JCDecaux, the UK’s leading Outdoor advertising company, has today announced that premium Outdoor advertising locations have started to be rolled out across the City of Edinburgh.
Marking the first phase in the development, 9 digital bus shelters (comprising 18 digital faces) have been installed along Princes Street, the main shopping street and one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh. British Sky Broadcasting is the launch advertiser, in a campaign booked by Rapport.
Designed by Lord Norman Foster, the new digital bus shelters will comprise 84” screens, the biggest of its kind, which will be synchronised by line of sight. Edinburgh will be the first major UK city to benefit from JCDecaux’s digital bus shelters, which will also deliver ‘LiveTouch’ (touch screen) capabilities that will provide real-time tourism, local and Council information.
Vital to the thriving heart of Edinburgh, Princes Street attracts shoppers, tourists, commuters and residents. Princes Street is part of an Edinburgh World Heritage Site and boasts panoramic views of the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle. The City of Edinburgh is ranked 6th UK Retail Centre with £1 billion annual retail spend (CACI, 2014).
JCDecaux has also deployed premium billboards along London Road, near to Meadowbank Stadium, and plans to roll out further high-profile locations throughout 2015 and 2016. These large-format locations will be strategically positioned along key arterial routes into the city, such as: Gogarburn roundabout, Calder Road, Glasgow Road, Roseburn Terrace and Westfield Road, and will be in close proximity to Edinburgh Airport, the Gyle Shopping Centre, Edinburgh Business Park and Murrayfield Stadium.
Over 350 advertising bus shelters, designed by Lord Norman Foster, are also being upgraded throughout the city.
Helena Kavanagh, Managing Director – Small Format at JCDecaux, said: “JCDecaux is transforming and reinvigorating the Edinburgh cityscape by providing premium street furniture and billboard networks, which are well-designed and maintained, that will enhance urban experiences and benefit residents, visitors and local businesses. Reshaping cities, including those with World Heritage status, is part of JCDecaux’s DNA and this media partnership with the City of Edinburgh provides the perfect platform to showcase this.
This is an exciting time for both JCDecaux and the City of Edinburgh and we look forward to the coming months as the roll out continues across the city.”
Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “This marks the beginning of our exciting media partnership with JCDecaux. These new digital bus shelters will not only vastly improve the appearance of some of our busiest streets, providing comfortable shelters for public transport users, but will also allow us to communicate real-time messages to the public, visitors and commuters efficiently, transforming on-street advertising.”
As part of a content partnership with JCDecaux, Time Out Edinburgh will be displaying editorial recommendations on the best things to do in the city that week through the new digital bus shelter network.
Noel Penzer, Managing Director at Time Out, said: “We’re delighted to be working with JCDecaux on their new Edinburgh Outdoor screens. Time Out is a digital platform that enables your social life, helping you discover, get inspired and share your opinion on everything that’s happening in your city and these screens are a fantastic way of delivering up-to-date recommendations, while people are out and about. Ultimately we want to get people going out more and doing more in Edinburgh, and this partnership will be a great way of doing this.”
JCDecaux was awarded the contract to be media partner for the City of Edinburgh, a 10-year contract (with an option to extend for five years), last November.
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