Mktg - New outdoor format, Airscreen, comes to India

Rohit Nautiyal

Today, brands are moving beyond conventional outdoor vehicles and trying innovative new formats to communicate their messages. With the outdoor industry growing sturdily in India, a number of new formats have been introduced by international media companies that see potential in this market.

Recently, German company Airscreen, which manufactures inflatable hoardings, made its way to India. Crossbow Innovative Advertising, a Delhi-based outdoor company, has bagged the exclusive distribution rights to Airscreen and Airframe, the two products of the company, Airscreen. Both products are made out of inflatable polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can be moulded in the shape of a hoarding.


Airframe offers a static space onto which a megaprint carrying pictures and messages can be attached. The inflatable product comes in sizes ranging from 26ft x 13ft to 118ft x 49ft. Airframe offers display options on both sides. Airscreen, on the other hand, comes in a larger format and has a projection screen attached to it, which allows the display of moving pictures and ad films.

To start with, Crossbow Innovative Advertising has purchased 15 of Airscreen’s products and plans to add more as the company grows. A special blower is used to inflate both Airframe and Airscreen; once deflated, they can be transported anywhere quite easily.

Rajesh Suri, director, Crossbow Innovative Advertising, tells afaqs!, “We wanted to offer large format media, which was also aesthetically appealing, in the Indian market. There are times when companies do not have large projectors while conducting events. Airscreen is our answer to this problem. We will also rent out Airframes and Airscreens for sales driven campaigns. Both our products are high on mobility and this will work in favour of the brands that advertise on them.”


Suri says that his organisation will work closely with outdoor companies because these are usually hired by brands for advertising purposes. He adds, “We can give away Airscreen for as little as a day’s time for events, while brands using our products in malls can hire our products for at least a month’s time, which can be further extended. We plan to sell our media at the Delhi Metro, in malls and to event companies.”

The product can also be used on landscapes and in open areas where people gather. The company will see its first campaign launch in India this month.

More than 40 countries, including the US, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, the UK and Australia, are already using Airscreen products. But will this product get a favourable response in India?

Christian Kremer, chief executive officer, Airscreen, sounds hopeful when he says, “We think that India could be a key market for us. We are sure that our products will soon get a good response from the OOH business in India.”

Purchase prices for the products start at Rs 6.30 lakh approximately for the largest sizes and Rs 1.5 lakh for the smaller sizes. Of course, they can also be rented from Crossbow.

Airscreen started off as a company that played movies at open air venues and made money from the stalls set up in the vicinity. Over time, it graduated to using this innovative technology as an outdoor advertising medium.

© 2008 afaqs!