Slump in advertising has made billboards affordable for ordinary citizens
The advertising downturn has at least one upside: Kyiv billboards have become giant greeting cards for lovers.
Due to the sharp fall in advertising prices, individuals can now congratulate their relatives on their birthdays, simply say “I love you” to a special person or post other types of greetings.
Veronika Kovtun is among those who decided to give her husband an unusual present for his 32nd birthday on July 3. “I wanted him, his parents, friends and all our neighbors to be surprised! At least for some time, he could feel popular and make other people turn their heads when he passes by,” Kovtun said.
She commissioned his portrait on a billboard on Polyarna Street, near Minska metro station, for two weeks at a cost of $450. The closer to the city center, the more expensive the billboard becomes, of course. Emotion Life company in Kyiv is one of the companies that rents space. They’ve had 13 clients so far this month.
“Some time ago, to buy billboard space for private greetings was almost impossible when all the boards in Kyiv were occupied with commercial or social ads,” said Roman Palamarchuk, chief executive officer of the Outdoor Advertising Association. A year ago, to choose a place, clients needed to book a month in advance and pay $600 or more for two weeks, Palamarchuk said.
But demand for commercial outdoor advertising has softened considerably. According to the Ukrainian Media Monitor outdoor advertising company, the outdoor advertising market in 2009 will be lucky to have a 13 percent increase in revenue, compared to the 22 percent last year, when revenue hit $230 million.
“Today any advertiser would like to sell the billboard space to anybody at all who can pay for it, just not to incur losses,” Palamarchuk said. “The commercial value of the billboard itself is some $380 [a month]. But today, on average, prices in Kyiv for a two-week billboard greeting range from $65 to $130 for a one-month ads. But, of course, it depends on location and the company.”
The low prices have allowed many an empty, forlorn billboard to be replaced by cheery messages.
Some prefer congratulating their relatives on their birthdays. Some apologize. But all of them tend to be rather banal – except to the people on the giving and receiving end. “For many years, I have worked in the advertisement business. But I can not remember any original greetings that would draw my attention,” Palamarchuk said.
Clients, however, consider them to be unique and special.
“I did not expect to see my huge face on the billboard. It was the best and the most unexpected present in my life. For the first time I felt people turning their heads as they passed by me. I felt happy,” Oleksiy Kovtun, Veronika’s husband, said. The birthday billboard with Oleksiy’s portrait remained on Polyarna Street through July 17.
Some clients prefer to design their own ad, but Veronika Kovtun left it up to the ad professionals. Her husband is depicted with things he’d like to acquire soon – a car and a motorcycle.
“I do not know much about how to express my emotions and love in the computer graphics editor” used to design the ad, Veronika Kovtun said. She paid $40 extra for the design, but she has no regrets.
Within 10 days, Emotion Life company found a place for her billboard just where she wanted it – on the way home from work for her husband.
“It is cool that, two weeks after my birthday, I can still feel and see her emotions on my way home. Every day is a holiday for me,” Oleksiy Kovtun said. “I cannot imagine now that something else will be placed on my birthday billboard. I think I will commission something for my wife there when [my billboard] comes down.”
