FOCUS - OUTDOOR ADVERTISING: Wrapping up OA in Hong Kong

<p>Outdoor advertising that wraps around structures has made its debut </p><p>in Asia, courtesy of JCDecaux Pearl & Dean and RobertLam Color. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>JCDecaux has introduced its wraparound ads at a number of MTR train </p><p>station exits in Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>General manager Stephen Wong said wrapping an ad around the three-walled </p><p>sides of the exits added an extra dimension to what is in reality a </p><p>flat, 2-D image: "The message is made all the more vivid and lively to </p><p>commuters, pedestrians and drivers," he told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Wong stressed that the look and the content of the ad are </p><p>important. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We go through a process to ensure that the MTR's operations and safety </p><p>regulations are not compromised and we also make sure that the ads are </p><p>aesthetically pleasing so as not to devalue the image of the MTR." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>JCDecaux was the agency that was responsible for ads that covered entire </p><p>walls and pillars within train stations over the past year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The materials and aesthetic guidelines were already there, so it was a </p><p>simple matter of extending the principles and techniques to the outdoor </p><p>environment, an idea which the MTR approved," Mr Wong said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Similar wrap-around ads are being planned for Singapore's MRT. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Wong also revealed that there are plans to build billboards - six </p><p>metres wide and three metres tall - over the top of MTR station </p><p>exits. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"This would create a network of OA sites and we could offer package </p><p>deals which would be a first for Hong Kong, since billboard placements </p><p>are currently sold individually," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While the MTR has already given its approval, the government is still </p><p>giving the idea consideration. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, Photobition Hong Kong, formerly RobertLam Color, has taken </p><p>the wraparound idea a step further by wrapping ads around entire </p><p>buildings. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Managing director Robert Lam said that this type of signage has been </p><p>used to cover entire buildings under renovation in Los Angeles, New York </p><p>and London. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>