In a move
which marks the emergence of digital out of home as a platform for branded
content, premium digital out of home operator Ocean Group is
the first UK player to join the Branded Content Marketing Association.
Membership to
the industry body propels Ocean’s positioning as a live broadcast and digital
medium. The media owner has a growing slate of content deals with the British Olympic
Association and Team GB, the British Fashion Council and the BFI.
The move
follows Ocean’s decision to become the first OOH operator to join the IAB two
years ago. It has joined the body to highlight its branded content ambitions
and lead the progressive debate about the transformation of out of home into a
responsive, digital medium.
Ocean Group director of marketing Richard Malton
said: “Ocean’s already delivered significant milestones in terms of branded
content. Our partnership with Team GB allowed us broadcast more than 20,000
hours of exclusive Team GB content, creating a unique national broadcast
channel across 98 of Ocean’s digital screens during Rio 2016.
“And
our collaboration with the British Fashion Council allowed us to screen London Fashion Week
to more than 35 million
people across 60 outdoor screens for the first time in its history, powered by
Maybelline. Membership of the BCMA marks our medium’s relevance to any
branded content media plan and the
importance of DOOH sites of stature in the transmedia story-telling
cycle.”
Membership gives Ocean access to the BCMA’s market leading intelligence,
training and events as the company continues to upskill and introduce new
talent into its business.
Andrew
Canter, Global CEO of the BCMA said: "We are delighted to
welcome Ocean Outdoor as members of the BCMA. This is an extremely exciting
time for digital outdoor and the opportunities for brands and agencies to
create innovative and impactful content solutions. We are looking forward to
working with Ocean's team and to developing the best practice guidelines for
branded content using digital outdoor."
Last month,
the BOA and Ocean extended their exclusive content partnership up to and
including the Olympic Games, Tokyo
2020. The collaboration includes action from the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Games.
The enhanced
2020 deal awards Ocean tier one partner designation and, as official Out of
Home partner, Ocean will be working closely with Team GB and other content
partners to deliver an enhanced, content rich channel for future Games.