In a move which further marks the emergence of digital out of home as a platform for branded content, premium digital out of home operator Ocean Group has been named the first UK player to join the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA). Membership to the industry body propels Ocean’s positioning as a live broadcast and digital medium. The media owner has a growing slate of content deals with the British Olympic Association and Team GB, the British Fashion Council and the BFI. The move follows Ocean’s decision to become the first OOH operator to join the IAB two years ago. It has joined the body to highlight its branded content ambitions and lead the progressive debate about the transformation of out of home into a responsive, digital medium.
Ocean Group director of marketing Richard Malton, said: “Ocean’s already delivered significant milestones in terms of branded content. Our partnership with Team GB allowed us broadcast more than 20,000 hours of exclusive Team GB content, creating a unique national broadcast channel across 98 of Ocean’s digital screens during Rio 2016. And our collaboration with the British Fashion Council allowed us to screen London Fashion Week to more than 35 million people across 60 outdoor screens for the first time in its history, powered by Maybelline. Membership of the BCMA marks our medium’s relevance to any branded content media plan and the importance of DOOH sites of stature in the trans-media story-telling cycle.” Andrew Canter, Global CEO of the BCMA, added: “We are delighted to welcome Ocean Outdoor as members of the BCMA. This is an extremely exciting time for digital outdoor and the opportunities for brands and agencies to create innovative and impactful content solutions. We are looking forward to working with Ocean's team and to developing the best practice guidelines for branded content using digital outdoor.”
Membership will give Ocean Outdoor access to the BCMA’s market leading intelligence, training and events as the company continues to up-skill and introduce new talent into its business. Last month, the BOA and Ocean extended their exclusive content partnership up to and including the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020. The collaboration includes action from the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Games. The enhanced 2020 deal awards Ocean tier one partner designation and, as official Out of Home partner, Ocean will be working closely with Team GB and other content partners to deliver an enhanced, content rich channel for future Games.
