PROJECT DISSERTATION ON

A STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ELEVATOR ADVERTISEMENT IN MALLS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements

For the award of Degree of
Master Of Business Administration (MBA)
Batch 2017-2019

Guide Name: Submitted By:

Dr. SANJEEV KUMAR JATIN GARG
Assistant Professor Enroll. No- 03414803917

MAHARAJA AGRASEN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Approved by AICTE, HRD Ministry, Govt of India
Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
PSP Area, Plot No. 1, Sector-22, Rohini, Delhi-11008
Table of Contents
CHAPTER DESCRIPTION PAGE NUMBER
i Company Certificate 1
ii Guide Certificate 3
iii Acknowledgement 5
1 Executive Summary 6
2 Company Profile le 6
3 Introduction : Purpose of Study 7
3.1 Research Objectives 8
3.2 Research Methodology 10
4.1 Market Understanding 10
4.2 Overview Of The Out-Of-Home Industry 12
4.3 Out-Of-Home Advertising Today 14
4.4 Reasons For Out-Of-Home Advertising 17
4.5 Out-Of-Home Advertising In India 20
4.5.1 Out-Of-Home Advertising Market Size 20
4.5.2 Key Sectors Involved In Out-Of-Home Advertising 21
4.5.3 Key Formats Of Out-Of-Home Advertising 21
4.5.4 Key Challenges Faced By The Out-Of-Home Advertising 22
4.5.5 The Way Ahead For Out-Of-Home Advertising 23
4.5.6 Digital Out-Of-Home Advertising 23
4.6 Out-Of-Home Advertising Structure In India 24
4.6.1 Key Out-Of-Home Advertising Companies In India 24
4.7 The Elevator Advertising 25
4.7.1 Advertising In An Elevator In Malls 26
4.7.2 Advertising In An Elevator In Corporate Offices 26
4.7.3 Advertising In An Elevator In Residential Complexes 26
4.8 The Elevator Scenario In India And Growth Trends 26
4.9 The Benefits Of Elevator Advertising 27
4.10 Digital In Elevators 28
4.10.1 Advantages Of Digital Advertising In Elevators 28
4.10.2 Disadvantages Of Digital Advertising In Elevators 29
4.11 Advertising In Elevators- An Illustration 29
5.0 Primary Survey Findings Across Segments 36
5.1 Consumer Survey 36
5.1.1 Average Visits To A Mall In A Week 36
5.1.2 Usage Of Elevators In A Mall 37
5.1.3 Occupation And Gender Wise Awareness Of Elevator 38
Advertising
5.1.4 Category Wise Awareness Of Elevator Advertising 39
5.1.5 Consumer Behaviour Inside An Elevator 41
5.1.6 Impact Of Elevator Advertising 42
5.1.6.1 Food And Beverage Brands 42
5.1.6.2 Lifestyle And Clothing Brands 43
5.1.6.3 Online Brands 43
5.1.6.4 Other Miscellaneous Brands 44
5.1.7 Innovation Inside Elevators 44
5.1.8 Informative Digital Innovation Inside Elevators 46
5.2 Expert Survey 47
5.2.1 Key Players Involved In Elevator Branding 47
5.2.2 Process Of Advertising Inside Elevators-Key Player Wise 47
5.2.2.1 Brands That Advertise Inside Elevators 47
5.2.2.2 Malls That Allow Elevator Advertising 48
5.2.2.3 Out Of Home And Creative Agencies 48
5.2.2.4 Vendors 49
5.2.3 Costs Of Elevator Advertising 50
5.2.4 Importance Of Elevator Advertising 51
5.2.4.1 Location Of The Mall And The Elevator 51
5.2.4.2 The Budget 53
5.2.4.3 The Deal With The Mall Authorities 53
5.2.4.4 The Campaign 54
5.2.5 Measuring Effectiveness Of Elevator Advertising 55
5.2.5.1 The Secret Code Method 55
5.2.5.2 The Feedback Method 56
5.2.6 Guidelines For Advertising In Elevators 56
5.2.6.1 The Memorandum Of Understanding 57
5.2.6.2 Guidelines For Leasing 57
5.2.7 Current Trends In Elevator Advertising 57
5.2.7.1 Position Of The Advertisements
5.2.7.2 Online Brand Trends 58
5.2.7.3 Food & Beverage And Lifestyle Brand Trends 58
5.2.7.4 Creativity 59
5.2.8 Limitations Faced By Elevator Advertising 59
5.2.8.1 Low Awareness And Understanding By Key Players 59
5.2.8.2 No Research Done 60
5.2.8.3 Splitting Of The Creative 60
5.2.8.4 The Challenges With The Format 61
5.2.8.5 Lack Of Innovation 61
6.0 Recommendations 62
7.0 Annexure 62
7.1 Copies Of Questionnaires 62
7.2 Bibliography/References 72
 AKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my sincere thanks to my project guide Mr. Sanjeev Kumar for guiding me right from the inception till

the successful completion of the project. I sincerely acknowledge him for extending their valuable guidance,

support for literature, critical reviews of project and the report and above all the moral support he had provided

to me with all stages of this project.

DATE-

PLACE-

JATIN GARG
 DECLARATION

I undersigned JATIN GARG, student of MBA 4 th semester declare that the project on

“EFFECTIVENESS OF ELEVATOR ADVERTISEMENT IN MALLS.” has been

personally done by me under the guidance of Dr. Sanjeev Kumar in partial fulfillment of MBA

Program during academic year 2017-19. All the data represented in this project is true & correct

to the best of my knowledge & belief.

Date

Signature
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project titled “EFFECTIVENESS OF ELEVATOR

ADVERTISEMENT IN MALLS” is an academic work done by “JATIN GARG”, Enroll.

No.- 03414803917 submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of

the degree of MBA from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (Affiliated to G.G.S.I.P.

University), New Delhi under my guidance and direction.

 1. Executive Summary

The research was conducted across 5 segments:

consumers, marketing heads of brands that advertise
in elevators, malls that allow advertising in elevators,
out-of-home agencies and advertising agencies. The
overall analysis suggests that elevator advertising has
different functions for different categories of
products and if creative enough, these elevator
advertisements can actually lead to sales or at least
enter the consideration set of the consumers. India is
the second largest market of elevators after China,
urban migration, growing population and increasing
prosperity being the primary reasons for this.
Moreover a huge demand for space for mall branding
has arisen due to the entry of several brands resulting
in this space becoming cluttered. Therefore there is a
great potential for professional elevator advertising.
Currently Elevator Advertising it is at a nascent stage
in India because of low awareness and understanding
of elevator branding by the players involved.

The research conducted pointed out that the target

audience visits the mall at least twice, if not more
than 4 times, in a week and majority prefer the lift or
use it very frequently. Women are more aware of
elevator advertising as a concept than men- this trend
was noticed across all segments interviewed and the
sample size is a substantiation of that. The highest
awareness of brands that are advertised was of the
Lifestyle and Clothing category and then the Food
and Beverage category. This is because the elevator
advertisements by the Lifestyle and Clothing
industry are much more informative than the Food
and Beverage Industry. Now, as consumers have
nothing to do inside the elevators and mostly use
their phone and find the silence awkward,
advertising is the only way that can make their
journey in the lift worthwhile. Food and Beverage
brands try to create the ethos of the brand inside or
outside the lift to attract the consumer. The research
also brings out how creativity is the key to success
for elevator advertising and how this creativity can
be explored with the challenges this format of
advertising faces.

The process of elevator advertising is fairly simple

but involves an active participation by all the key
players to make the elevator advertising campaign a
success. The costs for advertising on the panels
inside and on elevators are very huge, and vary with
the location of the mall as well as the location of the
elevator inside the mall. The budget and the type of
campaign decide the importance of elevator
advertising. The research also focuses on quantitative
methods of measuring effectiveness of Elevator
advertising i.e. the secret code and the feedback
method.

Various malls have various guidelines but a

Memorandum of Understanding is drafted between
the mall authorities and the clients and the client has
the complete responsibility of maintenance of the
elevators.
Advertising on the front door is more expensive than advertising on the inside door and the side
panels of the door, because the front panel is more visible, even to those who do not use the
elevators. A trend of online brands preferring below the line advertising like elevator advertising
was noticed, after speaking to the experts and the consumers at large which corroborated that it is
actually profitable for the online brands to do elevator advertising. Creativity is a big part of
elevator advertising and it is the sole reason that makes it or breaks it for an elevator
advertisement.

The research also points out how research on elevator advertising, vandalism, and the format are
the key challenges faced in elevator advertising. It is concluded though, that if the trend of
innovation in creativity picks up, elevator advertising will become more sought after than any
other mall branding.

A concept reaction of an Informative Digital Innovation inside elevators was conducted through
the various target segments. Majority of the consumer sample size reacted positively to this
innovation and provided their perspective on digital advertising inside elevators. Perspectives
from the experts were taken as well on this issue. The viewpoints of both these segments were
corroborated and a conclusion of advertising with digital outside the elevators was drawn - the
reason being that on an average, consumers spend more time outside the elevator waiting for it to
arrive rather than inside the elevator. However, if the problem of vandalism inside the elevators
is tackled, digital advertising can make a huge difference in brand building and consumer
interaction.
2.0 Introduction

2.1 Purpose of Study

Advertisers provide static advertising by
means of print ads on and inside the elevator
by means of elevator branding. This technique
is extensively used in malls and corporate
offices in which either print ads are put up on
and inside the elevator to attract the consumer
or elevator branding is done to create the ethos
of the brand inside the elevator and thus
communicate with the consumer.

Elevator branding is just a small but significant

part of the entire Out-of-Home advertising
market in India; elevator branding and
advertising is at a nascent stage in India. This
research is focused on the elevator advertising
market in India and the effectiveness and
growth of this as a concept; the research will
also cover the behavior of consumers in a lift
and shed light on the concept reactions of
digital advertising inside an elevator.

2.2 Research Objectives

 To measure the effectiveness of elevator
advertising in malls.
 To understand the challenges faced by
elevator advertising agencies.
 To understand the role of creativity in
elevator advertising.
 To conduct a concept reaction of digital
advertising in an elevator.
2.3 Research Methodology: The research is Exploratory and
Qualitative in nature
• Primary Survey

– Use of Closed Ended Questionnaires for consumers-50

• In Depth Interview of :

1. Out of Home Media Agency

2. Marketing Manager of Shopping Mall

3. Marketing Head of brands that advertise in an elevator

4. Advertising Agency

• Secondary Research

List of sources: Websites/Articles/Blogs:

 Outdoor Advertising Association of America

 The power of a billion Realizing the Indian dream, FICCI-KPMG Indian
Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013
 The Indian Outdoor Advertising Association website
 The Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy 2008-an initiative by Municipal
Corporation of Delhi
th
 Elevator market set to zoom. Economic Times Bureau November 18 2013
 Malls make room for brands coming with higher revenue share Economic
th
Times Bureau July 24 2013
 ELEVATOR ADVERTISING IN INDIA by the Media Ant
 Neilson research on elevator advertising as quoted by the Media Ant
 Elevator World India 2014 Report
 Emerging advertising Media-Wikispaces
 Times OOH Media website
 Bright Outdoor Website
st
 Afaqs-Article on Delhi Outdoor, Advertising Association 21 December
th th th th
2009,14 January 2010,24 February 2010,12 April 2010,18 June 2010
th
Afaqs-Article Axe: Drawing attention through innovation-February 16 2001
 Indian Advertising Association Blog
Books:

 Ogilvy On advertising-David Ogilvy-1983

 Strategic Brand Management-Kevin Lane Keller Third Edition
 Kotler Philip Marketing Management Fourteenth Edition
 Indian Advertising: 1780 to 1950, Arun Chaudhuri
 History of Advertising –Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottyam
 Born in 1842-A History of Advertising
 AD Land- A Global History of Advertising
3.0 Company Profile
4.0 Market Understanding/Overview
4.1 History of Conventional Advertising
Archaeologists have found evidence of advertising dating back to the 3000s BC, among the
Babylonians. One of the first known methods of advertising was the outdoor display.
Archaeologists have uncovered many such signs, notably in the ruins of ancient Rome and
Pompeii. Pompeii calls the attention of travellers to a tavern situated in another town. In
medieval times word-of-mouth praise of products gave rise to a simple but effective form of
advertising, the use of so-called town criers. The criers were citizens who read public notices
aloud and were also employed by merchants to shout the praises of their wares. Later they
became familiar figures on the streets of colonial American settlements.

Although graphic forms of advertising appeared early in history, printed advertising made little
headway until the invention of the movable-type printing press by the printer Johannes
Gutenberg from Germany. This invention made the mass distribution of posters and circulars
possible. The first advertisement in English appeared in 1472 in the form of a handbill
announcing a prayer book for sale. Two hundred years later, the first newspaper ad was published
offering a reward for the return of 12 stolen horses. In the American colonies, the Boston News-
Letter ,the first regularly published newspaper in America, began carrying ads in 1704, and about
25 years later ads were more readable by using large headlines.

In the United States, the advertising profession began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1841
when Volney Palmer set up shop as an advertising agent. Agents contracted with newspapers for
large amounts of advertising space at discount rates and then resold the space to advertisers at a
higher rate. The ads were themselves created by the companies and the advertisers. In 1869
Francis Ayer bought out Palmer and founded N. W. Ayer, an agency that still exists today. Ayer
transformed the standard agent practice by billing advertisers exactly what he paid to publishers
plus an agreed upon commission. Soon Ayer was not only selling space but was also conducting
market research and writing the advertising copy. Advertising agencies initially focused on print.

The introduction of radio created a new opportunity and by the end of the 1920s, advertising had
established itself in radio to such an extent that advertisers were producing many of their own
programs. Television had been introduced in 1940, but because of the high cost of TV sets, it was
not immediately embraced. Soon TV far surpassed radio as an advertising medium.

The tone of the advertising was also changing. No longer did advertising simply present the
product benefit. Instead it began to create a product image. Bill Bernbach, founder of Doyle
Dane Bernbach in New York City; Leo Burnett, founder of the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago
and David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather in New York City, all came to prominence in the
late 1950s and 1960s and led what has been called the 'creative revolution.'

As stated in his book “Ogilvy on Advertising”, David Ogilvy has given a list of 6 people from
America as the Giants of modern advertising:

1. ALBERT LASKER(1980-1952)
2. STANLEY RESOR(1879-1662)
3. RAYMOND RUBICAM(1892-1978)
4. LEO BURNETT(1891-1971)
5. CLAUDE C. HOPKINS(1867-1932)
6. BILL BERNBACH(1911-1982)

The creative foundation established by these has been critical to the success of contemporary
advertising. The introduction of the TV remote control and access to hundreds of cable channels
means that today advertising must interest and entertain consumers or else they will simply use
the remote to change the channel. With the advent of new digital devices advertising has just
evolved for the better. The consumer has now become King. Advertising still remains the
medium of information. It has become a means of mass communicating information intended to
persuade buyers to buy products with a view of maximizing a company’s profits; the consumer
now plays the most important role. The role of feedback has also increased manifold.

Advertising has evolved:

1. Advertising is a 360 degree mass communication reaching a mass of consumers.

2. For the masses and appeals to each person individually.
3. It is a communication process; social or commercial.
4. It is what a brand wishes to communicate to its current and proposed buyers.
5. With the advent of technology it has changed to become the 360 degree communication
of a brand.
6. Advertising has to be identified by the consumer.
7. Everything and anything can be advertised
8. Advertising has developed many forms; where medium is the message and the message
being the message.
9. There is a clutter of advertisements all around the consumer.
10. There is no such thing as a unique selling point.
11. Advertising touches every sphere of life.
12. The process of advertising is now more regulated.
.

4.2 Out-Of-Home Advertising Today

Today OOH advertising has evolved and innovation has been a key driver for this change. In this
age where the consumption of different types of media has increased manifold, OOH media has
become an imperative part of the market mix as it has become one of the drivers for the business
of the advertisers. OOH is one of the fastest growing advertising media around.

There are currently seven types of media vehicles used to market products:

1. Press
2. Magazine
3. Radio
4. Television
5. Cinema
6. Digital
7. Out-of-home
These together are used to decide the likely creative media mix for the communication strategy
developed for the brand. The majority of consumers' time is spent outside their homes therefore
there is a huge opportunity to connect with them as they go about their daily lives. Out-of-home
has actually become a medium to entertain, inform and inspire people while they're on the move,
while in traffic, shopping in a mall, traveling to work, walking through an airport or on-board a
train.

Out-of-Home has become an important aspect in the media mix and has the following broad
categories:

Street Furniture:

 Guerrilla marketing
 Billboards
 Kiosks/Lamp posts
 Bus shelters
 Bus back panel
 Mobile van hoarding/Mobile watches
 Traffic islands
 Banners
 Posters
 Flags
 Public conveniences
 Gantries
 Side Panel/Side walls
 Metro branding seats, handles, stations
 Branded public convenience vehicles
 Dall augh/Wall paintings/Shuttering
 Tree guard
 Tin plate
 Parking signs
 Building wraps
 Neon
 Trollies/Conveyer belts
 In stadia
 One way vision
 Escalator branding
 Elevator branding

12
  Wall displays

Malls:

 Atrium branding
 Top down banners
 Elevator branding
 Escalator branding
 Car park
 Surface parking
 Contra vision
 Table top branding LED television sets
 Coasters
 Food Court
 Market/Retail Outlets
 Posters
 Banners
 Shop tops
 Standees
 Glow shop
 Flange
 Floor graphics
 Window display
 Labels
 Shelf stickers
 Dispenser

Cinema:

 Trans slides
 Ads
 Seats
 Seat covers
 Ticket jackets

These are traditionally called Below the Line advertising strategies. Nowadays, brands
continuously discover ways to use new media and technology to offer something useful or leave
an impression of the brand in the mind of the consumer, so this list is always evolving.

13
4.4 Reasons for Out-Of-Home Advertising
4.4.1 Innovation

OOH has become a set of different media mix that is used for advertising all thanks to
innovation in this industry. The innovations have led industries to take interest in the
current and future potential of OOH. This puts OOH at equal footing with the traditional
mix of advertising.
With the upcoming of new and innovative ways to advertise using OOH; digital
billboards, applications to connect with the consumer, high impact creative campaigns,
higher brand recall because of out of the box ideas, have led the OOH industry to become
one of the most compelling means for advertising.

4.4.2 Ubiquity

From a long time sound plays a key role in creating a different and unique experience.
Surround sound in movie theatres and sound in theatrical acts play a very important role.
Several ambient channels are added to the primary channel to create the ethos of the
product all around. This is exactly what OOH advertising does; it surrounds the customer
with its messages and helps to create the idea of the brand around him. While OOH is
powerful itself and when coupled with the various other formats of OOH advertising,
they complement the ethos of the brand being advertised. It is not easy to catch the
attention of the customer if the OOH campaign is flat, ubiquity makes this message
powerful and OOH is the tool that delivers this ubiquity.

4.4.3 Creative Impact

The main reason why OOH advertising stands out is the creativity; it is limitless. From
guerrilla marketing to Flyers, all can be as creative as the imagination can get. With
minimum usage of words or no words at all or by using visuals, the message to the
consumer can be put across. The problem with the Indian advertising industry in
particular is facing the fact that not much creative attention is being given to Out-of-
Home advertising, the horizons of which are limitless. OOH creative must make work
that creates a buzz because of the stopping power it has.

14
 4.4.4 Professionalism and Accountability

Both of these are fundamental in nature and should be provided by any organisation. The
OOH companies must live up to the client’s expectations and they therefore need to know
the client’s needs and the business in and out. Using the creative power they have, the
OOH companies must actually WOW the clients and be at par with the traditional
advertising and media agencies. The impact result of the campaign, providing data on
return on investment, running campaigns exactly where asked to and delivering these
promises will help OOH to become the most easy and innovative medium for advertising.

4.4.5 Audience-Centric

OOH advertising surrounds the consumer and helps to establish the ethos of the brand by
grabbing the consumer’s attention. It is made for the masses but communicates at an
individual level with every person. OOH advertising is there all day long and has a
massive reach and frequency in terms of media planning. It is only focused on the
audience. OOH is still not at the same level playing field as the traditional medium of
advertising as there is no concrete method to quantify the reach and frequency of Out-of-
Home advertising.

15
4.4.6 The value of Out-of-Home advertising

fo
r
m
as
s
ap
pe
al
 OO
H
is
re
OOH al
AMPLIFIE ti
S: m
e
 O
O  OO OUT OF
H H HOME
hel is
ps 24
to *7
co  OO
m H
mu ex
nic pr
ate es
se
the
s
eth
bo
os un
of dl
the es
bra s
nd cr
 It ea
can tiv
be ity
stan OOH
dalo ACTIVATE
ne S
or in
a
medi
a
mix
 OO
H is
 ith p
pe r
op o
le c
on e
th s
e s
m  It
ov is
e a
 OO m
H ed
OOH iu
co
CONNECT m
nn
S: fo
ec
 OO r
ts
H in
in
acts fo
di r
as a
supp vi m
ortin du ati
g all on
medi y to
um to co
ev nn
 O
er ec
O
y t
H
pe  Help
c rs s
o on diffe
n  OO rent
n H peop
e is le to
c a conn
t tw ect
s o with
w each
w ay
4.5 Out-Of-Home Advertising in India today

Out of home advertising build brands, it appeals to the consumer and stops him in his
track. It is a powerful mix of various formats that surrounds the audiences away from
home. As more people are now spending time out of home, OOH in India has become
one of the major mediums take is taken into consideration for advertising.

4.5.1Out-Of-Home Advertising Market Size

According to this report the current market size of the OOH industry is INR 22.96 Billion

Figure 5.6 Numerical values of OOH Advertising Industry size in India

Figure 5.7 Graphical

representation of OOH
Advertising Industry size
in India

Source: FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013

17
 4.5.2Key sectors involved in Out-of-Home advertising
The key sectors involved in OOH advertising in India are as follows:

Figure 5.8 Key sectors involved in the OOH advertising industry in India

Source: FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2011

1. Telecom
2. Financial Services
3. M&E
4. Automobile
5. FMCG
6. Others
“Considering the local presence and strategic importance of outdoor media, it may be
best suited for local brands and it is expected that sectors such as food and beverage,
education, small format retail and jewellery will contribute to growth going forward.”
Asquoted by the FICCI-KPMG report of advertising 2013

4.5.3Key Formats of Out-of-Home advertising

18
gure 5.9 Various formats of OOH advertising in India
 Source: FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013
“The transit OOH business in India, especially in airports and metros, has experienced
rapid growth over the past few years. Brands such as Hyundai, Tata Photon, Intel, ING
Vysa, Microsoft and others have been prominent. With various airport modernization and
new metro projects in the pipeline, this format is expected to outpace other segments.” As
quoted by Source: FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013.
New channels such as bus shelters, LED billboards and street furniture are not being
leveraged as widely in India as they are in other countries. This is primarily attributable
to poor infrastructure and the absence of a secure environment (fear of theft or
vandalism).

It was announced in the budget that “selling of space or time slots for advertisements other than
advertisements broadcast by radio or television’ will be exempt from 12 percent service tax” this
is good news for the OOH advertising industry as well. Along with this IOAA announcement of
ADEX information available online has built confidence in the medium, media agencies are now
actively participating in the various tenders for OOH advertising.

4.5.4 Key Challenges faced by the Out-of-Home advertising

4.5.4.1. Lack of Research

The OOH industry is suffering due to a lack of a unified reliable research platform. The
indication by MRUC of a few private parties setting up a research body for OOH is in a positive
step.

4.5.4.2. The role of civic agencies in Out-of-Home advertising

The civic agencies take more to control OOH advertising than to promote it. Despite heavy
license fees and taxes, permissions from various authorities and lack of clarity on regulations
continue to create operational challenges for the industry.

4.5.4.3 Lack of adequate security measures

One of the major challenges facing the industry is the lack of security measures, particularly in
the street furniture and transit media formats. Vandalism is a very big problem. These factors do
not only delay campaigns and create execution challenges in these mediums but also add to the
overall cost as maintenance rises.

19
4.5.5 The way ahead for Out-of-Home advertising
 With Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) coming in, there is expected to be an increase in
the retail business spent in advertising. Therefore, OOH will benefit as the medium is
well suited for the retail businesses.
 With an increase in different innovative mediums, OOH and others are getting integrated
into this practice which is being followed by both the advertisers as well as the media
houses.
 With the convergence of mediums, OOH has got great potential to involve the customer,
interact with him and can actually provide last mile connectivity in the future.
 With increasing working population and changing lifestyles, people are spending more
time outdoors leading to a growth in usage of the transit medium. This medium delivers
greater frequency and reach in terms of media planning.
 Cheaper air travel has translated into more avenues for targeting mobile audiences on the
go.
 Local transit media is also promoting brands and the interaction of the consumers with
them.
 With the boom of e-commerce in India a lot of companies have shown interest in the
OOH advertising industry, as it caters to a much larger audience specially the ones
without internet access.
 Out-of-Home is now being treated as an independent medium which caters to segments
of audiences at large.
 With this pace OOH advertising will become an imperative medium for both local and
global advertisers.

4.5.6 Digital Out-of-Home advertising

Digital Out-of-Home advertising refers to the dynamic advertising distributed across various
public spaces; LCD screens in gyms, restaurants, malls and colleges to name a few.

Digital Out-of-Home advertising in India typically includes the following:

 Stand-alone screens
 Kiosks
 Jukeboxes
 Jumbotrons
 Dynamic Building wraps
 Other interactive media
It is predicted by the Source: FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013

20
“OOH will develop a symbiotic relationship with mobile marketing and internet based
campaigns, opening up new revenue streams. Content will play an increasing role in OOH media
and billboards are likely to become a distribution point for digitized news and entertainment
content.”

4.6 Out-Of-Home Advertising Structure in India

Out-of-Home advertising in India has evolved. In September 2009, leading Out-of-Home
companies came together and announced the formation Indian Outdoor Advertising Association
(IOAA) and registered it as a ‘not-for-profit’ Company. IOAA addresses the issues faced by the
Out-of-Home Industry and finds solutions that are mutually beneficial for all the stakeholders.
The members of IOAA, Delhi Outdoor Advertising Associations (DOAA), Mumbai Hoarding
Owners Association (MHOA), Karnataka/Bangalore Outdoor Advertising Association(KOAA),
Outdoor Association of Kolkata(OAA-KOL) and Pune Outdoor Advertising Association (POAA)
along with all advertising agencies can avail services from the IOAA

The Delhi Outdoor Advertisers' Association

(DOAA) currently has more than 25 outdoor
media owners as its members, including
Pioneer Publicity, Adwel Advertising, Selvel Figure 5.10 Indian Outdoor Advertising Association
Media, JCDecaux, Parivartan, Jagran Engage,
Graphisads and Greenline.

4.6.1 Key Out-of-Home advertising companies in India:

Currently the main companies that practice out of home advertising in India are:

• Selvel Media Services

• Time OOH
• Bright Outdoor
• Themediaant
• Capital World Media
• Delhi Outdoor Advertisers Association
• LAQSHYA Ooh media assets and solutions
• SURGE
• DISCOVRI Media group
• Elevator News Network
Source: The Indian Outdoor Advertising Association website
Figure 5.11A few Out-of-Home companies in
India

21
 The Municipal Corporation of Delhi initiated the Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy 2008-
Balancing safety, aesthetics and revenues for public good.
The guideline for advertising in malls in Delhi/NCR is as follows:
“Malls should only be allowed to display advertisement devices pertaining to the product
they are selling or trading in. Such roadside kiosks should not become the centre of publicity
for others”
Source: The Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy 2008-an initiative by Municipal Corporation of Delhi

4.7 The Elevator Advertising

The concept of advertising is fairly popular in India but the scope for it is much greater and it is
not yet utilized to its core. Elevator advertising is a very niche kind of marketing which targets
only a specific audience. The audience which is targeted is mostly the people who travel in an
elevator and the brands which advertise mostly have an outlet or a store in an around the vicinity
of the elevator. The elevator might be in a shopping complex, mall, corporate building,
residential apartments etc. The scope for advertising is limited to the buildings which have a lift
and the brands which can advertise can effectively advertise and target their proposed customers
in a place which is considered generally awkward and boring i.e. the lift or the elevator. The
brands advertising in a lift can benefit the most from this as it can get the consumers attention if
at all the ad is appealing and creative.

An ‘elevator pitch’ our research theme is the short span of time you have, to sell your prospect in
an elevator. The consumer and the advertiser play different roles in different scenarios, to
illustrate in the traditional way the consumer plays the role of the interviewer and the advertiser
is the one who is looking for a job, he only has that short time span to make it or break it in the
mind of the consumer. The time one spends in an elevator might either be the most wasted time
of one’s day or the most awkward moments one may experience. Utilizing this principle we
propose to research the elevator advertising market in India and the effectiveness and growth of
this as a concept; the research will also cover the behaviour of consumers in a lift and shed light
on the concept reactions of digital advertising inside an elevator. This will validate what leads the
brand into the consideration set of the consumer or lead to impulse buying.

The research objective as seen earlier is to find out the consumer behaviour in a lift and the
footfall which may lead to sales in a mall. The concept of elevator advertising if utilized properly
in a mall may generate immediate sales as seen in the west through research. The brands that
advertise in a mall use static means of advertising such as print. Though print advertising is
effective but if the ad is not creative or attractive, the impact might not be as much as desired.

22
The ad must be creative and should have the potential to stand out, thus creating a strong and
long lasting impact on the visitors in an elevator.

4.7.1 Advertising in an Elevator in Malls:

Primarily when consumers go shopping to a mall, they look for schemes/sales, making the
elevator a one stop destination to provide the consumer with the details of all the sales in the
stores. This would not only benefit the consumer but also ensure that the store is visited; as now
the brand has entered the consideration set of the consumer immediately when he enters the mall
through the parking.

4.7.2 Advertising in an Elevator in Corporate Offices:

Consumers use the lift as a means of conveyance in the office; the lift can be a one stop place to
summarize all the offers available in the complex or it can help build the brand in the mind of the
consumer, in any case, benefiting the consumer and the advertiser. It can benefit the employees
as well as the management in various ways such as communicating with the company
employees, clients, notices and advertisements by various brands in and around the building for
their products and services.

4.7.3 Advertising in an Elevator in Residential Complexes:

These days most of the residential complexes have a lift within them; this can be a place to tell
the consumer about the recent offers available in the shopping complexes nearby. E.g. A
housewife may be coming down to go to the big bazaar in a shopping complex in the vicinity and
at the same time an offer is provided to her by reliance store and she instead of going to big
bazaar might go to reliance mega mart.

4.8 The Elevator scenario in India and reasons for growth

India is the second largest market for elevators in the world today after China. The number of
elevators in India is 60,000 units and is growing at a rate of 15% per annum. There are two
primary factors for the growth:

a) Urban migration-many people come to cities each year, given the scarcity of land cities
are growing vertically and a demand for elevators is rising.

b) Prosperity and growing population - As India’s population ages and becomes more
prosperous elevators have started to become standard fixtures in apartment complexes. For every
1,000 people India has 0.16 elevators also, the number of high rises is less as a result of which
the elevators have lower speeds and lesser number of stops. Most lifts travel at 0.6 m

23
per second, high-tech elevators which travel at 7 meters per second constitute less than 5% of the
Indian elevator market. The main purchasers of elevators are the real estate developers, the
infrastructure companies for airports and metros, the malls and the hospitals.
th
*Source: Article name: Elevator market set to zoom. Economic Times Bureau November 18 2013

The demand for space in popular malls like Select Citywalk in Delhi, Ambience in Gurgaon,
Inorbit Mall or High Street Phoenix in Mumbai is so high that brand showrooms are being
resized or reallocated. With so many brands coming into the picture the clutter in the malls has
increased and malls are getting more revenue per square foot of space leased, the pressure to
accommodate new brands has also increased. A number of new brands have currently entered the
market such as Burger King, Fossil, and Brooks Brothers etc. As a result the importance of such
Below the Line advertising has gained pace and the scope for such advertising has increased
th
Source: Article name: Malls make room for brands coming with higher revenue share Economic Times Bureau July 24
2013

4.9 The Benefits of Elevator Advertising

In totality elevator advertising has a large scope in India and is done because of the following
reasons:
 A resident, shopper in a mall or an employee uses the elevator on an average 4 times a
day
 An elevator ride lasts from 15-80 seconds and is an ideal time to advertise
 The time spent in an elevator is exclusive-there are no external factors to distract
 The public inside an elevator looks for sources of information or entertainment as they
have nothing else to do
 The advertising recall rate is considerably higher than traditional media vehicles
 The entire ethos of the brand can be communicated inside an elevator
 Creativity has no bounds for elevator advertising and such campaigns attract the
attention of the user and create a higher retention of the brand
*Source: ELEVATOR ADVERTISING IN INDIA by the Media Ant
Neilson research on elevator advertising as quoted by the Media Ant

In terms of media planning Elevator ads have a higher frequency than reach. As elevators are
in popular places such as malls, business offices and residential complexes it is more likely
that the ads will be viewed more than once hence increasing the frequency manifold.

24
Advertising in an elevator is very versatile, it can be as simple as text or a poster and as large
scale as a complete elevator wrap. The creativity is not bound by just the four walls of an
elevator, it is unlimited.

4.10 Digital in Elevators

Digital screens are very common these days in public spaces; LCD screens in gyms, restaurants,

malls and colleges to name a few. These screens usually

help promotion of products, the television and the
media agency. The digital screens are static in nature
and provide the advertisements in a loop; they usually
provide the daily horoscope or a few jokes.

Digital advertising inside an elevator if implemented can

change the face of out of home advertising. It will not
only affect the people who see the ads but also the
advertisers which will benefit from this in many ways. In
a residential building, the residents or visitors become a
captive audience to the digital elevators upon entering an
elevator. That means a person will be

exposed to the advertisements many times a day. No

other media can deliver the level of repetitive Figure 5.12 Representation of a LCD screen inside
exposure which a digital advertising inside an elevator an elevator

can give. Full and real time control can be provided

over the advertising message which one can display on
the screens. That means if it is a special weekend or a holiday or limited time promotion, the
system can give flexibility to change the advertising accordingly.

Building announcements, maintenance notices, holiday greetings, important announcements;

anything can be displayed by the authorities through elevator displays digitally. Digital elevator
screens include LCD touch displays that allow elevator riders to engage with the interactive
content shown on the screen.

4.10.1 Advantages of Digital Advertising

Even though elevator advertising is a very niche market in India there are several advantages that
digital advertising provides:
 Digital screens are very interactive and can help in interaction with the brand.
 It is a fairly innovative medium for advertising inside an elevator.
 It is not only limited to LCD screens.

25
  It makes the process of communication a two way process with the consumer.
 It is a one stop destination to provide the consumer with information he seeks.
 It can be a medium to entertain the consumers in the lift.
 The awkward moments spent in the lift can become informative moments.

4.10.2 Disadvantages of Digital Advertising

Digital screens have barely found presence in elevators in India, the reasons are as follows:
 Digital screens are very expensive to install, maintain and safeguard
 The consumers might or might not pay attention to the digital screen inside an elevator
 The time spent in an elevator is so small that the consumer will hardly remember what
advertisement he saw
 If audio is played inside an elevator it can be irritating for the user
 If an elevator is crowded the screen might not be visible to some of the users
 The problem of late entries; if a consumer enters after the video has started then he is lost
during the advertisement
 It is difficult to attain the attention of the consumer without audio

4.11 Advertising in Elevators- An Illustration

Launched in 1999, Axe was one of the first companies to start elevator adverting in India. This
campaign was done in 2000 at the Crossroads mall in Mumbai. The creative agency Lowe Lintas
very cleverly used an elevator to advertise their communication strategy; how women can’t keep
their hands of men who use axe. In the advertisement as the doors of the elevator begin closing,
the life-size images of a man and a woman with their backs to one another come into view - the
man on the left-hand door, the woman on the right-hand one. As the doors come together, one
notices that the woman's hand is strategically positioned on the man’s posterior. “The Axe
Effect” Message was the underline. These days in India, elevator door advertising is more
popular than complete elevator branding. Some examples of elevator advertising and branding
are illustrated below:

Figure 5.13These elevator door graphics were designed for the launch of Sprite Xpress and installed across
malls

26
Figure 5.14-Elevator Door Advertising The 3D elevator door graphic was designed and installed for the TV
launch of the movie 'Avatar' on the channel 'Movies Now'

Figure 5.15 Elevator Door advertising-These Elevator door graphics were designed for Wrigley's Canada for their
campaign for Excel Chewing Gum

27
 Figure 5.16“Bald Man” by Sorento Healthcare Communications, Mumbai, India

Figure 5.17 “The Divorce Lift” by GKK Dialogue Group Germany

Figure 5.18 Gold’s Gym by PragmaDDB

28
 Figure 5.19 Oreo by DraftFCB, New York, USA

Figure 5.20 Superman, The Movie: Elevator, JWT, Brazil

Figure 5.21 Swiss Skydive, DDBO, Switzerland

29
 Figure 5.22 Becel: Elevator, Lowe, Istanbul, Turkey

Figure 5.23 The M.A.R.S corporation

Figure 5.24 Coke zero elevator advertisement

30
 Figure 5.25 The Fiat Punto parking sensor Elevator print advertisement

Figure 5.26-Elevator Door Advertising- DLINK

elevator advertisement

Figure 5.27 Volkswagen Elevator Advertisement

31
 Figure 5.28 Gillette elevator branding

Figure 5.29 Elevator Branding for the release of the movie Kill Bill

Figure 5.30 Elevator Branding for Air Asia

32
5.0 Primary Survey Findings across
Segments
5.1 Consumer Survey
The interviews were conducted across all age groups randomly. It was observed that people have
difficulty in recalling the advertising inside elevators and even if they remember the creative they
could not recollect the brand; this trend was noticed across all consumer segments. Thus the
criterion for the fulfillment of the target group was kept only to “if they had seen elevator
advertising” and was at least in a situation to remember the creative if not the brand. The people
interviewed provided some valuable key insights of elevator advertising and threw light on how
this trend is currently in the promising stage and the scope of digital advertising inside elevators.
Following are the issues elaborated and subsequently the conclusions then finally substantiations
are provided across various target groups through verbatim quotes.

5.1.1 Average visits to a mall in a week

Number of mall visits in a week

Number of people

0 to 2 times
15
3 to 4 times

31 More than 4 times

Total Sample:50

Figure 6.1 Number of visits to a mall in a week

33
It is evaluated that most number of people out of the target segments interviewed visit malls at
least twice in a week if not more than 4 times.

5.1.2 Usage of Lifts in Malls

Usage of Elevators in Malls

Number of people
Do not prefer (0 to 1 time)

10
14 Seldom(2 to 3 times)

Frequently(3 to 4 times)
9
Prefer (Greater than 4 times)
17

Total Sample: 50

Figure 6.2 Usage of Elevators in Malls

It is quantified by the survey that on an average people use the lift frequently that is 3-4 times in
a visit to a mall. Some consumers prefer the lift over the escalators or the stair cases. It is also
observed travelling to and from the parking to the mall depends on the position of the parking
space and the availability of escalators near that parking.
34
 5.1.3 Occupation and Gender Wise Awareness of Elevator Advertising

Occupation and Gender Wise Segmentation

20
18
ofpeople

16
14
12
Numbe

10
6
r

4
2
0
Females Males
Students 19 8
Salaried 7 7
Self-employed 2 3
Business 1 2
Others 1 0
Figure 6.3 Occupation and Gender Wise Segmentation of Consumers

It was during the survey that the number of females that recalled seeing elevator advertisements
was much higher than that of males. This trend was seen across all segments interviewed and
thus the sample size is a substantiation of that. The criterion of “Saw elevator advertising” was
mostly filled by women of various age groups. Women are more aware of elevator advertising as
a concept than men.

“Nandos print ad about friendzone in Vasant Kunj, mango ad in promenade, VK and Charles
and Keith ad (a young model in black white smart formal clothes carrying a black and white tote
from Charles and Keith.) in Promenade, Vasant Kunj.”(Female, Student, 23 yrs)

Never paid any attention.(Male, Self-employed, 55yrs)

35
 5.1.4 Category-Wise awareness of Elevator Advertising

Category Wise Awareness of Elevator

Advertisements
Food and Beverage Lifestyle and Clothing Online Others

16%

35%
7%

42%

Total sample: 50 people

Figure 6.3 Category wise awareness of Elevator Advertising

It was noticed through the survey that the majority of the population recalled Lifestyle and
clothing brands and then Food and Beverage brands. Another trend of remembering online
brands was noticed.

People were able to identify the physique of the brand rather than the brand name or the
tagline, but if the advertisement was creative enough the brand had a high recall value.
Recalling the mall in which the advertisement was there did not seem a problem for the
customers who remembered the advertisement.

“Dunkin donuts or Mad over donuts-do not remember which one, two faces laughing and a tall
coffee cup at Promenade in December or November” (Female, Student, 23yrs)

Lifestyle and clothing brands have a high recall due to the offers and promotions in the stores;
they are usually text heavy and not very creative. They generally use elevator ads to advertise
schemes or the launch of a new collection.

36
“Levis- 50% off on selected merchandise, no visual and nothing good to remember a long time
back at Ambi Vasant Kunj” (Female, Salaried, 26yrs)

“Woodland-Woman in a light blue dress promoting a new range of wedges was up for a long
time.”(Female, Student, 21yrs)

Food and Beverage brands also had a high recall value primarily either because of any offer on
going at the restaurant or the creativity of the advertisement itself. The largest chunk of the
awareness of the food and beverage pie was held by the Nando’s advertisement inside the
elevator. This advertisement was recalled due to its distinctive font with the brand name from
11 out of 50 people interviewed.

“Yes, Pirates of the Grill, they had a buffet on offer, MGF Mall, Gurgaon.” (Female,
Self-employed, 25yrs)

“Nandos- good creative ad, the really really really good chicken on the doors of the elevator at
DLF Promenade Vasant Kunj”(Male, Self-employed, 26yrs)

There are only a handful of big online players in India today and there advertisements were
remembered by the customers with the brand names as well, this is primarily because of the
creative and the informative nature of the advertisements.

“Zomato at Ambiance Mall Vasant Kunj asking to sign up or register ,business to

business registration , the creative had a fork with a bright red background”(Male,
Student, 23yrs)

The other category of elevator ads had a good brand recall .The category comprises of real
estate, tours and travels, cinema, theme parks, television channels, Banks , Mobile phone and
miscellaneous advertisements.

“Spray mint- blue box, Copy: Kiss ready ad placed opposite to the buttons “(Male,
Student, 21yrs)

“Yes, colors TV in Kanpur,it was promoting the channel.”(Female, Student , 23yrs)

37
 5.1.5 Consumer Behaviour inside an Elevator

Majority Consumer Behaviour inside a lift

See Mobile Phone Talk with friends Feel awkward Others

16%
35%

30%

19%

Figure 6.5 Majority Consumer Behaviour inside lifts

Majority of the consumers have started using their mobile phones inside lifts and they prefer to
stay aloof from strangers around them. The presence of strangers around them creates an
awkward moment of silence inside a lift and they usually have nothing to do, except wait for
their floor to arrive. Despite the time being spent inside the elevator is less, it is still awkward in
several cases. Consumers also like to stare at the ceiling, read something, and observe the people
around them. These situations present themselves as opportunities for advertisers, in such a
confined place where there is an awkward silence and the devoted attentions of the user,
elevators are actually a very good medium for advertising.

5.1.6 Impact of Elevator Advertising

It is difficult to estimate the reasons for a purchase made by a customer, to funnel down to
elevator advertising being the sole reason for the customer to buy brands is not possible. The
frequency of elevator advertising is large, as the customer at least travels 3 times by the
elevator and always has an opportunity to look at the advertisement but whether the
advertisement had an impact on the consumer is difficult to say.

38
5.1.6.1 Food and Beverage Brands

They usually have elevator advertising either to promote an offer or a new scheme or to
inaugurate the launch of a new store; it is very campaign specific. Elevator ads are also used to
create the culture of the brand inside the confined space so that the brands enter the
consideration set of the consumers. The research finding in the expert surveys throws light on
two methods that can actually quantify the impact of elevator advertising. Creativity plays a
very important role in elevator advertising; the creative is the reason for the recollection of the
brand which might lead to sales. Visuals play an important role here, even if the advertisement
is text heavy if the font used is unique it will be identifiable everywhere. Even if the elevator
advertising is not the sole reason for sales, it is still a collective effort of all the branding done
by the company. It ensures the reiteration of that effort and if the advertisement is creative
enough, it might just help to facilitate a transaction.

5.1.6.2 Lifestyle and clothing brands

The lifestyle and clothing brands usually advertise to promote a sale, an ongoing offer and to
showcase themselves as premium brands. It is also showcase their new collection. The
advertisements that fall into this category are more informative than the food and beverage
category and that is why the recall of this category is greater. The use of visuals is limited to
putting up of a model wearing the brand to the simple logo of the brand to heavy text all used to
inform the public at large about the sale or promotion. The sales are definitely checked out by
the women at large and even the men. Customers are on the lookout for better deals and prices
always, so the sale and informative advertising is welcome by customers of all segments. If the
visuals are used correctly they may portray the brand as premium.

It has also come to light through the survey that customers get irritated with generic fonts the
brands use, also the creative inside the elevator should be in tandem with the ethos of the brand;
just putting up a model with clothes on might not have any impact on the customer. It is also
noteworthy that a sale on clothing brands is always checked upon by a customer

5.1.6.3 Online brands

The handful of online brands is these days trying to tap into the potential of Below the Line
advertising in an offline space. Various brands that do elevator adverting were recollected and their
call to action is very simple and that is the reason why the impact of these advertisements is good as
compared to the rest of the brands. The elevator is one such time that has the users devoted attention
just before he is going shopping. Online brands advertise in the elevators and showcase their product
line or offers/schemes available, this re-iterates the consumer to either go and log on to their website
and register or before buying any product offline they should log on and check the products and the
best prices available at the online store.
online brands to jump back into the consideration set of the consumers. A recent trend has also
come to light with online brands; this is elaborated upon in the analysis of the expert interviews.

The research has actually shown that consumers shifting online these days actually implement
the call to action by the advertisements of online brands in the offline space.

5.1.6.4 Other miscellaneous brands

In the other brands category, movie advertisements had a high recall. The movie advertised
through a poster actually entered the consideration set of the consumers and involved them.
Again, it depends on the creative of the advertisement; how well it can relate to the consumers.
Advertising for cinema halls and television channels also work for the benefit of the brands in
consideration. At least they can facilitate creation of an image of the brand in the mind of the
consumer. When Colours channel started to do elevator advertising, it was portrayed as a new
and progressive Hindi entertainment channel, which did wonders for the brand.

5.1.7 Innovation inside Elevators

Innovation inside an elevator

MAYBE NO YES

14%

50%
36%

Figure 6.6 Want of an Innovation inside elevators by consumers

41
Half of the sample size interviewed wanted some sort of entertainment or innovation inside
elevators. The elevator travelling time is seen as boring and a waste of time where the
consumers have nothing to do but to wait for their floor to arrive. This time according to the
consumers can be utilized by the following::

 Seeing short videos of

brands
 Listening to music
 Knowing more about the mall
 Information regarding the shop
locations

 Offers available at various stores

 Read something
informative o News and
Weather updates

The majority of responses were the need of a summary of offers and shop locations as it would
actually save the time of the consumers and provide them with valuable information about the
various brands. This way, even brands can benefit.

The reasons for saying no were as follows:

 Too short duration of time inside the lift

 Already surrounded by advertisements
everywhere o Do not need entertainment
everywhere
 The few seconds of piece will be full of
noise o Elevators already too crowded

42
 5.1.8 Informative Digital innovation inside Elevators

Want for a DIGITAL INNOVATION

MAYBE NO YES

6%

26%

68%

Figure 6.7 Want of a digital innovation inside elevators by consumers

The responses took a turn here, when struck by the digital innovation; in terms of a television
screen that provides all the information regarding shop locations and offers available in a
summary, the majority of the consumers shifted their responses from No and Maybe to a Yes.
Digital OOH is in the emerging stage in India, an innovative idea was accepted by the
consumers, this pull by the consumers for digital inside elevators was put up to the mall and
Out-Of-Home media agencies and their perspectives have been substantiated in the Expert
analysis Digital part.

43
5.2 Expert Survey

5.2.1 Key Players involved for elevator branding

The process of elevator advertising is very simple and is illustrated by the following diagram.

Brands need to
advertise

In house vendors Approach Malls for

approached permission and
availability

Creative
Agency/OOH
agencies approached
to give face to the
campaign

Figure 6.8 Key players involved in Elevator Advertising

5.2.2 Key player wise process of Advertising inside an elevator

5.2.2.1 Brands that Advertise inside elevators

The process is very simple; various brands run various campaigns across months for which they
select a media mix inside the malls. Depending on the campaign, availability of panels and the
footfall of that elevator, elevators are chosen. Various malls allot various parts of the elevator.
E.g. DLF promenade has branding outside and inside the elevator whereas Ambience Mall
allows advertising only on the front doors of the elevator. A vendor company is allotted the
spaces inside the mall. This company has to be approached for the pasting of the vinyl which is
made by the creative agency of the Brand; they give the face to the campaign of the brands. A
Memorandum of Understanding is created between the Brand and the Mall management. It is
either done to drive footfalls to the store or to inform the customers at large of a scheme or

44
promotion taking place. Malls also advertise themselves in elevators according to their
campaign.

“It is very simple. I have my advertisement inside the elevator. To have that I need a
creative.Who makes my creative for me? In case of Nando’s we have an outsourced marketing
agency called Sanchi. Now I have my creative from Sanchi. Usually in the malls, for example in
Promenade, there is a company which the mall has engaged called CMYK. Now I send CMYK’s
guy Ankit the creative and he can only put it up at night between 10pm-10am, when the mall is
shut. Then you have to take permission from the mall authorities which have to be submitted in
the board of control room. Their boys will come at night and put it up. Done! These ads are
made specifically for the elevator after our media agency recommends it. You need a size. We
send the size to our creative and then he makes an open file which is huge and sends it to
me.”(Marketing head, Nando’s, Delhi)

5.2.2.2 Malls that allow elevator Advertising

Malls lease out the space they have either to the vendors in the malls or to the brands that wish to
advertise in elevators. Availability has to be checked for and pre-booking of this space is done;
bookings are for a month or two months and so on. The cost varies according to that. It depends
what they lease out from mall to mall. E.g. Promenade leases out the inside as well as the outside
of the elevator for branding and Ambience mall leases out only the front of the elevator doors for
advertising; the inside of the elevators are reserved for them to advertise. Elevator branding is
taken in conjunction with other media inside the mall like pillars standees and escalator
branding; this is a package that is taken up by them. Payments are made through a Demand Draft
and cash, this happens only when the MOU has been signed.

“So many brands are there, rest most of all they want to highlight their offers, they come to the
mall authorities a MOU is signed Firstly the Cost is given MOU is done the signatories, the
address contact details locations of the advertising payments are accepted through the DD and
cash.”(Marketing head, Ambiance Mall, Delhi)

5.2.2.3 Out-of- Home Agencies and Creative Agencies

Out-of-Home agencies are the ones that suggest elevator advertising to their clients, which is the
brand that wants to advertise. This is also dependent on the type of Campaign that the brand is
undertaking and according to their communication strategy. The OOH agency has to suggest
various cost effective formats to them, but there is a resistance by clients to do elevator branding
mainly due to the creative of the company splitting into two. The brands that ask for elevator
advertising usually find it very cost effective in nature .The size of the elevator ads is provided to
the creative agency by the Out-Of-Home agency and then the vendors come

45
into play. The creative agency is responsible for giving a face to the brand, the brand’s picture,
size and the campaign and the creative agency gives it life. The elevator advertising is still in its
embryonic stage in India, and no such great innovation has been seen through the years. The
requirements are tried to be met by the media agency in the pitch.

“There is static advertising in the elevators, vinyl are pasted it is as per the clients requirement,
according to their communication strategy. We have to recommend them different formats , we
have to tell them something that is very cost effective but mostly there is a resistance from the
clients toward elevator advertising, because when the door opens the logo gets cut or their
creative get cut so that is a big issue for them as the parts separate, clients don’t appreciate it at
all ,in elevator advertising it is plain pasting of the vinyl which normally comes as package, if
clients are buying media in a mall then it comes with that package. The size is given by us to the
creative agency.”(CEO, Lakshya Media Private Limited, Delhi)

“Whatever is in the mind of the marketing head for the campaign is given a face to by the design
team and makes it virtually, the vendors for printing depending on what you want like suppose
3D ad printing or the vinyl pasting depending on that the vendor changes, not everyone does
3D, it is at an initial stage and some people don’t want to even do it”. (Marketing head, Krispy
Kreme, Delhi)

5.2.2.4 Vendors

The vendors are contacted after mall authorities have given the slot for the elevator ads and they
are put up by the vendors; the vendors also suggest to the brands where the ads should be put up
inside the mall. The vendors are responsible for putting up the ad and the maintenance of the ads
inside there. There functioning times are between 10 P.M. to 10 A.M. Any maintenance issue can
only be resolved only during this time frame. The vendors are leased out the entire space of the
mall and they deal directly with the brands and give a certain predefined rent to the mall
authorities.

“It depends on location to location, every premise is different. More than 3 floors you need an
elevator, different places have different processes for example: DLF promenade-the mall
management they sell the space inside and outside the elevator for a month to us.”(Vendor
agency-CMYK manager, DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi)

“Now I send CMYK’s guy Ankit the creative and he can only put it up at night between 10pm-
10am, when the mall is shut. Then you have to take permission from the mall authorities which
have to be submitted in the board of control room.” (Marketing head, Nandos, Delhi)

46
 5.2.3 Costs for elevator advertising

Costs for advertising inside elevators depend on the Mall and Elevator location both. If the mall
is popular the costs are higher and if the elevator has more footfalls then the cost of that is also
higher. The cost also varies according to the panel on which the advertisement has to be put. The
front door is the most expensive and the back panel is the least expensive primarily because
consumers have their back toward it; the side panels also have lesser cost as compared to the
front door because if the elevator is crowded the side panels get covered up. The reason for the
costs of the front door being higher is because on an average the time spent by the customer is
more outside the elevator rather than inside. This is because the mall is usually crowded and the
person has to wait outside the elevator for a longer duration of time as compared to the time he
spends inside the crowded elevator.

The costs can be anything between Rs. 15,000 to 50,000 again depending on the Mall and
elevator location. It is higher because of a large volume of brands present inside the mall and
there is always a need for elevator advertising.

Printing costs are also very large as it has to be printed on vinyl to be stuck on the aluminum
doors for the panels and on hard board for the back wooden panel. The sizes of these differ and
hence the cost also differs.

“The cost depends on the mall location, not popular malls even get it for 20,000 just the
doorsand for popular malls it can go up to a 50,000 per month. “(CEO, Lakshya Media Private
Limited, Delhi)

“The price varies according to the location of the elevator, an elevator with higher footfalls
and more visibility has a higher cost and the ones with less usage has the least cost. The prices
I cannot disclose, sorry. .”(Marketing head, Ambiance Mall, Delhi)

“The costs are crazy. Krispy Kreme is dealing at airports or at malls. Generally malls and
airports they have put their areas on sale, otherwise they have a third party vendors which deal
directly with the clients and money is taken directly from the vendors on a monthly basis by the
mall authorities so they basically lease this space out and that is why the costs are high plus the
printing cost, depending on what you are printing 10k to 50 k anything between that just for the
printing ”.(Marketing head , Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

“The importance and the price is different, the material is used for this are also different; the
back of the elevator has sun board and the front and inside panels have the vinyl stuck onto
the.”(Vendor agency-CMYK manager, DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi)

47
 5.2.4 Importance of elevator advertising

The importance of elevator advertising is manifold. It is taken up as a part of the media mix at
the time of sales or promotion. It is also done when big campaigns are run by the brands or the
mall itself. Elevator is an important part due to the visibility of ads, lifts next to the parking
spaces or near prominent restaurants get the most footfalls; hence it is a good deal to advertise
there. People have nothing to do while they stand and wait for an elevator or when they are
travelling inside it. A good 1-2 minutes are spent waiting and travelling inside the elevator to go
up and down the mall premises so it is a good place to advertise, for better retention and to make
it top of mind. Advertising of Food and beverage makes more sense as they are building the
brand for clothing and lifestyle brands. It is more of providing information rather than brand
promotion; it is more to advertise the sales at these stores rather than anything else. The
importance of this medium is also substantiated by the fact that there are a few ads always there
on or inside the elevators.

With multiple new brand stores opening up and several others present, it is an important medium
for advertising in the array of different media present inside a mall. Each brand has the liberty of
choosing what it wants

“They do it majorly during the time of sales or promotion or running a big campaign. If they
want to highlight their offers and promotions done according to visibility, even in the parking
there are some elevators that are much closer to the most used parking space, according to
that. Moreover people go and stand in front of the elevator, they have time to read the ad,
otherwise they keep on roaming around and walk into stores and everything, but when they
stand there they wait for the elevator and have nothing to do so it is a good place to advertise,
so good 1 or 2 minutes are spent there.”(Marketing head, Ambience Mall, Delhi)

“From that perspective and to make that brand top of mind. To think about it; It could be that
you are doing a sale at that particular time and maybe the elevator is not available, some other
medium is available at that time. Each brand can choose as they want.”(Marketing head, DLF
Promenade, Delhi)

For brands importance of elevator advertising depends on the following four factors:

5.2.4.1 Location of the Mall and the Elevator:

The elevator advertising is only considered when the location of the mall is such, that it has a
large footfall and is popular. The next important thing is the placement of the lifts and the
escalators.

48
 – In Promenade, Vasant Kunj, the lifts are strategically located from the parking.Moreover
the mall has 3 floors and to travel a large vertical distance the lift is taken
most often so it is important to advertise inside and outside the elevators over there.
– In Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, the placement of elevators is such that they are leadingto
the washroom lobby so people who do not even use the elevators have a chance to see
the advertisements on the front of the door and even people standing in the atrium can
see the advertisements on the door, so the visibility of these doors is very large and
so advertising on these doors is crucial.
– In Select Citywalk, Saket, the elevators are placed in such a way that a person mostlyuses
them to go to and fro the parking, but to travel in the mall people generally use the
escalators.

“Also depends on the location at you are at ; In select city walk you can’t do much of
elevator branding but promenade you have to travel a lot in the lift it is a tall mall so. Where
more footfall is coming it plays a very important role and the strategic position is decided on
that basis. It is very campaign specific and also depends where your store is located in the
mall. “(Marketing head, Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

It is also important to decide which elevator to use for advertising and which elevator to not,
usually the footfalls in a particular elevator are seen and accordingly the prices are set; higher for
an elevator with more footfall and lower for the others. Even though there is no means of finding
the right target group but it is based on a more gut feeling than anything else. Obviously the
service lifts are the ones used by the vendors that come to the mall, so they will not be invested
upon by the brands, after selecting the right lift it is decided which panel should be used for
advertising and how many elevators should be covered by the brand.

“Every mall has service elevator so nobody advertises in that because that is not the right
clientele is getting into it. It may be used frequently but I don’t have to advertise in the service
elevator. They are not my TG. So obviously you will use the customer elevator and then it is
dependent on which elevators you want. There would be some where you would feel there is
more traffic (it’s more sensible to advertise in it). It’s more frequently used. As a brand you can
decide you want 1 or 5.”(Marketing head, DLF Promenade, Delhi)

49
5.2.4.2 The budget

The budget plays the most important factor. Usually what companies do is that they invest the
allotted budget for advertising throughout the area of the mall. They use multiple formats to do
advertising inside a mall and usually don’t prefer to stay focused on one area. What they try to
achieve is a more broad reach rather than focused targeting. The budget is the main reason for
the creativity; if the budget permits the creativity can have no limits.

“The first thing is the budget, mall has 10 places to do it, advise is taken from the vendor to
understand what is it that a customer does when inside a mall, where does he stand, or wait,
where does he come from and where does he spend time the most..”(Venor agency-CMYK
manager, DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi)

“Again it is the budget that determine and then the campaign it hold example. Krispy Kreme had
budget so it can even do a superman ad , so that would be taking 2 spots in the elevator or take
one spot if I have half the budget, it is at a very initial stage, otherwise L’Oreal can convert it
into a make-up room or Krispy Kreme can turn the elevator into a 3D small donut , all that can
be done but if the budget permits “(Marketing head , Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

“Even when you talk of mall branding you would like to get as number of spaces as possible so
companies tend to distribute the budget and rather cover more area than focus on a particular
spot, if there are 4 entrances/elevators it would be better to have something on all 4 rather than
just 1” (Marketing head , Nando’s, Delhi)

5.2.4.3 The deal with the mall authorities

The elevators are leased out on a month to month basis and they might come as a package deal
for the brands. Example: If a new brand is launching then it needs to create its awareness then
elevator branding is a must in this deal. This is done in accordance
with the budget and the profit and losses of the brand in
consideration.

Not seasonal. It depends on the deal we crack with them. we may take
it for 4-5 months then give it a break and do it again. If you are in a
mall you need your presence and there are a lot of brands so
depending on availability. Have to evaluate whether it is needed at the
moment or not. Evaluate the profit and losses at the restaurant and the
marketing budget also.(Marketing head ,Nando’s, Delhi)

Figure 6.9 The Nando’s vegetarian campaign

50
5.2.4.4 The campaign

The campaign is the most important part of the decision to consider elevator advertising; the
creative is made according to the campaign that is going to be run. The campaigns can be
dedicated to driving the brands to the store or they can facilitate brand building. Lifestyle and
Fashion brands advertise in elevators according to the sale they have at their stores

Nando’s advertises its campaigns or something generic.

Like what we are doing at that time. So far it has always
been a campaign. You will see any ad of Nando’s and see
the huge banners and they will all talk about the same
thing whether it’s in the lift or escalator. Currently
‘Nando’s for friends’ is the campaign for the next 3
months. (Marketing head , Nando’s, Delhi)

“Depends on the campaign primarily, like Krispy Kreme

haddone a launching campaign to drive the sales and now
in the month of Feb we are doing a valentine day
campaign , like valentine donuts are here“(Marketing
head , Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

Kingdom of dreams helps to create an environment and

promote itself as the premium amusement destination
Figure 6.10 Krispy Kreme’s Valentine’s Day
campaign

Advertisement
through its front door
elevator
advertisement

“Kingdom of dreams
advertising on elevator is a type
of premium ‘appughar’, after
reading it many times. To create
a picture of KOD in the mind of
the consumer, to create an
environment also ” (Vendor
agency-CMYK manager, DLF
Promenade and Emporio,
Delhi)

Promenade itself finds it

important to advertise themselves
 in their own mall. It is used to
running two parallel campaigns
Figure 6.11 Kingdom Of Dreams Campaign Figure 6.12 Promenade Brand Campaign

51
in the mall; this is done to inform the user of the current happenings in the mall or to showcase
itself as a premium fashion brand for women, another campaign my promenade is done to
showcase the variety of brands available in the mall Different campaigns depict the mall in
different light.

If you read the ads you know there are 2 different ways that we advertise. One is for the
promotion that we are running e.g. in December we were running a Christmas promotion. It
talks about that promotion like this is how the promotion is. What you can do or get. We talk
about what’s happening in the mall. So if someone does not know what promenade is doing this
is a way to tell them. The other thing is there are certain campaigns where you would have seen
a girl wearing a dress or skirt then we have got the brand’s name over there to show you that we
have these brands that are available in Promenade because we are a fashion mall dedicated to
women. (Marketing head, DLF Promenade, Delhi)

5.2.5 Measuring Effectiveness of Elevator Advertising

It came out through the research that on an average a person spends more time outside the
elevator waiting for the lift rather than inside the lift. That is why Brands prefer advertising on
the front doors of the elevators where the customers wait for the lift to arrive; here he has ample
time to read any advertisement as he has free time on his hands. The inside of the front door is
also prominent more than the back and side panels because they get hidden when the lift is
crowded.

“The outside space is more important, because the customer stays there more, at least the
customer has to wait to one to two minutes after pressing the button for the lift usually on
weekends its 1-2 minutes and he can read the ad he has more time. The inside of the door is also
prominent, the back is hidden so not so prominent if a crowd is there and same for the sides as
well” (Vendor agency-CMYK manager, DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi)

It is very difficult to actually quantify the effectiveness of elevator branding, neither can it be
estimated that from which elevator the target group is actually coming from. Through the survey
two prominent ways of measuring the effectiveness of elevator advertising were found:

5.2.5.1 Secret Code Method:

In this method usually a secret code is placed on the advertisement inside the elevator with a call
to action of going and giving the secret code to the store to avail a discount. This method can
actually estimate how many people view the elevator advertisement and also different codes can
be placed on different elevators and the efficiency of each elevator can be measured. This is a
very effective method which is rarely used unless a promotional offer is going on.

52
“We are not sure where our Target group is coming from ,this can be resolved by writing a secret
code on these ads which the consumer can actually come and tell us at the store the code and
different lifts can have different codes and then the effectiveness of each elevator can be
measured.”(Marketing head, Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

5.2.5.2 The Feedback form method:

Currently in application by Nando’s, the feedback form has a

section “Where did you hear about Nando’s?” it has an option
of Mall branding and specifically what in mall branding. This
method can also quantify the effectiveness of elevator
branding but the utility might get lost if the customer does
not remember what specifically he/she saw in Mall branding.

“In nando’s on our feedback form we have a question “how

did you hear about us?” and “What was the last medium you
saw about us?” Elevator falls into the ‘others’ category. But
in the

cards most people don’t write that.“(Marketing head,

Nando’s, Delhi)

53
Figure 6.13 Feedback form of Nand
5.2.8 Limitations faced by Elevator Advertising

5.2.8.1 Low Awareness and Understanding by Key Players

At least in North India the elevator advertising is at a nascent stage. The companies do not
understand how it will be done and the vendors do not understand what has to done and how
it can be done in an interactive way. Not many vendors do 3D printing if any brands want it at
all. Due to all these factors the number of options available drops considerably and here the
creativity suffers. Moreover the costs are very high and a large number of restrictions are levied
on the client, which in turn pushes them to opt for other alternatives even if the budget allows
them to do something unique.

“Not many options, creativity is low because of that. Now if DLF is not providing me with the
space I want in a Mall then how can I go about doing something creative, that is why the options
are low, or like a TV inside an elevator. They charge you whatever you want to, they will charge
you 3Lakh for an elevator branding, the brand can go out and get a big hoarding for that
much”.(Marketing Head, Krispy Kreme ,Delhi)

5.2.8.2 No Research done

There is no research done on where the likely target group is coming from, all that malls do is
give a number like 10,000 to the clients to tell them that which elevator has maximum footfall in
a day. Therefore the targeting of elevator branding remains unfocused. The techniques mentioned
earlier for measuring the effectiveness of Elevator Advertising are rarely implemented.

“What malls do is give us a number that see these many people come from this lift and these
many come from this lift like 10 k or something and we are
not sure where our Target group is coming from.”.
(Marketing Head, Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

5.2.8.3 Splitting of the creative

great challenge for elevator
The most popular space for advertising is on the front door of advertising as a whole, unless
the elevator where the customer n waits, there are several there is a logo like that of
brands that have a problem with this; their logo if on the front LIC(Life Insurance
door will get split into two parts when the elevator doors open, Corporation) the brands prefer
therefore there is a huge resistance to elevator advertising not to go for elevator
throughout. Several foreign brands like Girgio Armani and advertising.
Bebe have their creative made abroad and the mandatories are
that the logos and the models should not get split. This poses a

54
“When the door opens the logo gets cut or their creative get cut so that is a big issue for them as
the parts separate, clients don’t appreciate it at all .Unless you have logos like LIC where the
hand comes together, and this a medium that has not been utilized to the optimum, if you do
something innovative definitely people will recall it. But as of now we haven’t seen any such
great innovation in elevator advertising” (CEO, Lakshya Media Private Limited, Delhi)

5.2.8.5 The challenges with the format

The format of elevator advertising also poses a challenge for the creative agency at work.
Increase in font is not possible because the size is always an issue as a person standing a foot
away from the ad can only view till his eye level that would actually be not even half of the
advertisement inside the elevator, so the complete message is not got across through this medium
unless the creative is such. This pushes brands to opt for other mall branding options that can get
their complete message across.

“Brands don’t prefer the splitting of their logo on the front door and that poses a big challenge
.The format the largeness of the format is not possible because the size is always an issue also
you are able to view only 50% of the ad, what is on the bottom of the ad is difficult to fathom.
You are standing and are able to only view till your eye level and read that part and the bottom
goes unnoticed, whereas if you put up a signage inside the mall then somebody standing even
close can view the entire thing what is there? They can view the complete creative”. (CEO,
Lakshya Media Private Limited, Delhi)

5.2.8.5 The lack of Innovation

Innovation in design can actually overcome these difficulties but then Elevator advertising is a
small but significant share of the total mall branding pie, elevator advertising is currently not
utilized to the optimum. Though in popular malls the scheduling for elevator advertising runs in
a 6 month advance and there is not a single day that elevators go unbranded.

“Since the past 5 years there has not been a single day that the elevator doors have gone empty
or there has been no advertising on or inside the elevators.Once the trend of innovation in
creativity picks up, elevator advertising will become more sought after than any other mall
branding.”(Vendor agency-CMYK manager, DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi)

No great campaigns have come up in the past barring a few primarily because of these reasons.

”If you do something innovative definitely people will recall it. But as of now we haven’t seen
any such great innovation in elevator advertising””. (CEO, Lakshya Media Private Limited,
Delhi)

55
 5.2.9 Scope of Digital in Elevator Advertising

Digital as of now has not found its hold in elevator advertising and elevator advertising
itself being in a nascent stage, getting it to become digital is a far of prospect. The prospect
of a digital screen inside an elevator is a demand that is from the consumers, but the actual
feasibility is in question for the following reasons:

 Cost- The proposed digital concept will actually cost a lot of investment
 Space-The space available inside the elevators is already less due to the
mammoth amount of population that gets inside
 Vandalism- Various kinds of people enter the elevator during various
times of the day, and vandalism poses a serious threat. Though it can be curbed
by using security guards inside the lifts, but that would just increase the
investment and reduce the space further
 Viability-Brands are willing to work with any new medium given to
them, they always have lack of options when it comes to mall branding. Digital if
introduced will make a lot of difference and can actually help the brand
communicate its message clearly to a devoted user.If something like this is
offered then brands would definitely opt for it, as they will only use those 10-20
seconds to communicate effectively.
 Acceptance- Digital has not yet settled in India and is very new, the
problem will be acceptance of this new digital medium inside the elevators

“Digital will make a lot of difference, because you are maximum there for 10
seconds and it matters how much information I can provide my consumers
clearly ion that duration of time and what visual aid used is most important as
well Vandalism can be tackled it depends on situation to situation. Like
promenade doesn’t have an attendant and Ambiance has an attendant so this can
be tackled. ” (Marketing head, Krispy Kreme, Delhi)

“Digital screen operation is difficult, vandalism is a big problem. Spend money

on the screen there is nobody to take care, scratches and chewing gums are big
issues. If vandalism is tackled and screens are actually put up, it can do
wonders. It can be put outside only; digital agencies have started doing it.
Acceptability is not there in India so much. China is great for digital; some
difference is there and something new to look forward to it. People don’t have
many patients to stand and see the screens”. (CEO, Lakshya Media Private
Limited, Delhi)

56
 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

After interviews with various segments the following recommendations were

corroborated:

 As creativity is the sole reason for retention of elevator advertising, innovation

in the creativity of elevator advertisements is needed. If this is done elevator advertising
 will become the most sought after medium for mall branding.

 The impact of elevator advertisements by online brands is large, so this can be

a medium for online brands to do “Below the Line” advertising for greater retention by
the consumers.
 To quantify the effectiveness of elevator advertising, instead of using a more gut
feeling approach, two methods are recommended: the secret code method and the
feedback method. By using these methods, effectiveness of different elevators can also be
measured and the right audience can be targeted by using these methods.

 On an average, a person spends more time outside the elevator waiting for the
elevator to arrive; therefore advertising on the front door of the elevator has the highest
cost. Informative digital advertising can be implemented above or beside the front doors
as this would not only help in interaction with the brand but also retention of the brand in
the consumers mind.
 Creativity is the driver that can overcome the challenges faced due of the format of
elevator advertising.

 Vandalism is a big issue that pushes brands away from advertising inside
elevators. If provisions are made to tackle this vandalism then digital advertising
innovations can be implemented inside the elevator as well. This can do wonders for the
brands in consideration.

 Brands inside malls are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to
advertise and are ready to work with any medium given to them by the mall. Digital
would not only be an acceptable but a welcome change from all the existing monotonous
mall branding.

 There is a dearth of innovative mall branding options due to the restrictions

imposed by the Memorandum of Understanding between the mall authorities and the
clients and that is the sole reason why creativity suffers. It is recommended that the
restrictions imposed must be reduced, so that creativity juices can flow freely.

57
 7.0 Annexure
7.1 Questionnaires of consumers

Questionnaire
Name : …………………………………………………… Age :…………….
Sex :……………
Email ID : ……………………………………… Location :……………………………
Date :………../………/…………. Time :…………………..

Occupation : Student Salaried Self-employed

Business Others
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ques. 1 How many times do you visit malls ?

0-2 times 3-4 times more than 4 times

Ques. 2 How many times do you travel in a lift when inside a mall ?
0-1 time 2-3 times 3-4 times
more than 4 times

Ques. 3 Have you seen any advertising inside an elevator?

Yes No
(if yes, please specify which one )………………………………………..

Ques. 4 While you wait for your floor, what do you do inside an
elevator?
See mobile phone talk to friends feel awkward

others

Ques. 5 Would it be better for you if you had something to do inside

an elevator?
Yes No Maybe
Ques. 6 Would you be interested if an interactive LCD display is
installed inside an elevator?
Yes No Maybe

Ques. 7 Would you be interested if information regarding the mall

( shops, locations, offers) would be provided inside an elevator?

Yes No Maybe

58
 7.1.2 For Brands that advertise in elevators

Questionnaire
BRAND: Krispy Kreme
Name: Amiteshwari Age: 35 Sex: Male Phone:+919717628163
Position: Marketing Head Delhi/NCR

1. What is the process of advertising inside an elevator?

Basically when u start with a campaign, the management and marketing people, Random are less, depend
on the campaign and what you want to achieve from your advertising for example Krispy Kreme is
currently running an informative ad campaign which is product centric and then others drive footfalls,
example: India specially North is at a very nascent stage there is not a lot that you can do because first of
all the companies don’t understand how it will be done and second the vendors the parties on the other
end they don’t understand what all can be done how it can be done or how it can be made interactive and
all, example: to drive footfalls to the stores , it is to be found out how are the people coming to my store
i.e. from which lift works better for this.

2. Who are the key players involved in this process?

There are different ways to go about elevator advertising the main people involved are the companies that
want to do this the marketing manager along with the design team who give a face to the campaign
example: products selling , how can this product be sold by what means ,whatever is in the mind of the
marketing head is given a face to by the design team and makes it virtually, the vendors for printing
depending on what you want like suppose 3D ad printing or the vinyl pasting depending on that the
vendor changes ,not everyone does 3D ,it is at an initial stage and some people don’t want to even do
it.Not such a big part in advertising mall per say but see for F and B brands it can play a huge role the
clothing and retail it is more or less informative ads for sales and promotion

3. What are the costs involved in this process?

The costs are crazy. Krispy Kreme is dealing at airports or at malls. Generally malls and airports they
have put their areas on sale, otherwise they have a third party vendors which deal directly with the clients
and money is taken directly from the vendors on a monthly basis by the mall authorities so they basically
lease this space out and that is why the costs are high plus the printing cost, depending on what you are
printing 10k to 50 k anything between that just for the printing

4. How is the effectiveness of elevator advertising measured?

Secret code, the xl sheet you cannot get that you need in the end, even measures like the feedback form
are not worth it. The option is very broad like “Where did you see the nandos ad?” the consumer would
tick “Mall branding” that is actually too broad and a definitive answer cannot be reached and bigger brand
stake more than one location to advertise so that is usually not measureable. What malls do is

59
give us a number that see these many people come from this lift and these many come from this lift like
10 k or something and we are not sure where our Target group is coming from ,this can be resolved by
writing a secret code on these ads which the consumer can actually come and tell us at the store the code
and different lifts can have different codes and then the effectiveness of each elevator can be measured .

5. How do you decide what to put as an advertisement inside an elevator?

Again it is the budget that determine and then the campaign it hold eg. Krispy Kreme had budget so it can
even do a superman ad, so that would be taking 2 spots in the elevator or take one spot if I have half the
budget, it is at a very initial stage, otherwise L’Oreal can convert it into a makeup room or Krispy Kreme
can turn the elevator into a 3D small donut, all that can be done but if the budget permits

6. How often do you advertise in an elevator? Why? Is it season/occasion specific?

Depends on the campaign primarily, like Krispy Kreme had done a launching campaign to drive the sales
and now in the month of Feb we are doing a valentine day campaign, like valentine donuts are here
.Also depends on the location at you are at for example: In select city walk you can’t do much of elevator
branding but promenade you have to travel a lot in the lift it is a tall mall so. Where more footfall is
coming from plays a very important role and the strategic position is decided on that basis. It is very
campaign specific and also depends where your store is located in the mall.

7. What impact does elevator advertising have on your brand? Why?

Even when you talk of mall branding you would like to get as number of spaces as possible so companies
tend to distribute the budget and rather cover more area than focus on a particular spot, if there are 4
entrances/elevators it would be better to have something on all 4 rather than just 1

8. What are the limitations involved in advertising inside an elevator?

Not many options, creativity is low because of that. Now if DLF is not providing me with the space I
want in a Mall then how can I go about doing something creative, that is why the options are low, or like a
TV inside an elevator. They charge you whatever you want to, they will charge you 3Lakh for an elevator
branding; the brand can go out and get a big hoarding for that much

9. What is the scope of Digital in Elevators?

Digital will make a lot of difference, because you are maximum there for 10 seconds and it matters how
much information I can provide my consumers clearly ion that duration of time and what visual aid used
is most important as well Vandalism can be tackled it depends on situation to situation. Like promenade
doesn’t have an attendant and Ambiance has an attendant so this can be tackled.

60
 7.1.3 Malls that allow advertising in elevators
Questionnaire

Name of Mall: Promenade Vasant Kunj

Name: Sonali Sex: Female Phone: +918860759393
Designation: Marketing Manager
1. What is the process of advertising inside an elevator? How does it work?

The process is quite simple. I mean the brand that would like to advertise through this medium of
branding would have to check for availability because obviously especially this particular mall has 150
brands. The space is not always available. One always has to check for availability. So if its available then
we will give them the branding and also it depends. There could be a cost attached to it or there may not
be a cost attached. So it basically depends on the brand. It could be something that is done from a support
perspective. It could be that a new brand is opening and as a mall we would give them certain support. So
it would be free of cost at a point like that or it could be on a chargeable basis because there are so many
brands in the mall.

2. What is the cost for advertising inside an elevator?

Rs. 50,000/- per month per panel

3. How frequently do brands want to advertise in the lift?

See, we don’t get involved in OOH. We are not taking care of any OOH media. For us everything is in
the mall. Whether it is on the walls or the pillars. So whatever comes in the mall. They don’t need to
come to us and discuss what they want to do in the mall itself. I mean it’s done in different times in the
elevator. Like if today it maybe nando’s, next could be Colour Bar or something. So every month the
branding will change depending on the brand who has taken it. Like there are 150 brands, 12 months in a
year (so it gets really crowded).

4. In your perspective does it inspire the consumer?

Definitely, for branding (and the retention) because the point is that you have to get into the elevator to
go up and down in the mall. So once you are inside you have nothing else to do than to look at the ads.
From that perspective and to make that brand top of mind. To think about it.

5. What are the guidelines for advertising inside the elevator?

See the branding is available on the front door, inside door once the door shuts and the side panels. It is
dependent on you as a brand (so every elevator is allotted to a brand or they will pitch for what door they
want). They will ask me whichever one they want. Today you are pantaloons for e.g. like you said. You
may come to me and want to advertise in the elevator. You have to decide how many elevators they want,
1 or 2 or all. You can also say if you want inside right hand side panel. So then depending on availability
you will get it. We don’t tell brands to take this or that. It depends.

61
 6. How to brands decide which elevator to brand?

Every mall has service elevator so nobody advertises in that because that is not the right clientele is
getting into it. It may be used frequently but I don’t have to advertise in the service elevator. They are
not my TG. So obviously you will use the customer elevator and then it is dependent on which elevators
you want. There would be some where you would feel there is more traffic (it’s more sensible to
advertise in it). It’s more frequently used. As a brand you can decide you want 1 or 5.

7. Why do brands go for elevator advertising?

Yes of course we are not forcing anybody to take any branding. If somebody does not want something I
am not forcing them to take something like you have to take this you have to take that. It’s always
subject to availability and what’s available at that time. It could be that you are doing a sale at that
particular time and maybe the elevator is not available, some other medium is available at that time.
Each brand can choose as they want.

8. What is the Scope of digital inside an elevator?

We have never done digital inside an elevator. I am sure it is not possible to change something like we
don’t want to do static but digital branding. But it also depends on many other parameters like how much
space is it going to occupy. 2nd thing is inside an elevator there is always vandalism. You have to ensure
that your LCD is protected like one is not taking a pen and scratching it up or doing something to it. You
have to see how much space something like that will take. 1 st the LCD then another glass panel in front
of it.

9. Would brands go for elevator advertising?

I think brands would always work with mediums that are available. If tomorrow I say that some branding is
completely digital it will become another offer I have for the brand. Then the brand will see the possibility, the
viability, how often or how long. Like 7 days a week or 30 days nothing is changing. But on TV the next brand
comes up in 10 seconds. So then you need to see if those 10-30 seconds is making sense. What kind of ad you
are giving. You need to then see from a different perspective. But if we are offering something like these
brands would definitely do that. Brand won’t say that if digital is not there
I will not do it or I only want this. It all depends on what is physically present there.

10. Promenade advertises itself. Why?

If you read the ads you know there are 2 different ways that we advertise. One is for the promotion that
we are running e.g. in December we were running a Christmas promotion. It talks about that promotion
like this is how the promotion is. What you can do or get. We talk about what’s happening in the mall.
So if someone does not know what promenade is doing this is a way to tell them. The other thing is there
are certain campaigns where you would have seen a girl wearing a dress or skirt then we have got the
brand’s name over there to show you that we have these brands that are available in Promenade because
we are a fashion mall dedicated to women.

62
 7.1.4 Out-of-Home Agencies
Questionnaire
Name of Company: Laqshya Media Group
Name: AtulSriwastava Sex: Male Email-id: atul.s@laqshyagroup.com/+919810853030
Designation: Chief Operating Officer

1. What is the process of advertising inside an elevator?

There is static advertising in the elevators, vinyl are pasted it is as per the clients requirement, according
to their communication strategy. We have to recommend them different formats , we have to tell them
something that is very cost effective but mostly there is a resistance from the clients toward elevator
advertising, because when the door opens the logo gets cut or their creative get cut so that is a big issue
for them as the parts separate, clients don’t appreciate it at all .Unless you have logos like LIC where the
hand comes together , and this a medium that has not been utilized to the optimum, if you do something
innovative definitely people will recall it. But as of now we haven’t seen any such great innovation in
elevator advertising it is plain pasting of the vinyl which normally comes as package, if clients are buying
media in a mall then it comes with that package. The size is given by us to the creative agency.

2. How often do brands advertise inside an elevator?

It depends actually on the campaign being run by the company, whatever the requirements of the client
we try to provide them with those so it depends on brand to brand.

3. What are the key players involved in advertising inside an elevator?

It is a source of revenue and concession is given so wherever the revenue comes they utilize it. The pitch
happens we recommend the client the elevator branding and he tells his creative agency to make the
creative and then there are vendors inside the mall that do the pasting and maintenance and many
companies have tie ups with these vendors. The malls also have tie ups with these vendors and sometimes
lease out the entire area of the brand to the vendors only, then the client is in contact with the vendors and
not the mall management.

4. What are the costs involved in it?

The cost depends on the mall location, not popular malls even get it for 20,000 just the doors and for
popular malls it can go up to a 50000 per month.

5. How big is elevator advertising in out of home?

Not big at all, it is very miniscule, it is maybe 1 percent of the total media mix, it is just an add on
feature, it is according to the campaign. Players like flip kart ask for elevator advertising.

63
 6. What are the current trends in elevator advertising?
Normally it is the door which is utilized for the advertisement, inside will not take priority unless there is
some long term booking and brand stake the responsibility of maintenance of elevators, it is the elevator
door branding which is prevalent. Inside the inner walls have not got much focus as of yet and the door is
more popular.
Visuals make a big impact so they use mostly visuals unless they are promoting a scheme which is more
informative than ambient. Not a very strong medium of advertising. E-commerce sites are these days
preferring this as well.

7. Why do companies go/not go for elevator advertising?

Creative fitting is a big challenge, getting the creative to split into two parts is a very big challenge .Those
who go for it they find it cost effective, because the spread is more. Every floor there is a door in the mall
or the picture hall or a multiplex or where ever, the frequency is more but the reach is limited to the
number of people that use the elevator.

8. What are the key advantages of elevator advertising?

Large spread, frequency is there. The frequency is there, and you have a dedicated viewer some body
standing inside the elevators has nothing else to do , and these days the trend is changing everybody is
using mobile phone in elevators ,but best part is that inside the elevators even phones do not work , they
have to look around and wait for their floor to come so brand get very focused type of viewing

9. What are the limitations faced in an elevator advertising?

Brands don’t prefer the splitting of their logo on the front door and that poses a big challenge .The format
the largeness of the format is not possible because the size is always an issue also you are able to view
only 50% of the ad, what is on the bottom of the ad is difficult to fathom. You are standing and are able to
only view till your eye level and read that part and the bottom goes unnoticed, whereas if you put up a
signage inside the mall then somebody standing even close can view the entire thing what is there? They
can view the complete creative. Only noticed on the eye level.

10. What is the scope of digital (LCD screen) in elevator advertising?

Digital screen operation is difficult, vandalism is a big problem. Spend money on the screen there is
nobody to take care, scratches and chewing gums are big issues. If vandalism is tackled and screens are
actually put up, it can do wonders. It can be put outside only; digital agencies have started doing it.
Acceptability is not there in India so much. China is great for digital; some difference is there and
something new to look forward to it. People don’t have many patients to stand and see the screens

11. How creative can you get with elevator advertising?

If creativity is increase there will be a big difference. Flipkart was adamant with it. Mostly online brands
like it, these days e-commerce sites like it.

64
 7.1.5 Vendors of Malls
Questionnaire

Name of Company: CMYK

Name: Ankit Sharma Sex: M Email-id/Phone:+919999952332/cmyk.ankit@gmail.com
Designation: Manager-DLF Promenade and Emporio, Delhi

1. What is the process of advertising inside an elevator?

It depends on location to location, every premise is different. More than 3 floors you need an elevator,
different places have different processes for example: Dlf promenade-the mall management they sell the
space inside and outside the elevator for a month, 50k per month per door .It’s like rent for a month.

2. How often do brands advertise inside an elevator?

Harley Davidson bike events. All the events in the malls that are taking place are advertised in the
elevator . Also to drive footfalls and increase the visits by customers then these brands such as
promenade advertise, every month rotation of the campaign is done. These days valentine campaigns
are on the rise and elevator ads for the same have been put up.

3. What are the key players involved in advertising inside an elevator?

The clients that want to advertise , the creative agency that makes the ad for them that gives a face to
the campaign , the mall authorities and the vendors who are responsible for the elevator ads,

4. What are the costs involved in it?

The price depends on location to location, the size is also different for the outside doors and the inside
of the elevator as well so the price differs accordingly. The importance and the price is different, the
material is used for this are also different; the back of the elevator has sun board and the front and
inside panels have the vinyl stuck onto them

5. How big is elevator advertising in out of home?

Two places done: inside and outside the door.

6. What are the current trends in elevator advertising?

Since the past 5 years there has not been a single day that the elevator doors have gone empty or there has
been no advertising on or inside the elevators. The outside space is more important , because the
customer stays there more , at least the customer has to wait to one to two minutes after pressing the
button for the lift usually on weekends its 1-2 minutes and he can read the ad he has more time. The
inside of the door is also prominent, the back is hidden so not so prominent if a crowd is there and same
for the sides as well

65
 7. Why do companies go/not go for elevator advertising?
The first thing is the budget, mall has 10 places to do it, advise is taken from the vendor to understand
what is it that a customer does when inside a mall, where does he stand, or wait, where does he come
from and where does he spend time the most. Promenade itself does elevator advertising the reason
behind this is that they themselves have campaigns running throughout the month so according to the
current campaign running they are advertising. They currently have 2 campaigns, one to promote the
malls and also attract the loyalty card schemes, parking free, movie tickets free , cash prize.

8. What are the key advantages of elevator advertising?

This is the best time to advertise and he has the time to read the advertisement and has his devoted
attention at that time, it is not like he is roaming around or is busy shopping, but is actually free to read
the ads given on and inside the elevator. This is the most important time this is one of the most prominent
positions for advertising in a mall. Kingdom of dreams advertising on elevator is a type of premium
appughar, after reading it many times. To create a picture of KOD in the mind of the consumer, to create
an environment

9. What are the limitations faced in an elevator advertising?

Foreign brands like Aldo say that the creative that they supply should not get cut or separated like in the
case of the front door of the elevator ,that is why brands are sometimes resistant to advertise on elevators,
because see all their creative are made abroad and they have very specific guidelines to ensure that the
creative is not destroyed or cut in any manner so this poses a great challenge for elevator advertising .For
example Armani has all its creative made in Milan so they can’t afford the creative splitting into two parts

10. What is the scope of digital (LCD screen) in elevator advertising?

The biggest problem is that all types of customers enter the elevator, from drunkards to old people,
naughty people .So the most prominent complaint is that people write on the print ads or when they are
drunk they scratch the walls or chewing gums, so this is a problem. The biggest chunk goes in
maintenance every week we get reports of some destruction or vandalism and then the print has to be
changed completely.

11. How creative can you get with elevator advertising?

A simple message is the best message, Nandos has a very simple and to the point creative and that has a
better appeal than say a Kingdom of Dreams which has a very confusing creative and has too much
content in it, by the time the viewer understands the creative and comes to the contact details the lift
arrives. DKNY and Charles and Keith all have simple messages, a model with very expensive clothes.

66
7.2 Bibliography
List of sources:

Websites/Articles/Blogs:

 Outdoor Advertising Association of America

 The power of a billion Realizing the Indian dream FICCI-KPMG Indian
Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2013
 The Indian Outdoor Advertising Association website
 The Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy 2008-an initiative by Municipal
Corporation of Delhi
th
 Elevator market set to zoom. Economic Times Bureau November 18 2013
 Malls make room for brands coming with higher revenue share Economic
th
Times Bureau July 24 2013
 ELEVATOR ADVERTISING IN INDIA by the Media Ant
 Neilson research on elevator advertising as quoted by the Media Ant
 Elevator world
 Elevator World India 2014 Report
 Emerging advertising Media-Wikispaces
 Times OOH Media website
 Bright Outdoor Website
 Selvel Website
 Media ant website
st
 Afaqs-Article on Delhi Outdoor Advertising Association 21 December
th th th th
2009,14 January 2010,24 February 2010,12 April 2010,18 June 2010
th
 Afaqs-Article Axe: Drawing attention through innovation-February 16 2001
 Indian Advertising Association Blog
Books:

 Ogilvy On advertising-David Ogilvy-1983

 Strategic Brand Management-Kevin Lane Keller Third Edition
 Kotler Philip Marketing Management Fourteenth Edition
 Indian Advertising: 1780 to 1950Arun Chaudhuri
 History of Advertising –Mahatma Gandhi University Kottyam
 Born in 1842-A History of Advertising
 AD Land- A Global History of Advertising

67