QMS Media is preparing to unveil its advertising packages to launch partners for its new City of Sydney network. Mediaweek has spoken with QMS Media’s general manager for the City of Sydney Gemma Enright about those plans, the network and initial interest.
The former Uno Home Loans chief customer officer and tech start-up entrepreneur joined QMS Media earlier this year.
See also: QMS appoints Jemma Enright to lead new City of Sydney media offering
Enright started explaining what the attraction was for an agency strategist, marketer and business entrepreneur to return to media sales.
“My first love has been the advertising industry and I have spent a lot of time there,” Enright told Mediaweek. “The strategic work I did and moving between media sales and agencies set me up very well to go into the start-up space. I spent some time there too and you must have a laser focus on the customer and understand consumers very well.
“In my new role I get to bring together two exciting dimensions – being able to work on the City of Sydney which is almost like a start-up because it is a blank canvas, starting something from absolutely from scratch and bringing it to market. It also taps into the first passion I had for advertising.
“For me this is the absolute gold star for joining up my two worlds.”
Jemma Enright, QMS Media
Skills that Enright will bring to QMS will be the ability to execute quickly, something she noted start-ups must be good at. “Also, the ability to listen to customers and shape the proposition, looking at pricing and shaping the strategy around the needs of the customer.
“That is exactly what we are doing now, talking to customers as we develop the pricing and partnership strategies for the City of Sydney. That helps secure a level of validation when we take the offer to market.”
City of Sydney Launch timing
QMS will take over sales from existing network manager JCDecaux on November 1 for the outer suburbs of the City of Sydney and on January 18 for the City of Sydney CBD.
The impact of Covid of course is being felt hardest in out-of-home. “The introduction has recently been rolled back two months,” explained Enright.
“No one had predicted we would be in the current protracted lockdown this long. We are now looking at November 1 as the start of the transition of the program.
“For the sales proposition, we are focusing on launch partners initially and will be taking the partnership package to market with a view to getting partners on the network first in December.
“We will be opening campaign-based selling from April 2022.”
Enright said QMS will be offering City of Sydney partners special incentives to be present during what she is labelling the “build” phase.
City of Sydney footprint
Size of City of Sydney network
There will be over 800 panels in the new network and they will be predominantly digital.
Enright: “Over 70% of the network will be digital which means over 90% of the inventory will be digital and delivered on larger screens optimised for visibility and attention. Advertisers continue to show increased demand for digital out-of-home.
“We will also be enhancing our data capabilities through our dynamic platform and that opens up a world of possibilities for brands that never existed before. There will be smart ways to target your consumer to innovative creative strategies that brands can deliver in market.”
Advertisers have yet to see what QMS will be charging to access its new network. Enright said: “We are very tuned in to what the market has been paying previously and is obviously something important to consider. We also understand what we are building in some ways is unique and there are no benchmarks for it. The unique benefits have changed fundamentally.”
While there is a focus on meeting with agencies, Enright noted there are also some big direct clients who have expressed strong interest in getting on the new network early with launch partnerships.
Network highlights and new formats
Enright said some of the existing attractions will be enhanced. “Things like the impact of consecutive formats that people are used to seeing down York Street, Carrington Street and Alfred Street will still be available. We are working closely with the City of Sydney on new formats and there will be communication pylons that will have touchscreen information for people in the City of Sydney on one side and a digital display on the other side.
“We are looking at ways brands can dominate in the city with exclusivity opportunities which is something many categories desire.”
This is a big network
“The City of Sydney is much more than just the Sydney CBD,” Enright reminded us. “There are 10 distinctive precincts that sit around the City of Sydney made up of 33 of arguably Sydney’s most desirable suburbs. It goes from Surry Hills, Potts Point and Rushcutters Bay to Alexandria and Waterloo to Glebe and Annandale. It’s a broad spectrum of residential areas with high-value consumers who live, work and play inside the City of Sydney.
“These consumers will be reached through our quality street furniture network, and they are hard to reach outside of that geography.”
See also: QMS wins City of Sydney street furniture contract
