JCDecaux: bringing digital and smart cities to life

JCDecaux has played a major role in shaping cities for almost fifty years. It all started with a simple idea: to provide cities with street furniture free of charge in exchange for exclusive advertising rights. This business model still shapes JCDecaux's core business of Outdoor Advertising.
Today, half of the world's population lives in a town or city* and this figure is expected to reach 60% in 2030. To match the needs of this increasingly urban and mobile population, JCDecaux's goal is to invest in Research and Development to design "multi-functional" and smart street furniture, and to constantly anticipate what kind of role digital media can play in an urban environment - its uses, its potential, but also its visibility and accessibility across the board.

From the outset, JCDecaux's strategy has been to focus on mixing digital displays with travel, to reach the captive audiences that pass through the world's airports, railway stations, subways, etc. Since the installation of its first digital screens in Vienna?s subway in 1998, JCDecaux has continued to push the boundaries of digital media and interactive advertising across Europe (the first fully digitalised subway station in Berlin, 39m² giant screen in Terminal 2E at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport, multiple digital media locations in the United Kingdom including displays at Heathrow airport, street furniture in the La Défense business district in Paris, etc.) and Asia (Shanghai, Dubai and Singapore airports, etc). In America we will shortly be launching large-format screens in Chicago, which will enable the city to broadcast public interest messages at any time, and digital advertising clocks in São Paulo that will include a Twitter feed.

This huge rise in demand for digital advertising screens was one of the highlights of 2012, with digital revenues up 53% on 2011. This growth, which is far higher than in 2011 (+30%) is clear proof of a thriving phenomenon. With more than 12,000 screens in 22 countries (compared with just 1,300 in 2007), the digital business now accounts for 6% of Group revenues and 13% of the Transport segment's revenues. JCDecaux is able to offer advertisers the opportunity to explore new communication strategies for optimum visibility; to offer municipalities and transport companies information displays in real time that allow them to interact with residents and travellers; and to offer urban populations an even better quality of life and new brand experiences for consumers.

With 14,000 screens forecast for 2014, JCDecaux has an increasingly flexible and dynamic portfolio of innovative solutions that reflect the creative vitality of its teams around the world.

_{*according to a United Nations survey carried out in 2008.}