The PML Group Watch survey for the first half of the year shows that the spend on out of home (OOH) was up by 25 per cent on last year based on rate card display. The agency expects the growth trajectory to continue with value to the end of June nearing 30 per cent. Fifteen of the top 20 OOH categories recorded growth, with retail leading the way. Supermarkets such as Dunnes and Lidl invested 33 per cent more on OOH in the first six months.
The media category, home to advertisers such as Disney+, RTÉ and Sky, more than doubled its OOH spend and is second largest category. Of the top ten categories, only beers (down 19 per cent) and QSRs ( minus three points) saw decreased display value year on year. McDonald’s, Cadbury and Vodafone were the three leading brands, followed by Lidl, Sky and Tesco. The top ten is completed by National Lottery, Eir, Ikea and Disney+.
Diageo remains the largest overall advertiser on the medium, with brands Guinness and Guinness 0.0 its two biggest on the channel in 2024 to date. Unilever’s display value increased by more than 150 per cent to take them to second place on the advertiser list, with the Anglo-Dutch group’s Lynx and HB among its active brands. Between them, the top ten advertisers averaged a display value increase of 68 per cent in the first half of 2024.
Digital OOH accounted for 38 per cent of display value, with traditional sites taking 62 per cent of advertisers investment, showing the enduring power of both formats. An estimated 60 per cent of OOH investment in the first six months was on roadside formats, compared to around 20 per cent on both retail and transport environments. Watch measures the formats, weights, value and timing of every OOH campaign in each cycle.
