CBS Outdoor UK moves into digital roadside with M4 site

CBS Outdoor claims that the billboard will be the only landscape digital asset on the motorway, with an audience reach of 76 million people annually.

This is the first time CBSO has made a strategic move into digital roadside in the UK.

The name Site 76 reflects the 76 million people who CBS Outdoor claims will see the screens every year, and was specifically chosen to reinforce CBS Outdoor UK‘s commitment to sell audience rather than format.

Simon Harrington, marketing director of CBS Outdoor UK, said: "Whilst our roadside competitors name their screens after the shape of the structure, we are very much an audience-led business and regard ourselves as platform agnostic. 

"It was important therefore for the name of the new site to reflect our positioning in the market. We deliver urban audience engagement and will continue to look for strategic opportunities to expand, allowing us to deliver this valuable audience to advertisers."

Site 76 features two high-definition, LED screens boasting wide angle visibility, with a width of 7.7 metres and a height of 2.8 metres. The east- and west-facing screens stand on the elevated section of the Chiswick roundabout at Junction 1 of the M4 and can be seen from 150 metres away.

Jason Cotterrell, country director at CBS Outdoor UK, said: "We hope Site 76 will be the first of many exciting developments in this area as we look to further bolster our portfolio in the UK and to enhance our extensive digital reach in the capital.

"What will set it apart from other roadside screens is the flexibility that we will offer advertisers, who can target travellers at bespoke times with tailored messages appropriate to that time or day, whether they are travelling  in or out of London."

Cotterrell added: "We have also focussed on making this accessible to all advertisers, with an appropriate view on pricing. Additional flexibility will be available in the way it can be purchased, either as a standalone opportunity or packaged with other digital screens in Westfield or London Underground."

CBS claims that an average of 133,780 vehicles pass the site on a daily basis, impacting 2.5 million people every fortnight. This encompasses both domestic and international audiences travelling to and from Heathrow Airport.

It is understood that the owner of the CBS site is a private landlord that wants to remain anonymous. The site was built by Prismaflex and there are currently campaigns running on the screens for Women's Fitness and Vita Coco.

The news follows the appointment of Robert Doel at CBS to the role of group account director earlier this month.

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk