Why the future of outdoor depends on regulation

There is a risk, when talking about outdoor advertising in the Middle East, to regurgitate the same arguments over and over again.

There is no doubt that it gives campaigns big impact, and few can resist the argument that it has benefited from the fragmentation of TV audiences.

But outdoor remains an unregulated arena, where prices are escalating and poor planning has produced areas that make a tin of sardines seem uncluttered by comparison.

And then there's the creative. Despite being presented with what local agencies perceive to be their best work, our two critics in Private View this week have produced a withering verdict on the region's billboard campaigns.

You can read their damning verdicts on page 30. If you are in the business of outdoor, it won't make pleasant reading.

In our feature on page 26, outdoor operators tell us that it is full steam ahead for the formation of an outdoor association. Yet there are still rumblings of discontent among some powerful insiders. With no effort being made to market the medium collectively, and so much ordinary creative doing the rounds, the long-term blossoming of the medium remains in the balance.

Regulation is needed now. Or prices will continue to rise, standards will stay in stasis, and the likes of online will come in and mop up advertisers' cash.

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