agencies was selected on the basis

of their structure and innovative practice and also based on the fact that they are members of the

Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria .

3.6 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The data collection instrument used in this research is the in-depth interview method for which

interview questions will be raise to address the raised research questions so also the interview will be

conducted in the premises of respondent to also have on ground experience on their practice, making

use of recording aids, noted pad and other electronic means(like Blogging ,Internet chat ,face

book ,twitter,Myspace,Hi5, to aid the retrieval of data, for the study which will be analyzed.

In the administration of the In-depth Interview first after thorough research analysis on the selected

outdoor agencies then reservations will be booked from the outdoor agencies. Then an introductory

letter, accompanied with demographic variables will be attached alongside the interview guide

questions arranged strategically with simplicity and cohesion, to be either administered by self and

immediate retrieval or by e-mail channeling because of their busy schedule.

3.7 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF STUDY

The research instrument will be designed in such a way to generate responses that would directly

address research question to elicit finding for the study. Also the objective of the study will be used to

know the influence of digital technology on the performance of outdoor advertising agencies practice,

this study puts in place an appropriate research design, research technique and research procedure

while it sought to provide answer to all research questions and ultimately, the research problem. The

research instrument adopted (In-depth interview) will be designed in such a way that it has an

introductory approach that introduces both the researcher and study itself to elicits finding and

responses for the study.

3.8 DATA COLLECTION METHOD

In other to adopt the desired responses, the data collection method will be the In-depth interview to

which the Interview will follow the pattern of an introductory letter, and the questions will follows

suit arranged strategically to elicit desired responses from respondent. This method will be used to

elicit responses, making use of a self administration of the Interview and either electronically retrieval

or by self. Also in its collection due to the busy nature of Agency practitioners, the electronic- mail

method of e-mailing will be adopted to administer and retrieve data from respondent to assure

accuracy and prompt gathering / collection of data for analysis.

3.9 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

After collection of gathered data, the data were analyzed according to the personal interview

conducted with five selected agencies, using descriptive analysis of the responses of the interview

guide to elicit findings for the raised research questions.

REFERENCE

Osuala E.C.(1981) ; Introduction to Reserch Methodology,Onitsha,Nigeria.Africana

E.E.P.Publishers Limited.

CHAPTER FOUR

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Introduction

This Chapter would present the data collected for the study on Digital Technology and outdoor

agency practice, a study of some selected outdoor advertising agency practice and the

interpretation of the findings based on the research questions and objective of the research.

The data retrieved for the study was derived from an interview conducted on 5 selected

outdoor agencies in Lagos to include:

New crystal communication limited 17A,Wilmer street off town planning way Ilupeju,

Lagos Nigeria

WeatherHeads International Nigeria Limited, 294, Ikorodu Road Anthony Village Lagos.

Spectacular Outdoors Limited 17, Adekitan Street ,off Palm Avenue Mushin Lagos

Nigeria

Tripple A Outdoor 51A, Faramobi Ajike Street Anthony Village, Lagos Nigeria

Media Link Limited 6,Oyetola Idowu Street ,off sura Mogaji Street, Ilupeju Lagos Nigeria.

Unik Sites Nigeria Limited Tapa House, 3/5 Imam Dauda Street,Off Eric Moore Road,

Surulere-Lagos Nigeria .(source Adnews:2006).

By the researcher in response to the interview questions raised for the study on Digital

technology and outdoor Advertising agency practice in response to the following outdoor

agency practitioners were interviewed for their responses:

Mr.Henry Agu (wetherheads Outdoors)

Omotse Joseph of New crystal communications (Business development Manager)

Mr. Azeez Hassan the site acquisition Manager of Tripple A

Mr. Henry Ewere of Medialinks outdoor advertising

Funke Solanke Marketing Strategy/Chief Operating Officer Spectacular Outdoor

advertising.

For which a descriptive analysis of the responses was made to fit in to the asserted raised

research questions. These questions are posed to find out Digital technology in outdoor

agency practice: a study of selected outdoor agencies in Lagos of which the study

postulates the following research questions as basis for giving fresh insights into

answering the statement of the problem:

1 What is the role of digital technolgy in outdoor agency practice in Nigeria?

2 What role does digital technology play in the prefernce for outdoor advertisement by

advertisers in advertising campaigns?

3 What influence does digital technolgy have on the persuasive value of outdoor advertising

messages?

The chapter is divided into two sections. Section 1 gives a descriptive analysis of the Profile of the

selected outdoor Agencies respondents and the demographics of respondent, while Section 2 gives

the interpretation of the objectives and research questions.

Section A

4.2 Brief Corporate Profile Analysis of Selected Agencies

WetherHeads International Nigeria limited is perhaps the most dynamic company in the outdoor sub-

sector of the integrated marketing communications industry in Nigeria (AdNews: 2006). Incorporated

in August 1994 as an out of the home media and advertising agency providing media planning buying

and management services. Within a short period on the advertising landscape, the company has

pioneered the introduction of electronics ultra wave /Ultramix and ultra large boards. It also pioneered

scrollers,muppies ,spectacular ultra large format boards and LED screens. In addition, the agency is

currently rolling out Rotanel’s trivision boards and polycomps digital screen in key cities in the

country. The company has various strategic but autonomous departments like Metrocorp, Signcorp as

sister companies in the articulation of its activities.

Another company is Spectacular outdoor a fast growing outdoor agency that provides a basket of top

flight services to discerning clients. Founded in October 7 2004 with a mission to drive home client

message in a way that enhances outdoor advertising service delivery. Their product/services includes

backlit boards, unipole spectacular, rooftop, fleet ads, and conventional (wall drapes, portrait).

New Crystal communication Limited is a registered company incorporated in Nigeria in 1986. Their

focus is on complete outdoor Advertising and printing solutions .New crystal communication offers a

diverse portfolio of outdoor services including large format roadside panels, backlit, bus shelter,

Gantries, portraits, rooftops,scrolling boards Unipoles ,Wall drops.etc. Its large array of clients

includes: Coca-cola, Zenith Bank,LG Electronics,UBA Bank,pepsi,British council,CFAO Motors,

Sharp electronics, A-Z Petroleum products.

Media links limited is an outdoor advertising agency that specializes in the fabrication, erection and

display of billboards and other signages; painting and sign-writing of advertisement messages on

panels, canvas, printing, etc and sports communications and media advisory services.

As an outdoor company in the outdoor business its objective is to change the face of the outdoor

business by creating non-conventional sites and being proactive to clients’ need and contributing to

the improvement of the outdoor sector.

Unik sites as another outdoor advertising agency came into existence in 1999 to provide a dynamic

and innovative outdoor company that delivers outstanding campaigns that ripples the advertising

sector. Because of the creativity and uniqueness of the company their offering ,today the young

company has not only lived up to its billings and philosophy it has become a company to reckon with

in the outdoor advertising .Its major outdoor products includes the Unipoles, branded bus shelters,

Public information panels, Backlit etc.

Triple A outdoor Limited is a Lagos based outdoor advertising agency that has branches in Kano,

Kaduna, Bauchi, founded in September 24, 1992.The strength of the agency lies in the strategic

locations of their billboards, efficient monitoring team and unpararelled visibility. The company has

come to become a force to reckon with in the outdoor advertising world.

4.1 Demographics of Respondent

Joseph omtse is the Business development Manager of New Crystal Communication Limited, he is

a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Nssuka, and he attained another

degree in Marketing at the Nigerian Institute of marketing. And presently he is an associate

Registered practitioner of APCON.He has worked in a number of organizations like the Goodwill

Properties and investment company,Colour Image Publicity and a host other companies

Also another respondent for the study is Mr. Henry Agu of WetherHeads International Nigeria

Limited, as a graduate from university of Lagos Akoka with a Bachelor of science in Psychology,

with also a Diploma in Sociology from the University of Essex.Mr.Agu has served in a number of

organizations for which he worked with UBA, Wamco, Dormann Long Nigeria Limited before

coming in to Wetherheads.

Another respondent interviewed for the study is that of Mr. Henry Ewere the chief operations

Officer of Media Links, a graduate from the University of Lagos in English, with a master degree

in Mass communication from the University of Calabar in cross Rivers state.

4.3 Re-statement of Research Questions

1 What is the role of digital technolgy in outdoor agency practice in Nigeria?

2 What role does digital technology play in the prefernce for outdoor advertisement by

advertisers in advertising campaigns?

3 What influence does digital technolgy have on the persuasive value of outdoor advertising

messages?

Section B

Research Question 1:

What is the Role of Digital technology on Outdoor Agency Practice?

Based on the responses digital technology in the outdoor practice as according to a respondent from

the interview (Omotse Joseph of New crystal communications) he asserted that, Innovation points

mainly at all communication aspect of the communication process of the outdoor process, the designs

go a long way in giving it precision, style and attractiveness to the outdoor Medium that go a long

way in brand building .Also enhancing corporate image of clients, thereby giving the finished

products of the designs more possssiblities.

Digital technology also has gone along way in giving the structures more attention for which

according to him the latest of technological advances on the practice has seen more agencies creating

state of the art outdoor boards, in terms of fabrication of : electronic boards, digitalised and interactive

but yet attractive and incisive to both targets and clients .This in essence means that digital

technology has given the practice more advertisers prestige, target audience patronage and loyalty.

According to one of the respondent (Mr Agu of wetherheads) digital technology has seen agency

practice to transcend beyond the crude frontiers to a stage where newer forms like in its extra

additional facilities, its fabrication and design which transforms into making people pick interest in it

causing fascination and interest on the boards and generally on the practice. But mostly according to

him asserts that the practice money is still the driving factor because every innovation all boils down

to its fabrication and designing .

Research Question 2

What role does digital technology play in the preference for outdoor advertisement by advertisers

in advertising campaigns?

Digital technology in the agency practice is according to another respondent (Mr. Azeez Hassan

the site acquisition Manager of Tripple A )client prefer Innovative and distinctive boards that is

cost effective ,and yet attractive to its targets giving it better attraction .Another respondent (Mr.

Henry Ewere of Medialinks outdoor advertising) also added that, asserts that Innovation is born

out of newness of which the move from static boards to moving electronic boards has meant that

creativity and fascinating design has been the trend in the practice for which the designs not only

satisfies client objectives and goal but also in its adding of beauty and elegance in the form of

environmental beautification that adds more impetus to the practice of outdoor .So also such

creativity in innovation has meant that these are the driving force to the growth of the practice

many agencies now come up with various technological advancements like Optimum exposures

came out with the Unipole,as a strategy to attraction of targets on the highways for better

visibility ,attraction and cost effectiveness .As technological advancement become dynamic so also

has the outdoor sector in line with these issues in the practice newer patterns are discovered with

the discarding or consolidation of older patterns of bring about creativity. He also asserted that to

remain in business and still be relevant there is still need to be creative in your designs which

according to him the research team makes sure that fabrication of newer creative and designs of

boards is of priority to give the medium better and edifying status in the minds of clients.

Furthermore he asserted that clients look out mainly for innovative practices in billboards

fabrication and designing in line with the fact that it should be cost effective, so thus they get

fascinated when they are presented with these innovative designs which go a long way in

increasing their preference for it in terms of observing its functionality and the visibility it would

give to its targets in terms of its exposure to its products, goods and services. Thus this in essence

of this as asserted by him moves preference more and higher cost effectiveness to campaigns to

advertisers using billboards that endorses the use of creative designs that would give it visibility

and creativity.

However another respondent(Ayokunle Oyesile the AGM marketing Unik) sites added that

digital technology gives the advertisers the opportunity to showcase its product, to give it better

brand visibility, innovative and creative displays that enables brand retension,brand

Recall,comprehension,and message retension, due to the fact that the fascination in the innovative

designs makes target audience marvel at its awesome displays and this in turn increases advertisers

patronage due to its functionality to is goods and services.

Research Question 3

What influence does digital technolgy have on the persuasive value of outdoor advertising

messages?

Another Respondent in the study as elicited from the interview (Funke Solanke Marketing

Strategy/Chief Operating Officer Spectacular Outdoor advertising) she asserted that digital

technology in the outdoor practice, in terms of its influence has seen the Advertisers message go

beyond mere fascination but having the potentiality to catch target audience on the move. She

asserted that the fabrication of creative designs in the practice has seen more preference and from

client towards the demand for digital cinematic designs that would take their product to greater

heights. This was also buttressed by Another respondent (Mr Joseph Omutse of New Crystal

Communications) , he asserted that digital technology adds value to the environment while

standing out; its size helps make impacts spectaculars to the practice to both client and targets of

clients also

Its latest trends as according to (Funke of Spectacular outdoor Advertising) she asserts that the

outdoor medium has gone beyond the traditional reminder medium to a more Lead Medium that

creates opportunities, brand interface with targets,thus making he outdoor be a preferred medium

to showcase product goods and services to large array of targets in unbelievable points which

could not be reached at cost effective options that adds value to the business of advertisers .

5.2 Discussion

Change is the only aspect of human existence that is constant in this vein, outdoor Advertising in

Nigeria has undergone great changes in the last decade through new trends and innovations and

today, the industry is the better for that change. Innovation in the outdoor advertising agency

practice points mainly at all communication aspect of the communication process of the outdoor

process, the designs go along way in giving it precision, style and attractiveness to the outdoor

Medium which goes along way in helping in brand building and also enhancing the corporate

image of clients, thereby giving the finished products of the designs more possssiblities.Digital

technology also has gone along way in giving the structures more attention for which the latest of

technological advances on the practice has seen more agencies creating state of the art outdoor

boards, in terms of fabrication of electronic boards digitalised and interactive but yet attractive and

incisive to both targets and clients .This in essence means that digital technology has given the

practice more advertisers prestige, target audience patronage and loyalty.

Digital technology has seen agency practice to transcend beyond the crude frontiers to a stage where

newer forms like extra additional facilities its fabrication and design: (Ultra–Wave, Hot-Air Balloons

adverts, Electronic moving Billboards, Flying Billboards, Backlits, Scrollers, Gantries etc) meaning

that this will make people pick interest in it causing fascination and interest on the boards and

generally on the practice.

Digital technology in the agency practice sees client taking preference for Innovative and distinctive

boards that is cost effective ,and yet attractive to its targets giving it better attraction also that

Innovation is born out of newness of which the move from static boards to moving electronic

boards has meant that creativity and fascinating design has been the trend in the practice for which the

designs not only satisfies client objectives and goal ,but also in its adding of beauty and elegance in

the form of environmental beautification that adds more impetus to the practice of outdoor , so also

such creativity in innovation has meant that these are the driving force to the growth of the

practice .Many agencies now come up with various technological advancements like Optimum

exposures came out with the Unipole,as a strategy to attraction of targets on the highways for better

visibility ,attraction and cost effectiveness . As technological advancement become dynamic so also

has the outdoor sector in line with these issues in the practice newer patterns are discovered with the

discarding or consolidation of older patterns of bring about creativity. So to remain in business and

still be relevant there is still need to be creative in your designs which according to him the research

team makes sure that fabrication of newer creative and designs of boards is of priority to give the

medium better and edifying status in the minds of clients. Furthermore he asserted that clients look

out mainly for innovative practices in billboards fabrication and designing in line with the fact that it

should be cost effective, so thus they get fascinated when they are presented with these innovative

designs which go a long way in increasing their preference for it in terms of observing its

functionality and the visibility it would give to its targets in terms of its exposure to its products,

goods and services. Thus this in essence of this asserted by him moves preference more and higher

cost effectivensess to campaigns to advertisers done using billboards that endorses the use of creative

designs that would give it visibility and creativity.

Digital technology gives the advertisers the opportunity to showcase its product to give it better brand

visibility, innovative and creative displays that enables brand retention, Brand Recall, comprehension,

and message retention, due to the fact that the fascination in the innovative designs makes target

audience marvel at its awesome displays and this in turn increases advertisers patronage due to its

functionality to is goods and services.

Digital technology in the outdoor practice, in terms of its influence has seen the Advertisers message

go beyond mere fascination but having the potentiality to catch target audience on the move. She

asserted that the fabrication of creative designs in the practice has seen more preference and from

client towards the demand for digital cinematic designs that would take their product to greater

heights. Digital technology adds value to the environment while standing out; its size helps make

impacts spectaculars to the practice to both client and targets of clients also ,Its latest trends has taken

the outdoor medium beyond the traditional reminder medium to a “Lead Medium” that creates

opportunities, brand interface with targets, thus making he outdoor be a preferred medium to

showcase product goods and services to large array of targets in unbelievable points which could not

be reached at cost effective options that adds value to the business of advertisers.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary

This study has explored, investigated and described the digital technology and outdoor

advertising agency practice studying selected outdoor advertising agencies in Lagos . Chapter one

of the study gives a vivid description of the concept of outdoor advertising while also giving the

general overview of the research study giving it a broader perspective on literature on the digital

outdoor practice in its contextual value and context. The chapter analyses the objectives of

research, the purpose, scope and significance of the study as well as the research questions relevant

to the scope of the study. In chapter two, literary and empirical studies are reviewed and the study

is given a theoretical basis making use of theories like the diffusion of innovation theory, Media

dependency theory, Technological determinism theory etc . Chapter three of the study explains the

method of data collection and the research instrument, mainly the interview used. Chapter three

also gives a description of the population of the study as well as the method of data analysis.

While finally the chapter four of this study analyses the data retrieved from the study through the

in-depth- Interview method of the selected outdoor agencies. And finally the study made its

findings, recommendations and eventual conclusion for the study.

5.2 Conclusion

This study set out to contribute to the increasing body of knowledge on digtal technology and outdoor

agency practice in Lagos .The investigation Innovation in the outdoor advertising agency practice

points mainly at all communication aspect of the communication process of the outdoor process, the

designs go along way in giving it precision, style and attractiveness to the outdoor Medium which

goes along way in helping in brand building and also enhancing the corporate image of clients,

thereby giving the finished products of the designs more possssiblities.Digital technology also has

gone along way in giving the structures more attention for which the latest of technological advances

on the practice has seen more agencies creating state of the art outdoor boards, in terms of fabrication

of electronic boards digitalised and interactive but yet attractive and incisive to both targets and

clients .This in essence means that digital technology has given the practice more advertisers prestige,

target audience patronage and loyalty.

Digital technology has seen agency practice to transcend beyond the crude frontiers to a stage where

newer forms like extra additional facilities its fabrication and design: (Ultra–Wave, Hot-Air Balloons

adverts, Electronic moving Billboards, Flying Billboards, Backlits, Scrollers, Gantries etc) meaning

that this will make people pick interest in it causing fascination and interest on the boards and

generally on the practice.

Digital technology in the agency practice sees client taking preference for Innovative and distinctive

boards that is cost effective ,and yet attractive to its targets giving it better attraction also that

Innovation is born out of newness of which the move from static boards to moving electronic

boards has meant that creativity and fascinating design has been the trend in the practice for which the

designs not only satisfies client objectives and goal ,but also in its adding of beauty and elegance in

the form of environmental beautification that adds more impetus to the practice of outdoor , so also

such creativity in innovation has meant that these are the driving force to the growth of the

practice .Many agencies now come up with various technological advancements like Optimum

exposures came out with the Unipole,as a strategy to attraction of targets on the highways for better

visibility ,attraction and cost effectiveness . As technological advancement become dynamic so also

has the outdoor sector in line with these issues in the practice newer patterns are discovered with the

discarding or consolidation of older patterns of bring about creativity. So to remain in business and

still be relevant there is still need to be creative in your designs which according to him the research

team makes sure that fabrication of newer creative and designs of boards is of priority to give the

medium better and edifying status in the minds of clients. Furthermore he asserted that clients look

out mainly for innovative practices in billboards fabrication and designing in line with the fact that it

should be cost effective, so thus they get fascinated when they are presented with these innovative

designs which go a long way in increasing their preference for it in terms of observing its

functionality and the visibility it would give to its targets in terms of its exposure to its products,

goods and services. Thus this in essence of this asserted by him moves preference more and higher

cost effectiveness to campaigns to advertisers done using billboards that endorses the use of creative

designs that would give it visibility and creativity.

Digital technology gives the advertisers the opportunity to showcase its product to give it better brand

visibility, innovative and creative displays that enables brand retention, Brand Recall, comprehension,

and message retention, due to the fact that the fascination in the innovative designs makes target

audience marvel at its awesome displays and this in turn increases advertisers patronage due to its

functionality to is goods and services.

Digital technology in the outdoor practice, in terms of its influence has seen the Advertisers message

go beyond mere fascination but having the potentiality to catch target audience on the move. She

asserted that the fabrication of creative designs in the practice has seen more preference and from

client towards the demand for digital cinematic designs that would take their product to greater

heights. Digital technology adds value to the environment while standing out; its size helps make

impacts spectaculars to the practice to both client and targets of clients also ,Its latest trends has taken

the outdoor medium beyond the traditional reminder medium to a “Lead Medium” that creates

opportunities, brand interface with targets, thus making he outdoor be a preferred medium to

showcase product goods and services to large array of targets in unbelievable points which could not

be reached at cost effective options that adds value to the business of advertisers. The findings of this

study is digital technology on the practice has given the medium more advertisers patronage and

increased the level of creativity which since the birth of Ultra-wave in Nigeria and other digitalized

means of outdoor advertising the practice has grown astronomically with competition setting

in ,standards raised with also responsibility and the creativity in the designs putting more

environmental beautification into Lagos which the Lagos State Advertisers signage body has put

more interest it. Thus the practice has seen so much development in creativity for which attracts

advertisers patronage due to its activities and putting value to the messages as perceived by

respondent and targets alike.

5.3 Recommendation

Taking a gross analysis of the outdoor medium technology fuels the growth of billboard construction

and deployment, and has dramatically improved the printing, displaying, and tracking of billboards.

Technological advances have resulted in a significant increase in expenditures on billboards and made

billboards comparable with other forms of media. Digital technology has created dramatic

improvements in print quality, over the past several years. Low quality images painted or printed on

vinyl sheets that are glued onto traditional billboard structures are a thing of the past. Currently a

billboard poster 48 feet wide and 14 feet high has the same high quality resolution that once only

magazine publications achieved. The use of digital printing enables advertisers to print high quality

posters quickly and cheaply . However, electronic billboards have become increasingly more popular

as display technology becomes more pervasive and technological advances enter the marketplace.

While large LCD “billboard” screens have been effectively used, FED, Field Emission Display,

introduced by Sony and TCI in April 2007, promises greater resolution (Home Theater News 2007).

Digital billboards allow an endless number of images to be projected in a short period of time. The

motion of the billboards helps draw attention to the images being displayed. Interactive billboards

have been gaining momentum as they prove successful in not only getting attention, but engaging the

viewer.

In view of the above if digital technology has the ability to create possibilities of such magnitude

thereby giving the medium more value and impetus for development than it is recommended that:

Agencies should as matters of necessity imbibe the habit of making innovation their driving

force that propels them in business.

Researches should be done on a yearly and quarterly basis to update itself in business.

Also due to the fact that competition is the key to survival in business in the outdoor

agency practice it is important to adopt the strategy of being unique through updating the

agency with state of the art technologies that would enhance advertisers patronage and

business relevance.

Also it is recommended that the government through LASAA should act as sourcing off

Latest trend to make them both beneficial to the system and growth of the outdoor practice.

It is also recommended that since technology puts more persuasive value to the system

more studies should be conducted on this study to create more knowledge in this key and

valuable area in the field of outdoor.

5.4 Suggestion for Further Research:

Future studies on this topic should build on the findings of this topic by investigating the

attitude and perception of consumers towards digital outdoor advertising and its effectiveness to

purchasing Decisions in Nigeria.

LIMITATION OF STUDY

The researcher while conducting this research encountered some constraints, which in one way or

the other affected the quality of the study. These difficulties includes: The researcher's inability to

lay hands on cogent information that will give the study an in-depth analysis of the study thus

giving it a deep insights into the subject of study .Also due to agency policies and regulations

important data that would be have been very relevant might be withheld due to company policies

in divulging information to competitors which in this situation might limit the study

5.4 Recommendation

The new trends in the outdoor advertising agency practice in Lagos make it comfortable to

recommend that.

The new structures are more impactful with higher opportunities to see and thus guarantee

value for money for the client and the advertise4r.

The cost effective nature, higher mileage and attention grapping is a sure bet to create a

better brand benefit and yet giving value to the practice.

Creative designs and research should be embarked upon to create a better opportunity to

the increase in patronage and advertiser benefit to its business.

APPENDIX

INTERVIEW GUIDE

Dear sir/ma

I am a final year student of Lagos state university school of coounication Surulere Lagos . I am

Conducting a study on digital technology on the outdoor advertising agency practice ; A study of

some selected agencies in Lagos of which your agency has been selected as a study subject to seek

the perception of practitioners on digital technology on the outdoor practice . You have been selected

as a respondent for this study to add your own professional point of view on the study to broaden the

academic intellect of digital technolgy on the outdoor practice.

Thank you.

1. Could you describe your outdoor agency service

2. What are your areas of expertise in the outdoor advertising agency practice ?

3. What are the latest trends in the outdoor advertising agency practice in Nigeria?

4. Does digital technology affect /influence your practice as an agency?

5. Does your client prefer innovative media in their outdoor advertising business activities?

6. Is there any influence in the old pattern of outdoor advertising agency practice and the new

pattern?

7. In terms of patronage do clients go for innovative outdoor services or the old formats?

8. Do you think digital technology has improved the services offered to clients?

9. In your own perspective do you think digital technology has come to stay in the outdoor agency

service ?

10. In your own opinion do you think that digital technology in terms of its persuasive value in

outdoor advertising messages has created more attraction on the medium, due to its creativity?

11. Do you think the persuasive value of digital technology in the practice transforms into client

parronage?

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