Crayons Advertising forays into the outdoors

Delhi based Crayons Advertising in the past years has worked on some major OOH campaigns for the Shiela Dixit government in Delhi, the UPA government’s campaign during the national elections using 12,000 hoardings, and a campaign for Fortis Healthcare in Delhi-NCR. Now, with a few more accounts under its belt, the agency has come up with its specialised OOH arm — Crayons OOH.
 
Ranjan Bargotra, president, Crayons Advertising, said, “The time was ripe for us to start a specialised arm. The success of campaigns conceptualised by us in the past gave us the confidence to explore the depth of the medium. With Crayon OOH’s first office opened in Delhi, we intend to consolidate our position here and then move to markets in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.”
Gurjit Singh, who was earlier associated with Grey will be heading the newly created division. As business head, Crayons OOH, he will be responsible for strengthening Delhi operations, and later, taking the agency to other markets. Embarking upon the new venture, he said, “The market has begun to pick up, post the initial onslaught of the economic slowdown. As compared to the traditional ATL media, outdoor has the ability to sustain a client’s campaign effectively for a longer duration.”
 
Bargotra points out how the outdoor industry in Delhi had been lying low, owing to the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court on the display of hoardings. Around 12 years ago, the apex court had banned hoardings on roads, holding them to be hazardous and saying that the safety of road users was of utmost importance. Recently, a bench at the Supreme Court allowed immediate implementation of MCD’s (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) new outdoor advertising policy, according to which only large-sized billboards at a significant distance from traffic junctions and intersections would be permitted. This development will surely work in favour of the agency.
 
Currently, the agency has no plans to acquire media properties. Bargotra further added,”Initially, our prime objective is to provide good service to our clients. Owning media properties will be the next step.”
 
The agency has three major accounts — Fortis Healthcare, BSNL and IREO, a real estate player. The Fortis account is estimated to be worth approximately Rs 20 crore.