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Tag: Times OOH

  • Times OOH chief gets billboard industry throne

    Times OOH chief gets billboard industry throne

    MUMBAI:The billboards plastering India’s chaotic streets have found their new overlord. Narayanaswami Shekhar, chief executive of Times OOH, has been crowned chairman of the Indian Outdoor Advertising Association, handing the Times Group executive sway over an industry grappling with digital revolution and regulatory squeeze. Earlier the vice-chairman, he takes over from Jagran Engage COO Pawan Bansal.

    Shekhar’s ascent to the top of IOAA puts him at the helm of a lobby group that corrals more than 80 per cent of India’s leading outdoor media barons and boasts 220-plus members scattered from Mumbai’s traffic-choked arteries to Bangalore’s tech corridors. The association’s bread and butter involves fending off municipal crackdowns whilst championing the interests of companies that transform India’s urban jungle into a kaleidoscope of consumer messaging.

    The appointment comes as India’s outdoor advertising sector—worth billions of rupees—faces an existential reckoning. Digital screens are rapidly displacing static hoardings, whilst smartphone ubiquity threatens the traditional model of ambushing commuters with roadside pitches. Meanwhile, courts and municipal authorities have launched periodic crusades against “visual pollution,” threatening the very billboards that fund the industry.

    Shekhar’s new perch positions him as the industry’s chief evangelist at a pivotal moment. His Times OOH stable operates across India’s major cities, where the company’s digital displays compete for eyeballs against everything from Hindi film posters to political propaganda. The challenge now is ensuring outdoor advertising remains relevant in an increasingly screen-saturated landscape.

    For the Times group, Shekhar’s industry chairmanship represents a strategic coup. The media conglomerate can now influence regulations and standards that directly impact its outdoor advertising arm, whilst positioning itself as the sector’s thought leader.

    The association’s core mission—protecting and promoting outdoor advertising interests—takes on fresh urgency as Indian cities grapple with beautification drives that often view billboards as urban blight rather than legitimate business infrastructure.

  • Out-of-home still rules the streets as brands chase the last unskippable medium

    Out-of-home still rules the streets as brands chase the last unskippable medium

    MUMBAI: At Goafest 2025, the session ‘Ignite The Attention – The Last Unskippable Medium’ spotlighted the enduring impact of out-of-home (OOH) advertising. The panel, moderated by Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA) CEO Praveen K Vadhera brought together industry heavyweights who argued that while screens can be skipped, billboards can’t be scrolled past.

    Adani Group head of corporate branding Ajay Kakar opened the discussion by cutting through the jargon. “Stop dividing media into digital and non-digital”, he said. “What matters is strategy for the consumer, not the medium”. Kakar called on the industry to steer clients, not just serve briefs, and stressed that OOH creatives must be original—not borrowed from print. “The idea is what truly matters—it must create impact”.

    Times Innovative Media (Times OOH) CEO Shekhar Narayanaswami defined the category in plain terms: “OOH is the experience of stepping out”. He described the medium as a counter to screen fatigue, offering unavoidable visibility. He added that combining physical ads with social media can amplify brand recall.

    Adonmo MD Sandeep Bommireddi reframed digital as a horizontal shift across all media. “Integration, not isolation”, he urged. OOH, he argued, is already evolving into smarter formats through tech overlays and data targeting. “Choose media based on your audience—not out of habit”.

    Platinum Communications and Madison Retail Paradigm CEO Dipankar Sanyal emphasised that “gut instinct is no longer king”. Today’s OOH is data-rich, performance-tracked, and measurable. “We now speak in the language of impressions and outcomes”.

    Karukrit Advertising VP Promita Saha brought the consumer lens into focus. “The consumer comes before the canvas”, she said, advocating for OOH stories that adapt to cultural moments. “Melas and local events are missed opportunities when we reuse print assets. The environment deserves its own narrative”.

    Together, the panellists agreed that OOH is more than a medium—it’s a mindset. One that blends tech, culture, creativity and commerce in an unskippable format.

  • Nila Spaces redefines Ahmedabad with bold roadblock outdoor campaign

    Nila Spaces redefines Ahmedabad with bold roadblock outdoor campaign

    MUMBAI: When luxury meets boldness, the city stops and stares. Nila Spaces has taken over Ahmedabad with a roadblock outdoor campaign that turned heads and conversations alike. Designed by Interbrand and brought to life in collaboration with Times OOH, the campaign strategically blanketed Ahmedabad’s busiest entry and exit routes and key pathways leading to a major concert venue. With a staggering deployment of 120 digital screens, the campaign wasn’t just advertising—it was an invitation to redefine urban living.

    Nila Spaces used this visually stunning roadblock campaign to spotlight its flagship development ‘Vida’, a modern marvel that promises to elevate luxury living in Ahmedabad. By weaving together the energy of a global event and the aspirations of Ahmedabad’s evolving urban community, the campaign succeeded in creating more than just brand awareness—it built meaningful connections.

    Nila Spaces CEO Deep Vadodaria reflected on the campaign’s vision, “This campaign underscores our dedication to creating bold, impactful experiences that resonate with our audience. By leveraging the scale and reach of 120 digital screens, we wanted to showcase Vida while reflecting our vision of redefining urban living. The roadblock campaign allowed us to connect with our community dynamically, creating touchpoints that align with our ethos of innovation and progressiveness.”

    The campaign didn’t just stop at strategic placement—it thrived on its ability to align itself with Ahmedabad’s vibrant cultural moments. In a city buzzing with concert frenzy, the campaign became a symbol of living in the moment while dreaming of a better tomorrow.

    Interbrand India & south Asia CEO Ashish Mishra explained the creative thought process behind the campaign, “Context is everything, and topicality drives social connections today. For brands like Nila, it’s about finding authentic ways to connect their ethos with what’s happening around them. By riding the concert frenzy, Nila Spaces made a bold, unmissable move to showcase Vida. The campaign subtly suggests living every moment fully—whether it’s at a celebrated event or in the comfort of a Vida apartment.”

    The outdoor campaign stood out for its ability to merge creativity with strategy, presenting Vida as more than just a luxury real estate development—it became an emblem of a lifestyle. From the bustling streets of Ahmedabad to its iconic digital screens, the campaign captured the city’s imagination, reinforcing Nila Spaces’ status as a visionary brand committed to innovation and progressiveness.

  • Lemma ropes in Puneet Biyani as company president

    Lemma ropes in Puneet Biyani as company president

    Mumbai: Lemma, an independent supply-side platform for digital out-of-home, announced the appointment of Puneet Biyani as company president. He will take on his new role immediately and be a key contributor to enhancing Lemma’s global footprint.

    Biyani joins Lemma with over two decades of experience in business operations, finance, international marketing, and strategy. His most recent stint was with Times OOH, a subsidiary of Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.

    As president, Biyani will work closely with the board and the leadership team across APAC and other regions to craft the company’s business growth vision and expansion strategy into global markets. He will also oversee finance, business planning, process automation, fundraising, & business operations for Lemma across all markets.

    Having spent the larger part of his career with The Times of India Group, Biyani has extensive out-of-home advertising experience. He held the position of chief financial officer for Times Innovative Media Ltd. (Times OOH) while also leading their Mauritius business.

    Biyani has worked with global organisations like Price Waterhouse and Goldman Sachs. On the academic front, he is a gold-medal-winning chartered accountant and Harvard Business School alumnus.

    Lemma has become the go-to platform for enabling programmatic buying of out-of-home (OOH) media by a wide range of clients, including top digital media agencies, advertising giants, and major brands around the world today.

    On joining Lemma, Biyani said, “I am really excited to be part of this amazing team. Lemma has been a pioneer in the digital advertising segment. I look forward to working closely with the team on the exciting journey ahead. The space is bound to expand rapidly, and on the technology front, Lemma is well positioned to lead and shape the development.”

    “Having Biyani onboard as company president at Lemma will inject a new level of energy and innovative thinking to help accelerate the company’s growth and attain our vision of transforming DOOH into mainstream digital as we enter a new phase of scaling business,” said Lemma founder & CEO Gulab Patil.

    Patil adds, “His expertise aligns perfectly with our business expansion plan as we continue to strengthen our technology and team globally and enhance our programmatic DOOH presence.”

    Biyani will be based out of Lemma’s Delhi office and will serve as the liaison between all teams and markets from the capital city.

  • Times OOH bags advertising contract for Kolkata International Airport

    Times OOH bags advertising contract for Kolkata International Airport

    Mumbai: Outdoor advertising company Times Innovative Media Ltd (Times OOH), a part of Times of India Group has been awarded seven years of exclusive advertising contract for Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.

    With this association, Times OOH has finally extended its media footprint into the East region of India, it said in a statement.

    Kolkata International Airport, as it is also known, is the largest hub for air traffic in East India. The airport handled 22 million passengers in FY 2019 – 2020, making it the fifth-busiest airport in India, and is a key centre for flights to Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.

    In a media statement, the company said the advertising at Kolkata airport will be spread over a whopping 14,700 sq ft and feature media such as Digital Screen Networks, Lightboxes, Wall Wraps, and Large Format Outdoor Billboards. The media plan is designed to be unobstructed to the passenger movement and allows for advertising exposure at strategic touchpoints through the airport premises. 

    “The City of Joy has given us another reason to rejoice. We are delighted and proud to be awarded the prestigious contract for advertising at Kolkata International Airport,” said Times OOH, chief strategy officer, Aman Nanda. “With this contract and our operations at Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Coimbatore, and Trichy airports, I believe that we have built a comprehensive presence in every zone of India and can offer an ever wider reach to our clients. I look forward to working closely with AAI to develop the airport into a hotspot for advertising in the region.”

  • Times OOH acquires media branding rights of Chennai’s billboards

    Times OOH acquires media branding rights of Chennai’s billboards

    NEW DELHI: Times OOH has acquired exclusive media rights over Chennai’s central and southern billboards. Located in the heart of the city at Chetpet and iconic spots at OMR, these mediums cover some of Chennai’s prime and busiest areas from Chetpet bridge to Perungudi and Sholinganallur toll plazas. The diverse kitty comprises massive unipoles, impactful gantries, toll plazas and more. These strategically placed billboards can provide uninterrupted visibility to brands and reach out to more than 1 lakh vehicles per day.

    Times OOH CFO & head of acquisitions Shekhar Narayanaswami said, “Chennai has always been a lucrative market for us and its billboards are undoubtedly amongst the most potent OOH media properties for advertisers across the country. At Times OOH, we plan to serve 14 media units, offering high impact options like unipoles and gantries at OMR, followed by vibrant, eye-catchy butterfly panels in Chetpet. After our runaway success with Coimbatore and Trichy Airports, we are highly positive with this new crucial addition in our portfolio.”

    Brands like Amazon Prime, Zebronics and SPR Constructions have come on board to advertise on the billboards. Chennai’s Chetpet is a well-developed, prime residential neighbourhood, while OMR – the growing IT corridor with large number of offices and residential real estate, is on its way to becoming a highly developed sub-city by itself. In Tamil Nadu, apart from the billboards in Chennai, Times OOH also has exclusive media rights at Coimbatore and Trichy Airports.

  • Somany Ceramics styles Mumbai Airport

    Somany Ceramics styles Mumbai Airport

    Somany Ceramics Limited, an internationally acclaimed organization that specializes in ceramics and allied products segment and known to be a leader in design and innovation, has recently executed an outdoor campaign at Mumbai International Airport.

    The campaign was done in association with Times OOH to target niche flying travellers to promote, Germ Shield tiles powered by Germ Shield Technology at the Domestic Departure, SHA of T2, Mumbai Airport.

    Somany chose to place its ad on multiple media units installed at the domestic departure security check-in of the Mumbai Airport to captivate the attention of departing fliers. The units presented the Somany Tiles and Bathware’s brand campaign focusing on the patented hard coat technology VC Shield which is ‘Built to Last’.

    Somany Ceramics marketing head Vivek Gupta says, “Airport media is so substantial to us. The premium pillar media located at security check-in area are very strategically placed, and it will give a big boost to Somany as a brand to entice passenger’s eyeballs when they are waiting for security frisking. The brand campaign with Salman Khan will also showcase Somany’s humble and rooted approach with the tag line “Zameen se Judey”.  Moreover, Salman’s personality, will help bring forth campaign’s essence, which is, ‘no matter how high you soar or how successful you are, you should always be rooted & remain grounded.”

    “We are proud to partner Somany Ceramics in delivering such impactful branding exercise that would have a long-lasting positive association in the minds of the passengers.Airport advertising has offered brands a niche target audience, which no other medium can offer with such low distraction and high dwell time. The current situation has led to even higher dwell times at the airports due to the safety measures.” said Times OOH Sumit Chadha.

  • Airport advertising makes a comeback with Times OOH new campaign ‘The Runway Restart’

    Airport advertising makes a comeback with Times OOH new campaign ‘The Runway Restart’

    NEW DELHI: As airports resume functioning, Times OOH has started airport advertising with a new campaign The Runway Restart. The Runway restart is a key moment for the aviation industry and for brands for whom advertising at airports has been an ideal medium to reach the premium NCCS-A audiences of the country over the years.

    Looking at a few examples from down South, at Coimbatore and Trichy Airports, Times OOH partnered with Naturals, a leading salon chain that sponsored hand sanitisers at the two airports thereby participating in a larger cause and seamlessly merging with the need of passengers and airport. The sanitising units emphasise the importance of hand sanitisation and reinstate safe travel practices.

    For another such campaign from the Healthcare Industry by Dr Vanchilingam Hospital at Trichy Airport, MD Dr Sophia Somesh says, “We chose the airport advertising to reach out Indians residing overseas. OOH, advertising has always helped in establishing ourselves as a hospital that comprises state-of-the-art technology with all facilities available and we will continue to advertise in OOH medium in future.”

    Brands like Naturals are innovating with unique opportunities like the hand sanitiser utility sponsorship, while there are others that are continuing where they stopped in the pre-COVID2019 times and now post COVID reaching to audiences who now have more dwell time at the airports.

    Airport operations began countrywide from 25 May as the lockdown was eased. Till end of July, over 4.2 million domestic passengers took air travel in the Indian soil post-travel restrictions were lifted alongside the International flights under the Vande Bharat Mission. These numbers continue to grow day on the day as we inch towards normalization.

     “Travelling in flight is the safest mode of travel when compared to others during a pandemic,” said AIIMS, New Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria.

    Addressing a webinar titled ''Reposing the Faith in Flying'' hosted by GMR Group, Dr Guleria said, "If an asymptomatic person is seating next to you during a short flight and both the persons are wearing masks and face shields, there is less chance of spreading the virus. Travelling in flight is the safest mode of travel & the way airports and airlines are taking precaution during travel in a pandemic situation is commendable.”

    Pandemic has introduced new perspectives and fueled consumers to change their behaviour and lifestyle. Even travel behaviours are changing and we are witnessing various initiatives are taken by the airport operators to ensure the safety of the passengers. Some initiatives include mandatory web check-ins, reaching airports at least two hours before departure leading to even higher audience dwell times, going through thermal screening, maintaining social distancing norms via floor markers and marked seats, wearing face masks at all times and pasting PNR on bags by self.

    As per Kantar Barometer research, 92 per cent of consumers think brands should continue to advertise to be recognized. In another such research by Edelman research conducted in 12 nations including India, 63 per cent of consumers believed that brands will play a critical role in making their country fight the pandemic.

    Omnicom Media Group vice president – investment- Ajay Varghese says, “VW has always believed in connecting with the right audience on the right platform. Keeping in mind the communication for Tiguan and T-Roc the ideal touchpoints have always been the Mumbai & Delhi Airports, known for their captive audience. With the resumption of travel a month and a half ago, airports saw a sudden surge in eyeballs. It made sense at this time to use airport-centric OOH to drive advertising about SUVs that are often used for travel purposes. Airports are currently one of the very few public spaces where people can assemble. While social distancing protocols have ensured that the passenger dwell time at the airport has gone up substantially. In this context, it’s important to capitalise tactically on specific airport spots and locations like Departure Lounges and Security Hold Areas. This is where passengers are spending a majority of their airport time, and therefore placing ads here results in better eyeballs & ROI.” 

    Mumbai and Delhi Airport, two of the busiest airports in India are also gradually witnessing an increase in flights and are quickly adapting to the new normal. Times OOH is working closely with the airport authorities to understand the new paradigms and innovating to introduce new opportunities for brands.

    Call it a Health Care Zone by a leading diagnostic chain, an e-insurance kiosk for availing insurance on the go, food delivery self-ordering kiosks that make contactless deliveries, a contactless automobile experience lounge using the VR technology and more are few areas where new opportunities for brands will arise at airports.

  • Times OOH helps Godrej Interio set up Experience Zone at Mumbai Airport

    Times OOH helps Godrej Interio set up Experience Zone at Mumbai Airport

    MUMBAI: India’s largest outdoor Advertising agency, Times OOH has helped Godrej Interio in setting up a first-of-its-kind experience centre in the garb of a retail space, at Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

    As per research commissioned by Times OOH, the average dwell time at Terminal 2 is 115 minutes, out of which approximately 10 dedicated minutes are spent at experiential centres. This lucrative business opportunity enabled Godrej Interio to set up experiential centres that offer superior comfort for passengers to experience their products while also offer larger spaces for better display.

    Times OOH product head – Airports Dhanraj Israni said, “The Godrej Interio campaign at Mumbai Airport’s T2 Terminal was unique in the way it enabled flyers to experience the brand’s products vis-a-vis a targeted communication, This impactful branding exercise would have a long-lasting positive association in the minds of the passengers. After this runaway success, we are looking forward to using our recently installed modular plug-and-play kiosks to shorten the turnaround time for promotional events at the airport for future endeavours.”

    Mumbai International Airport is among the busiest in the world, recording a footfall of over 50 Million Passengers in the last financial year, with the festive season leading to higher footfalls. Given a passenger at Mumbai Airport indulges in shopping twice a month on average, and 97 per cent passengers belong to the elite NCCS A category. Times OOH’s impactful dynamic ad presence along with high visibility was able to deliver significant brand recall and unparalleled value to Godrej Interio.

  • Mercedes Benz S-Class arrives through airport OOH ads

    Mercedes Benz S-Class arrives through airport OOH ads

    MUMBAI: With the recent launch of one of the leading luxury car brands, Mercedes Benz S-Class in India, the brand was looking to spread the news to its potential customers. Airports represent a key venue for Mercedes Benz as business class as well as international travellers, form a major part of Mercedes Benz’s TG. 

    Thereby, to endorse the S-Class as the latest premium offering from the brand and make the campaign eye catchy to customers in an impactful, yet subtle way, keeping in line with the brand image, Mercedes Benz took airport media as a part of its OOH advertising plan.

    Two airports were selected post an in-depth analysis of passenger traffic in India in order to educate potential customers about the newly launched S Class in Mumbai and Delhi airports. High visibility media were taken at both the airports in high traffic areas. The entry points to the multi-level car park at both these airports offer 100 per cent visibility to all domestic as well as international passengers.

    At Mumbai airport, the DRLs within the headlamps in the car creative were lined with LED lights. This impressive innovation immediately drew one’s attention to the hoarding and then to the iconic as well as easily recognisable headlights of the Mercedes Benz.

    A 21-day pan-India campaign across multiple cities was carefully strategised to reach out to its TG, out of which Mumbai and Delhi were identified as the key touch-points.

    Times OOH executed the outdoor campaign through its airport media in association with Kinetic WW who managed the mainline media and outdoor media planning.