JCDecaux commercial director, Joo Binda talks about the achievement of Linha4-Amarela, about the measurement plans, among other subjects
Just three months ago at JCDecaux’s commercial director, Joo Binda arrived at the out-of-home company shortly before winning the So Paulo Metro Line 4-Yellow, which ensured the company’s leadership in this type of media in the country.
Of French origin and global leader in OOH in the world, JCDecaux also operates the advertising of lines 1, 2 and 3 of the Metr of the largest Brazilian city. In this interview, the executive talks about the company’s strategies and also about the growth of the medium, which, in his opinion, is going through the main moment in its entire history.
What is the reach of JCDecaux’s screens on the So Paulo Metr?
With the recent achievement of Line 4-Yellow, we will reach around five million passengers daily. JCDecaux will become the leader in Metr media in Brazil.
What news will I see with the operation?
For us, the achievement of the Yellow Line of the Metro represents a lot. The newest one, a 100% digital line, will be very relevant and allow us to update all materials and furniture. Let’s think about new iconic venues, such as Estação da S, which has a high-impact format and leaves the traditional model. With this leadership, we start to get more into the behavior strategy of São Paulo residents and, with that, we start to think more about great strategies for the brands. OOH is already responsible for a large part of advertising investment in Brazil, with exponential growth (the medium has a share of 10% and took in R$ 886 million of funds in the first half, according to Cenp-Meios), and the fact of reaching five millions of people a day on the Metr makes JCDecaux have to think beyond what is already there, creating trends and movements. I would say that the main asset of the Yellow Line is 100% digital. It even has some analog stuff, but I’d say the panels are practically 95% digital.
The Yellow Line connects which regions of So Paulo?
It connects Vila Snia Luz, from the center to the southwest of the city, and is 12 kilometers long and has 11 stations.
And is the audience profile different from the other lines that JCDecaux already operated?
There is a change in profile because the stations are in a more qualified territory, such as Pinheiros, Oscar Freire and Faria Lima, but I prefer to analyze the volume of passengers on all lines. Surveys indicate that 65% of the city’s population uses the Metro daily, more than once.
With the new contract, how many sides will the company operate on the platforms?
In the new Yellow Line contract, there are more than 120 faces on platforms and corridors, in addition to 385 digital screens and 747 indoor TVs. Considering the three lines (1-Blue, 2-Green and 3-Red), the company will have a total of approximately 700 panels and 600 digital screens. The Yellow Line is recognized as a reference in innovation and modernity. But I tell the team that there is no point in having these assets if this is not reflected in projects for clients, who are increasingly demanding innovations to differentiate themselves in their communication.
And what kinds of actions are customers most in demand at OOH?
I have a 100% digital career, I started in 1999 in this market. And I remember that the agencies that were created to serve this medium taught digital to the market and customers, and from there they began to transform into large agencies. I think OOH is experiencing just that. Customers want to be on OOH and need expert partners to identify the best paths and strategies. Today, there are specialized agencies and we also work a lot as a strategic partner in carrying out strategies. OOH for customers is a visibility medium that connects very well with digital and TV. It is also a brand-building medium. In addition, digitization, audiences, surveys, all based on data, make the medium even more assertive. We have numerous special projects at JCDecaux. Obviously, at the end of the day, clients look for results and efficiency, but also for visual impact, which is what this media provides.
What are JCDecaux’s main client brands today?
We operate with Netflix, Amazon, Santander, Bradesco, McDonalds, Burger King, Spotify, Disney and Paramount, among others.
In which markets is the company present?
In So Paulo, JCDecaux is responsible for all the city’s street clocks, and for Metro lines 1, 2, 3 and 4, in addition to exploring the Guarulhos International Airport media and its access routes. In Rio de Janeiro, all urban furniture, except for the South Zone. In Brasilia, the company explores furniture, bus shelters and Brasilia International Airport. In the Northeast, we have watches in Natal, Belém, So Lus, Aracaju and Fortaleza. In Campinas, we also have the watches, and in Manaus, all the urban furniture in the city.
What is the brand’s positioning in Brazil?
We are the second largest out of home company in the country, fighting side by side with Eletromidia. I don’t even like this issue of being a leader or not, because a lot also depends on the client’s strategy. You can build a campaign, a brand, with just the watches, with the airport. It’s no use being a leader and having assets that no one buys. We are leaders in national OOH and leaders in Metr. I prefer to understand the client’s business challenge and offer a strategy to bring results.
In terms of technology, what are JCDecaux’s novelties and innovations for the market?
This is our mantra, I say that JCDecaux is a Ferrari that is at 200 km/h and we need to change the tires, put a hybrid engine and a softer steering wheel. We have a very large inventory, which is being digitized, and we need to work with it programmatically. We work a part of the inventory with programmatic. The objective is to bring more and more software, geolocation, data and measurement surveys. I want to bring in a lot of real-time research on campaigns, knowing the engagement, what it took from visits to stores, from product sales. We have a business unit, Data Solutions, which brings together all these solutions for the market.
How much of JCDecaux’s inventory is digital today?
We are already at about 40% to 50%. a very large investment by the company to digitize all faces. I was even in a certain market where I heard from important customers asking us not to digitize their panels because they wanted to stay static. That’s funny, but the digital panel brings much more resources to advertising, much more dynamic, richer than a simple static panel. We want to digitize 100% of the faces. It only has benefits with digitization.
How is the division of modes within the company?
We do not have teams divided by modes, our focus is on the audience, on the consumer journey. For example, let’s have a Formula 1 event, where everything starts with the airport. We need to impact consumers there, knowing that they will visit the racetrack and the main hotels, and thinking that So Paulo becomes an even more tourist destination at the time of the F-1. The objective is to cover that circuit. So, it doesn’t make sense for me to have a subway specialist, since my audience is on the street, at the airport too. The idea is to increasingly understand the audience, consumer behavior.
But does the company have greater expertise in a given medium?
Our consumer expertise. We increasingly want to offer business solutions and deliver the highest standards of OOH advertising. We do need to be specialists in the Metro, at the airport, in urban furniture and, with that, create a strategic solution to the client’s business problem, always focused on innovation and sustainability and, most importantly, having high quality in the operation. The operation is the key point for delivering a complete solution to advertisers.
How do you see the potential of OOH in the country?
I’m very optimistic, I’ve been with JCDecaux for three months and I was impressed with the demand the market has for OOH. the main moment of the outdoor media in all its history. The Clean City Law helps us a lot in order to organize and have quality products. We saw that in the first half of the year, the medium grew by more than 3% and, more and more, the market wants to measure results with the out of home. As I said, I think OOH is a medium that connects very well with a television strategy, digital and any other medium. Brazil is among JCDecaux’s Top 10 in the world and number 1 in Latin America. That’s very important.
How to guide sustainability in the OOH sector?
Mainly with the type of material that is used, the reuse of various materials, the way in which they are produced and even how to teach customers who have no experience in the environment about how this works. It also gives importance to digitization. In addition to working on projects where we can add value to the population. JCDecaux is also the first OOH media company to join the RE100 initiative, which brings together companies committed to promoting 100% renewable energy.
