HYDERABAD: Funny tag lines, great designs and young models vying for your attention on the road -- all on huge vinyl flexes that is. Perched above two metallic supports, billboards most often are the only solace for sore eyes while weaving through traffic. But for advertisers and corporate houses, these hoardings mean serious business and a safe bet to reach the minds of the general public.“The business of hoardings in the city has seen a positive growth in the past few years. The growth has somewhat stymied due to recession and inflation, but as far as corporates are concerned, it’s still a preferred mode for advertising,” said Chakravarty, Colours Advertisement Media. But not all hoarding spaces count as an advertiser’s delight.The Old City and suburbs of Hyderabad are not profitable regions due to existence of unorganised players, whereas according to an executive at Mindset-JWT, “Places like Banjara Hills, Punjagutta, Khairatabad and Begumpet are most preferred by our clients who regularly advertise on billboards located in these regions.” But with great demand comes greater cost. “In the more popular areas, the average rate is Rs 100- Rs 150 per sq ft while in less commercial areas, the rate is around Rs 60, almost 50 per cent less,” said Chakravarthy. “And with the cost of flex printing at Rs 10- Rs 12 per sq ft, which at most times requires at least 1,000 sq ft for proper visibility, it means the client has to spend Rs 1.5- Rs 2 lakh per month for a 40 by 25 sq ft hoarding.” But like in any business, a mixture of client profile, frequency of ads and extended period, will lead to a lowering of cost.The cost though is not a deterrent for corporates. “The six hoardings we manage remain covered for almost nine months. Similar is the case with other advertisers too. Since every industry, be it jewellers, retailers, restaurants or even movie posters are interested in hoarding ads due to their visibility, it’s a profitable venture. With our clients getting a good brand recall, business continues as usual,” said Chakravarty. But having been in the business for over five years, he like others of his tribe, feel that regions where a large number of unauthorised smaller hoardings exist pose the main risk to the industry. “Government officials need to regulate the same. Else any newcomer to the industry will find it tough to sustain himself, unless he has contacts and clients to boast of,” he added. Putting rest to such fears Dhananjay Reddy, Additional Commissioner, Planning and Advertisement, GHMC, commented, “There are around 2600 hoardings in the city. Of these, close to 600 are unauthorised. We have managed to bring down 400 such hoardings and within a few months we will ensure only authorised ones exist. We have also stopped giving new licenses since the sky is getting cluttered with flex boards.” He also said that a number of advertisers in the city, new and old, were looking to set up small ad boards on medians, (known as lollypops in the ad world), and the GHMC had approved around 20-25 stretches of roads in the city for the same.
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