The Galleria, Abu Dhabi, is a unique lifestyle destination anchored by some of fashion’s most iconic and luxurious brands and is the highest-performing mall in the city. The Galleria presents the perfect opportunity to target a premium audience of residents living in Abu Dhabi City, Reem Island, and Saadiyat Island. The audience consists predominantly of UAE nationals with high disposable income.

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Our promotional stands are located at crucial traffic hotspots around the mall and can be customised to suit a brand’s needs, enabling them to interact with customers directly. These stands are designed to allow for impact and high product visibility.

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This year, the promotional stands have seen several car brands creating aesthetically superior settings to exhibit their latest models. Volvo showcased the spacious and stately XC90; Jeep Cherokee flaunted its innovative architecture and first-to-market technology with the new 2023 model, while Honda unveiled the powerful new Pilot.

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Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create the perfect display solution for your brand.

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Dubai is known for its bustling streets, and 2022 was no exception. Traffic in the city has increased recently, but this is good news for out-of-home advertisers. In 2022, our billboards in Dubai saw record-high impressions, with millions of people seeing our billboards each month.

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Last year, motorists in UAE cities lost an average of 22 hours as a result of traffic, according to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard published by mobility analytics firm Inrix Inc. The research focuses on metropolitan areas in order to evaluate traffic congestion. According to the data, the 22 hours drivers spent waiting in traffic was a 54% increase from 2021. The increase in traffic has been attributed to several factors, including the city’s growing population and the influx of tourists.

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While traffic congestion can be frustrating for some, it has excellent advantages for out-of-home advertisers, as more people are exposed to their ads. By understanding consumer behaviour in traffic, brands can target their advertising efforts to reach a broad audience and maximize their return on investment.

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After seeing the traffic volume increase report, we decided to look at our own data on BackLite Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, our billboards in Dubai saw a considerable surge in impressions in 2022 during Dubai’s peak tourist season. Our static billboards on Sheikh Zayed Road saw over 150 million impressions and over 30 million pass-bys during October alone.

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The significant increase in impressions is a testament to the effectiveness of out-of-home advertising. This is especially true in a city like Dubai, where people are constantly on the move. We are proud to have seen such success in 2022, and we look forward to continuing to reach more people in the future.

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James Bicknell, CEO BackLite Media, comments, “We are deeply honored that Al Qana has partnered with us to showcase just how special their new development is. We have worked together to develop a first-class digital advertising product to enhance the unique Al Qana destination. We look forward to welcoming our first clients soon.”

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BackLite Media is proud to announce that we are expanding further into the out-of-home media market in Abu Dhabi. In 2023, we will launch a range of new digital billboards at Al Qana, the city’s latest waterfront destination. Our new range includes a curved screen, which will be the first Forced Perspective 3D billboard in Abu Dhabi. Our FP3D billboard will offer viewers a unique and immersive experience.

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Spanning over 146,000 sqm, Al Qana offers a unique collection of attractions. These attractions include waterfront restaurants, cinema experiences, the Middle East’s largest aquarium, a marina, a unique fitness and wellness facility, retail boutiques, a virtual reality and e-sports arena, as well as landscaped communal areas to encourage social interaction.

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The project primarily targets an affluent audience of locals and high-net-worth individuals from Abu Dhabi City, with 90% of visitors currently consisting of local Emirati citizens. Our 3D screen, The Curve @ Al Qana, will feature as part of the project. The screen will be the first 3D billboard in Abu Dhabi, with visuals on a 15-second loop every 120 seconds. The Curve @ Al Qana will be fully operational starting March 21st, visible on Khaleej Al Arabi, a major highway in Abu Dhabi that is also the main road used when leaving the airport.

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As well as The Curve @Al Qana, we will launch a range of advertising boards at this venue. Launching our digital billboards at Al Qana is an exciting step for BackLite Media. We are proud to be the first company to offer this technology in Abu Dhabi.

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We look forward to providing our clients with the best out-of-home advertising solutions. Our team is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality of service, and we are confident that our new destination will be a great success.

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Here at BackLite, we’ve recently launched the first edition of ‘SpotLite’, our new annual magazine dedicated to the dynamic world of out-of-home media. As part of the magazine, our CEO, James Bicknell, shared his thoughts on the future of outdoor advertising in Dubai & Abu Dhabi. Here’s what he had to say:

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As digital becomes more prevalent, we continue adapting our product portfolio in the UAE. Digital outdoor advertising, using digital screens and displays, allows for real-time updates, targeted messaging, and even the ability to track metrics and gather consumer data. This means that advertisers can now reach their desired audience with precision and accuracy, leading to a better return on investment for the advertiser and a more engaging experience for the consumer.

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At BackLite Media, we’ve been at the forefront of this shift towards digital outdoor advertising in the UAE. We have implemented new technologies and leveraged data to create dynamic, interactive, personalised ads that adapt to the context and audience, allowing for a more relevant and effective advertising experience.

But it’s not just about the technology; as a responsible and ethical company, we understand the importance of placing our digital media and displays in the most elite locations, respecting consumers’ privacy, and being mindful of the environment. We are proud to announce that we are working towards being fully sustainable and carbon neutral by 2026. Being a good corporate citizen is just as important as providing our clients with the best advertising solutions.

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In conclusion, the future of outdoor advertising in the UAE is digital, interactive, sustainable, and truly exciting. At BackLite Media, we’re committed to staying ahead of the game and providing our clients with the most innovative and effective advertising solutions. With a focus on new technologies, data, responsible advertising, and sustainability, we’re confident that the future of outdoor advertising in the UAE is dynamic. And we can’t wait to see what the future holds for this zestful and ever-evolving country.

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We recently spoke to Ashin John, our Digital Operations Manager, to learn more about impressive tech innovations in out-of-home media and what BackLite is doing to use these technological innovations to our advantage.

Enhancements in digital display technology:

- Higher resolution: Narrow pixel pitch LED displays refer to displays with a small distance between the individual LED lamps, resulting in higher resolution and more detailed content. Higher density of LEDs per square meter results in a wider colour gamut that helps to create more vivid and dynamic content.

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- Greater contrast: Improvements in technology have led to improvements in contrast ratio, resulting in deeper blacks and brighter whites.

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Better viewing angles: With the continuous development of LED technology with SMD, viewing angles have greatly improved, and content remains visible when viewed from different positions.

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Increased energy efficiency: Power consumption of large format LED displays has reduced over the years and will continue to reduce with technological advancements. Integrating light sensors with the display system helps adjust the display’s brightness for optimum viewability based on the ambient light levels, which helps manage or reduce power consumption.

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Dynamic Content Capabilities:

Advertisers can use BackLite’s dynamic content solutions to create engaging and interactive campaigns that more effectively capture the audience’s attention. Advertisers can use dayparting in campaigns to target specific audiences by displaying different content at different times of the day.

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Content management platforms allow easy integration of real-time data in digital content, which we can publish across multiple screens and locations. Networks process and analyse real-time data based on different parameters, which can promote actions such as changes in content and schedule. Some examples of dynamic content campaigns produced and executed by BackLite Media include:

• Weather and news updates
• Social media feeds
• Sports scores and news
• Countdown to events and TV shows

Audience Measurement: Audience measurement platforms are tools used to measure impressions and engagement in OOH advertising campaigns. These platforms provide detailed information about audience demographics, attention time and engagement patterns.

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With the advancement in artificial intelligence and machine learning, computer vision technologies collect data based on detections of the number of people exposed to Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising. Advertisers can use this data to deliver highly targeted campaigns based on the audience’s demographic.

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Geolocation platforms use data from mobile signals to track the location and movement of people to generate insights about the audience.

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Automation allows content management platforms to ingest audiences to generate campaign performance reports.

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Some technological challenges that face the industry and how BackLite is overcoming these challenges:

Security: DOOH displays are vulnerable to hacking and other cyber-attacks. BackLite takes security measures to protect the networks and system, which include:

• Multiple authentication layers and limit access to authorised personnel
• Periodic update of software (operating system, content management system and 3rd party applications)
• Firewall to control incoming and outgoing network traffic
• Regular monitoring of logs and network traffic

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Integration with 3rd party systems: Content management systems must be integrated with other technologies, such as audience measurement tools, programmatic platforms, and real-time data sources. BackLite performs integration testing in a controlled setup before deployment to the production/live environment.

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Data privacy: DOOH systems collect data from people exposed to advertising or interacting with the displays. BackLite partners with solution providers who comply with data privacy regulations to ensure data is collected and stored securely.

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What are some challenges that you’re working to overcome at the moment?

Having been in the market since 2020, I would say that Seventh Decimal overcame some significant challenges in terms of spreading awareness and getting the endorsement of major stakeholders on the measurement methodology. Now that Streach is rolled out and is heavily used by the industry, some new, yet smaller, challenges emerged that we are focusing on, such as:

1. Remaining relevant in what we are offering to all stakeholders.
2. The level of customisation on the system.
3. Its interoperability and connection with other ad tech (like DSPs/SSPs) or trading desks, among others.

Additionally, I would also like to highlight that some challenges exist in the industry that impacts us as a measurement system but are beyond our capacity to solve solely, and that is why we invited stakeholders to a round table on a technical committee to discuss those challenges and prioritise them based on the industry demand.

I believe that you’re creating a technical committee. Would you please tell us a bit more about this? How is the formation of the technical committee progressing?

Oh yes, indeed, a technical committee to launch a JIC (Joint Industry Currency) was created and includes representatives from the media agencies (MCN Group, Publicis Media Group and Omnicom Group) and media owners (Al Arabia, BackLite Media, Elevision, Hypermedia, and MPN).

The technical committee will have to take collective decisions to standardise, enrich and empower the existing OOH media measurement system.

The topics of the round table include:

• Standardisation of Ad formats

• OOH Inventory naming conventions and unique identifiers

• Metrics Nomenclature, definitions, and calculations

• Transit and place-based media

• Introduction of additional qualitative metrics

We were extremely happy with the warm welcome that stakeholders showed to our initiative, supporting us in driving a mid to long-term roadmap for the OOH media measurement system in the UAE.

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What are Seventh Decimal’s plans for the near future?

This year advertisers have started looking at OOH measurement and data to analyse their campaign’s performance and rethink their OOH strategies. Consequently, we are forecasting major growth in the industry.

We will continue to support agencies and advertisers in their efforts to highlight the potential of OOH; Through the measurement data of Streach (Reach/Frequency/Impressions), advertisers can now accurately model and fairly value the contribution of OOH to their overall media mix and assess their ROAS. Seventh Decimal will extend its support to provide data for agencies with the ultimate goal of increasing the OOH’s share of the omnichannel marketing spend.

One such initiative is the partnership between Seventh Decimal, BackLite Media and Reprise/MCN Group, which we announced a few weeks ago, to collaborate for studies dedicated to the understanding of OOH’s return on ad spend (ROAS) across MCN brands.

It’s time to think outside the box, and 3D billboards allow advertisers to do just that. The 3D effect is created by something we call Forced Perspective 3D.

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Forced Perspective 3D, or FP3D, is a technique that employs optical illusion. It manipulates human visual perception using scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera. It’s not just an advertisement; it’s a visual experience.

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FP3D content is a specialised form of 3D content that appears distorted or elongated when viewed from certain angles but appears normal when viewed from a specific viewpoint or through a camera lens with a particular aspect ratio. This technique has become increasingly popular in advertising due to its eye-catching and attention-grabbing qualities.

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At BackLite Media, we collaborate with creative partners from around the world to help our clients deliver immersive campaigns on some of the most prestigious digital screens in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This unique and innovative approach has attracted many brands to develop engaging ways to draw people’s attention to the advertisement and make them curious about what it’s promoting.

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3D billboards are a powerful tool for advertisers looking to capture people’s attention, create a unique and memorable experience and make their brand stand out. By creating unique and eye-catching visuals, they can draw people in and create an indelible impression that will stick with them long after seeing the advertisement.

Earlier this year, we had the honour of interviewing Tom Goddard, President of the World Out of Home Organisation in our annual magazine SpotLite 1.0, about their goals and ambitions. Here’s what he had to say:

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What are the World Out of Home Organization’s goals for the near future?

To continue to connect, celebrate and elevate the world of Out-of-Home (OOH). However, we will be looking to help drive sector growth across the industry by encouraging collaboration both globally and locally.

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We will be putting a spotlight on the issue of sustainability across the OOH eco-system through our newly formed task force to be led by WOO Board Member and BlowUp Media CEO Katrin Robertson. Our aim will be to increase our global presence in areas where we have not traditionally been strong, including MENA, but also Southeast Asia, Greater Africa and Latin America.

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How was the MENA Forum held in Dubai? Did it achieve what you wanted it too?

We couldn’t have wished for a better MENA Forum. The quality of the speakers, including James, was tremendous with really invaluable advice and tips for competing better and harder in an always challenging regional and global media market. We really couldn’t have hoped for more. And, possibly even more important, it was an incredible chance for an industry across a huge and diverse region to come together, share their experiences and make common cause so we can move on strongly together. From a WOO perspective we received an amazing welcome, one which made us proud to play our part in a wonderful media industry.

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What would you like to see in the OOH industry in the coming years?

Greater collaboration in the industry through active support of trade associations including greater sharing of best practice from across the world. Overall Sector growth with OOH taking a greater percentage of overall media spend would be the ultimate sign of success. This will be supported by us working more closely together as an industry on key areas including measurement and sustainability.

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With strategic thinking and innovative technology, meticulous attention to detail, and careful curation, we have empowered brands to dominate SpotLite: to be seen, appreciated, and remembered by the right people. This philosophy, which we term “Desirable by Design”, reflects our belief that sought-after brands are not the result of chance but intentional creation.

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Guided by this ethos, we are excited to announce the expansion of The Landmark Series into Abu Dhabi. This development represents a significant leap forward for our company, reaffirming our status as a leading provider of iconic and cutting-edge advertising solutions in the region.

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The Landmark Series in Abu Dhabi will feature a collection of iconic outdoor advertising structures strategically positioned in key, high-profile locations across the city. These structures are visually stunning and crafted to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression.

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In line with this vision, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the award-winning Triple Crown in the heart of Abu Dhabi. With its impressive scale and strategic placements aimed at targeting Abu Dhabi’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and Emiratis, The Triple Crown is set to offer advertisers unparalleled visibility and exposure to a diverse audience.

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Our decision to extend The Landmark Series to Abu Dhabi coincides with the region’s rapid growth and development. As Abu Dhabi continues to establish itself as a vibrant centre for business, culture, and tourism, the demand for impactful advertising solutions has never been greater. The Landmark Series presents an exciting opportunity for businesses to engage with consumers in Abu Dhabi in a meaningful and impactful manner.

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“We are excited to introduce The Landmark Series to Abu Dhabi and expand our presence in the region,” remarked James Bicknell, CEO of BackLite Media. “With the city now recognised as a preferred hub for investments, business and real estate, Abu Dhabi provides the ideal backdrop for our innovative advertising structures. We are confident that The Landmark Series will enhance the city’s advertising landscape and offer premium brands a powerful platform to connect with elite audiences.”

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Through the integration of cutting-edge technology and creative design, The Landmark Series is poised to deliver unparalleled visibility and engagement for advertisers while enhancing the urban landscape of Abu Dhabi.

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