By Darren Gilbert

What are your thoughts on joining Posterscope?

Moving across to the agency side was something I started thinking of approximately a year ago and this was driven by a need to achieve a more holistic understanding of not just OOH but of the media industry as a whole.

My years of experience in the OOH industry, as well as the opportunity of career growth made Posterscope a natural choice.

Why do you think you are right for this position?

With over 13 years experience in the OOH industry, Posterscope is a good fit for me. My last six years were spent with Primall, my knowledge of the shopping mall environment and media within this space allows me to bring a new dimension to the business.

Also, my time on the media owner side was spent predominantly in the area of sales so this will aid me greatly in driving new business for which I will also be responsible.

What will your role at Posterscope entail?

I am responsible for the day-to-day management of the business, the management of the relationships of our teams with our partner agencies as well as focus on new business acquisition.

Do you have any expectations going in?

Being exposed to the dynamics of a global media agency Group and best practice international thinking and getting to understand what systems are in place and how the various Group companies work with each other is very exciting for me.

What do you think will be your biggest challenge?

Although Posterscope is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, we operate at an arm’s length within the group and would like to be seen as a potential OOH partner by anyone in the industry – clients and competing media agencies who are looking to benefit from the bespoke planning tools and in depth information that we have which allows us to deliver complete OOH solutions.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that the industry faces as a whole?

OOH in South Africa is a highly competitive industry with about 200 media owners vying for a slice of the budgets allocated to this platform, while trying to justify their relevance and inclusion in any client-planning schedule.

Convergence is obviously changing the way media is planned and bought, and the demand for digital integration will require huge investments from media owners to remain not just relevant, but also to ensure greater measurability and justify ROI for the platform.

What are you looking forward to most about his position?

I am really looking forward the mind-set shift that I will need to make from operating as a media owner to being an OOH communications specialist, or let’s just say “to being an agency guy”.

Being part of the forward thinking Dentsu Aegis Network will not only broaden my OOH knowledge but also expose me to the full suite of media handled by the group companies. Digital media integration across all channels is particularly exciting.

What are your plans for Posterscope?

I would like to reinforce the fact that Posterscope is the premier OOH communications specialist within the market. This is not a glib statement relating just to traditional outdoor media buying volume and schedules, but to the fact that Posterscope has developed a suite of bespoke tools that informs our planning and buying process.

Leveraging off this IP and the industry audit information that we co-invest in should hopefully appeal to a broader range of clients and new business acquisition. Growing the bottom line is what I intend delivering against.

For more information on Posterscope, visit www.posterscope.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.