With immediate effect, Ocean Outdoor, market leader in digital outdoor advertising, is setting up a support fund for the hardest-hit industries and SMEs.
Amsterdam, March 2020 – Now that the Coronavirus also appears to be economically highly contagious, Ocean Outdoor is taking the initiative to assist the hardest-hit industries and SMEs. For that purpose, we will set up a fund with a media value of more than 10 million euros gross, which can be used in April and May of this year.
The direct and indirect consequences of the measures taken by the government have major and visible effects for everyone. Planes are grounded, offices are abandoned, restaurants and museums are closed, shops are empty and the service sector is seeing a rapid decline in work.
The consequences are also visible in the streets. Ocean’s live measurements on motorways and shopping areas show a drop of over 30% from the normal reach. But that still leaves 70% of the reach, millions of contacts per day that can be used to really support enterprises.
Meindert van den Heuvel and Xavier Tilman: “We see that companies do want to advertise, but that acute problems and uncertainty have put a stop to this. With this fund, we want to get things going by making media space available free of charge. We can also do that because fortunately, we have a large number of customers who have not been affected by the crisis and continue to campaign. If our national screens can help to keep the economy going a little bit or get it going again, we don’t have to think twice about it.”
Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (Dutch trade association for the hotel and catering industry), Detailhandel Nederland (Dutch trade association for retailers) and Vereniging van Communicatie Adviesbureaus (Association of Communication Consultancy Firms) have now indicated they would like to make use of this fund. Fonds Gehandicaptensport (a fund for disabled sports), whose collection week was under great pressure at the beginning of April, is also calling on the Ocean Fund.
Rules of the Ocean SME Support Fund
The Ocean SME Support Fund is only open to SMEs and they must register as a collective;
- The enterprises are demonstrably damaged by the consequences of the Corona virus;
- The enterprises are open for business or may open for business in the short term;
- The digital campaigns will be placed in April and May 2020.
Ocean Outdoor Nederland
Ocean Outdoor Nederland is the market leader in Digital-Out-of-Home (read: DOOH), the fast-growing specialisation within Out-of-Home. With a national network of 163 locations and 283 screens along motorways and in the cities, we reach millions of people each day.
Ocean Outdoor Nederland attaches great importance to quality and innovation. That is why we continuously invest in the latest DOOH technology and research opportunities for advertisers, media agencies and contracting authorities.
Ocean Outdoor Nederland is part of Ocean Outdoor Limited with offices in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Germany.
For questions, please contact:
Marlies Smits: marlies.smits@oceanoutdoor.nl of +316 1076 6161.