James Byrne, marketing manager, PML Group with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home.
Over Twenty million Public Transport Journeys taken in January
Irish people took over 20.4 million public journeys in the first month of the year. That is 64% up on the January 2022 figure of just under 12.5 million and over four times that recorded in 2021. It also surpasses the 20.1 million figure taken in pre-pandemic January 2020.
Rail and Luas saw the biggest YoY growth in January at +89% and 88% respectively followed by Dublin Bus at +55% and regional buses which rose by 57%. Passenger numbers for bus and Luas now exceed those recorded pre-pandemic in the January 2020 and 2019.
The number of bus journeys in Dublin for the end of January 2023 (week beginning 23 January 2023) was 11% higher compared with the numbers of journeys in the same week in 2019. The number of bus journeys outside Dublin also exceeded 2019 figures. The number of journeys in week four was 27% higher compared with the same week in 2019. Luas journeys in week 4 of 2023 also increased above pre-COVID-19 levels. The number of journeys in week 04 was 10% higher compared with the same week in 2019.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland reports that in the last week in January, the average volume of cars at selected Dublin and regional sites rose by 7% and 13% respectively versus 12 months previous.
Dubliners Plan to Spend Easter Out of Home
As part of PML Group’s ongoing iQ research series, we partnered with Ipsos and investigated what Dubliners plan to do over Easter weekend. It is fast approaching with Easter Sunday on the 9th April, at the end of cycle 7.
Results indicate that people are looking forward to getting out and about during the long weekend. Sixty percent of survey participants plan to meet with family and friends. Over half (51%) of 25-34s intend to travel to the city centre. They are also the age group most inclined to go to the cinema and clothes shopping at 39% and 38% respectively. Nearly a quarter of respondents are looking forward to a staycation while 34% of families will be participating in an Easter Egg Hunt.
Our Seasonal Shopping study conducted by Ipsos measured the market potential for seasonal events such as Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, summer holidays, Easter, and Back-to-School.
Mother’s Day / Father’s Day (56%; grouped together) are the second most popular seasonal shopping events after Christmas. These celebrations of family have become big opportunities for FMCG brands, high street brands and digital retailers alike. The highest responding age group is 35-44s at 68%. 78%) 43% of consumers indicated they shopped for Easter last year.
Our recent Media Impact Study investigated the potential future effectiveness of media in reaching and influencing audiences in the coming months. Key consumer occasions such as Mother’s Day, Easter etc. are crucial opportunities for brands to influence buying decisions by being both physically and mentally available to consumers. The findings pointed to OOH media being the most effective in driving mental availability for brands across various demographics, in the run up to these significant seasonal events.
Billboards are considered the most effective form of advertising in prompting respondents to make a purchase associated with seasonal events. On an effectiveness scale of 1-5, 53% of respondents gave billboards a rating of 4 or 5, i.e. the most effective. Closely behind in second place were bus stop ads, at 51%, followed by social media and bus sides at 48%.
Listerine Total Care Sparkles on OOH
Listerine’s most recent OOH campaign has lit the country up with the brand’s signature ‘Total Care’ purple, promising a dental cleaning experience that is x5 times more effective than traditional dental floss at reducing plaque build-up when used alongside normal brushing.
Planned by UM Dublin and PML, the eye-catching, multi-format campaign is running throughout cycle 4 highlighting the 10-in-1 benefits of their total care formula: Just 30 seconds of rinsing, twice a day, kills up to 99% of plaque and bad breath causing germs left behind after brushing.
The campaign deployed Out of Home as a central pillar, running a combination of classic and digital formats across the country on 6-sheets, Tesco Live, Adshel Live Retail, Digital Golden Squares, and Bus Supersides. The striking creative is unmissably flanked by the perfect smile-clad donkey that has become a mascot to the mouthwash brand in recent years, whose ‘pearly whites’ further emphasise the product’s sustained plaque reduction above the gumline after a dental cleaning.
To further drive awareness and increase impact, Listerine availed of special formats that extend beyond traditional consumer touchpoints. This included the deployment of a full vinyl takeover at Connolly Station after the ticket barriers and its underpass tunnel, delivering a premium OOH experience where footfall and social activity is high, while exploding Supersides were featured on select routes throughout Dublin in addition to the standard format.
