Introduction
This summer’s weather is exceptionally hot, and this is not news; the summer season is always like this. The news is that this heat is reflected in the D/OOH media competition, especially at the first beloved summer destination of Egyptian society nowadays, the North Coast (Sahel).
This report and statistics would benefit market stakeholders. Media agencies and advertisers could optimize campaigns, benchmark performance, gain audience insights, allocate budgets efficiently, and prove campaign effectiveness. OOH media owners and operators could optimize inventory, support sales, make informed investment decisions, guide product development, and conduct competitive analysis. Data and technology providers could validate solutions, enhance products, and identify partnership opportunities. Urban planners and the public sector could gain insights into urban mobility, economic indicators, and public information campaigns. Overall, the report would enable informed decision-making and contribute to a more dynamic out-of-home advertising ecosystem.
As a long-standing tradition in Egypt, people often escape the crowded, hot cities for tal destring the summer. Brands also follow their customers to these holiday destinations, allowing them to stay in touch.
This release will be the first of a 4-release series of D/OOH/SS’25; first, we will release three monthly reports, then we will release the whole season’s report as follows:
- First Release, July’25
- Second Release, August’25
- Third Release, September’25
- Fourth Release, Full Season’s Report, Summer Season 2025
We prioritize accuracy and clarity to build trust through transparency. We believe in involving our readers every step of the way, providing the same thorough user experience that we gain from analyzing and blending data into relevant information, for a complete, insightful, and sharp perspective on the market landscape.
Methodology
This document outlines the formal methodology employed for the systematic collection, processing, and analysis of both static and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) media data. Our approach prioritizes accuracy, consistency, and a granular understanding of the OOH landscape, providing comprehensive insights into campaign deployment and market trends. The methodology is designed to ensure a transparency-oriented data acquisition process, leveraging dedicated field teams for daily updates and rigorous data refinement procedures.
Our Operation funnel goes into phases, as shown in the next diagram:
Data Collection > Data Processing > Data Analysis > Data Validation > Insights Generation
1. Data Collection Strategy
Our trained field teams directly observe and verify OOH media placements across all covered geographic areas, ensuring accurate data collection.
Every photo captured includes location information through connected map functions on devices. Our system automatically retrieves this data and assigns it to the appropriate database fields.
1.1. Static Out-of-Home (OOH) Data Collection
- Frequency: Static OOH data collection is conducted every month.
- Refinement: Initial monthly data is refined and validated by the middle of the month to account for any changes or updates in static media placements, aligning with typical media provider rental cycles of full or half-month basis.
- Scope: The collection encompasses all identified static OOH media types within the designated geographic areas.
1.2. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Data Collection
- Frequency: DOOH data collection is conducted weekly.
- Refinement: Daily refinement processes are implemented for DOOH data to capture the dynamic nature of digital displays and frequent content changes.
- Scope: The collection covers all identified DOOH media types within the designated geographic areas, including dynamic content and ad rotations.
1.3. Daily Data Updates
Both static and DOOH data streams are updated daily by the field data collection teams, ensuring the most current information is integrated into the database.
Collecting D/OOH data for Greater Cairo is a complex and time-consuming task due to the city’s vast metropolitan area and extensive road network. To ensure full regional coverage, data collection operates on a strict five-day schedule. This means that a comprehensive market data snapshot of Greater Cairo is available every five days, or four times per month.
2. Data Processing and Unit Definition
The fundamental unit of analysis for all OOH media data is defined as an “Ad Face.” An Ad Face represents the minimum countable unit of a D/OOH campaign, regardless of its physical or digital nature.
Ad Face Attributes
The prevailing market prices for ad faces are determined by trending district rates, rather than a specific analysis by media providers. The monthly rental cost of an ad face is influenced by several factors: its location, type, dimensions, square area, proximity to the road, and dwell time. These attributes, combined with the ad face’s overall impact, dictate its value within the market.
For every identified Ad Face, the following key attributes are meticulously captured and recorded:
2.1. Geo-location
Precise geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the Ad Face. Likewise, the street address, district, and relevant information on directions and landmarks around it are provided.
2.2. OOH Medium Type (Kind)
Identification of the specific OOH medium carrying the Ad Face, categorized into one of 14 predefined OOH medium types (e.g., billboard, unipole, digital screen, mall directory, bus shelter, etc.)
2.3. Dimensions
Measuring the ad face and calculating its area in square meters is crucial for two main reasons. Firstly, it helps assess the ad’s visibility, and secondly, it assists in spending analysis by determining the production cost.
Furthermore, calculating the square meter area of each ad face allows for a deeper analysis of the Digital Out-of-Home (D/OOH) market’s pricing behavior. This provides insight into the pricing strategies of media providers, who are the source of this information.
2.4. Distance to The Road
The measurement between the advertisement location, precisely the ad space, and the ad viewers on the road. Sometimes, rooftop or other types of billboards are a bit distant from the road, which affects the visibility of the ad face directly.
This attribute, along with time and dimensions (square meters), is the value of the equation that defines the specific visibility quality of the ad face, which affects the cost and demand for the ad face or the entire D/OOH location.
3. Data Analysis Methodology (Occupied Inventory)
For ad faces marked “Occupied,” a thorough analysis categorizes and contextualizes the displayed advertisement. This process begins by determining if the ad face is part of a campaign or serving a different purpose than promoting a product, service, project, or celebrity. Occasionally, an ad face might display a directional sign or announce a new opening, restricted to the ad face’s geographic location.
Campaign Attributes
3.1. Ad Faces Count
An ad face can be either a component of a larger advertising campaign or a standalone message for awareness, such as directional signs or event announcements (e.g., an opening date). We classify a group of locations as a single campaign when we identify three or more distinct Digital Out-of-Home (D/OOH) locations, each displaying five or more ad faces.
3.2. Ad Identification
Detailed analysis of the advertisement content, and identifying the kind of CTA (call-to-action) on the ad, whether it is part of branding, a launch or new release, a promotional ad, sales, etc.
3.3. Brand Identification
Identify the specific brand, its name, and offering category (product, service, project, or celebrity). Also, specify the brand’s origin and ownership to clearly identify the advertiser.
3.4. Advertiser Association
Determination of the advertiser, the brand household, which is a company, corporation, or investment group. Ex. Pepsico® is the advertiser of Pepsi®, 7up®, and Chipsy®. On the other hand, P&G® is the advertiser of Ariel®, Tide®, and Always®. We define the root of every brand, product, or service, and to which the identified advertiser it belongs.
3.5. Industry Classification
Categorization of the brand, despite the advertisers’ original industry, as some investment groups have a diversified investment portfolio across several industries and business segments. We aim to place every brand or product into its respective industry sector to restrict the competition analysis.
Our industry classification reference is the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), which comprises a coherent and consistent classification structure of economic activities based on a set of internationally agreed-upon concepts, definitions, principles, and classification rules. It provides a comprehensive framework within which economic data can be collected and reported in a format designed for financial analysis, decision-making, and policy-making purposes. The classification structure represents a standard format to organize detailed information about the state of an economy according to economic principles and perceptions.
3.6. Campaign Kinds
Where discernible, additional campaign-specific attributes such as campaign duration, specific messaging language, addressing the brand ambassadors or any celebrities in the ad message, and explaining the creative elements are noted. We categorize the campaigns based on the kind of CTA (call-to-action) on the ad face:
3.6.1 BRANDING
This campaign serves as a general brand reminder, reinforcing the brand’s promise and promoting a well-known service, product, or project (for real estate developers) without relying on discounts or special promotions.
3.6.2 LAUNCH
The campaign that announces a new service or product to the market. A new brand launch does not mean that the advertiser is new, as a known advertiser would advertise a new service, product, or project.
3.6.3 PROMOTIONAL
Campaigns featuring discounts, promotional offers, or limited-time deals. Advertisers sometimes integrate these promotions with branding, product launches, or standard sales initiatives.
3.6.4 SALES
Advertisers regularly launch this common campaign type to maintain brand awareness among customers and consumers. These strategies are typically employed by major advertisers in the market.
3.7. D/OOH Kind Categorization
The kind of outdoor advertising medium is determined by the size and structure that support an advertisement. As these media differ globally, D/OOH classifications are country-specific.
Egypt, being the largest D/OOH market in the MENA region, offers a diverse range of media types. Fortunately, authorities are actively working to standardize their sizes and shapes. The most commonly used types in the Egyptian market are:
Egypt’s D/OOH Kinds’ List
3.7.1 BILLBOARD
A steel structure of a box that carries lighting and stretched printed material that has the ad message. Most of the clients prefer the internal lighting to illuminate the ad from behind, which dictates the use of backlit material such as the felixface, while the other option is to use external lights casting on vinyl.
1:2, 1:2.5, and 1:3 are the most common aspect ratios for the medium.
3.7.2 BRIDGE BILLBOARD
The same structure as above, but installed on the bridge body, the aspect ratio here is different; starting from 1:5, and going up to 1:10, and in most cases, the height is around 5 meters. Clients tend to deploy bridge billboards in their campaigns for their brilliant visibility on the roads.
3.7.3 BRIDGE DOOH
A normal bridge billboard, same placement and aspect ratio, but with LED screen tiles mounted onto it to demonstrate the ad message instead of the Felix Press material.
3.7.4 GANTRY
A steel structure that stands on the roadside and cuts the road to carry traffic lighting, directional instructions, or awareness messages, such as an advertising billboard with Felix Press material or an LED screen mounted onto it.
3.7.5 HOARDING
A towering steel billboard structure, typically 10 to 12 meters in height, stands above the ground. Its scale, ranging from 1:5 to 1:10, is comparable to a bridge billboard, but its overall size is significantly larger.
3.7.6 MEGA SIGN
The same structure as above, but in general with a smaller size, mostly in width. The MEGA SIGN is a preferred medium by the big advertisers; it is close to the audience’s sightline. In Egypt’s D/OOH market, size always matters.
Nowadays, it is not so common as it used to be before, and the new regulated sizes are smaller, yet they do the job.
3.7.7 MEGA POST
A favored choice among advertisers since 2020, this vertical billboard structure stands on a three-meter pole, reaching a total height of 6 meters with a 3-meter width. Its wide advertising surface is positioned close to the ground, contributing to its popularity.
3.7.8 SKY MARK
A rooftop structure that carries only the brand logo. Whether it is a billboard or a logo-shaped lightbox, what defines a Skymark is the simple branding message, as briefed in the brand’s logo. Usually, it has a single face to be seen, and it is common practice for global and big brands to keep a Skymark in the city for long periods of time, mostly on annual contracts.
3.7.9 UNI-POLE
A “uni-pole” is a billboard structure featuring a single billboard mounted on a thick pole that extends from the roadside. The average radius of a uni-pole typically ranges from 1m to 1.5m.
In the last few years in Egypt, authorities have been working on standardizing the measurements of this medium to two sizes: (H) 8m X (W) 16m, and (H) 8m X (W) 24m, and mostly it carries two faces.
3.7.10 UNI-POLE BUTTERFLY
It is a Uni-Pole structure, but with two billboards mounted next to each other on the pole. The double billboard format features four advertising faces.
3.7.11 UNI-POLE DOOH
A normal Uni-Pole, same placement and aspect ratio, but with LED screen tiles mounted onto it to demonstrate the ad message instead of the Felix Press material.
3.7.12 DOUBLE-DECKER
A uni-pole supports two billboards. In a flag style, these two billboards are stacked vertically, each of the same size. The Double-Decker format features four advertising faces.
3.7.13 DOUBLE-DECKER BUTTERFLY
It is a Double-Decker structure, but with four billboards, every two stacked vertically on a side of the pole. The Double-Decker butterfly format features four advertising faces.
3.7.14 VEHICLE DOOH
A digital screen billboard mounted on a truck, moving on a certain path across specific roads and districts, the size of this medium differs from one provider to another. It is a new medium in the Egyptian market, which started to be seen on the roads around a decade ago.
2.5. Dwell-Time
Refers to the duration an individual or audience is exposed to an outdoor advertisement. This exposure time is a critical factor, alongside dimensions and distance to the road, in determining the specific visibility quality of an ad face, which directly influences its cost and demand in the D/OOH market.
2.6. Occupancy Status
Binary classification indicating whether the Ad Face is currently occupied by an advertisement (“Occupied”) or not (“Unoccupied”).
Media providers sometimes display expired ads rather than leaving ad faces empty, as a covered location is preferred over an empty lightbox. We identify and exclude such cases from our ad face count.
2.7. Content
Ad face content is categorized to determine the nature of the call: directional or marketing. Marketing calls include branding, product launch, sales, and promotional campaigns. Directional signs are not considered campaigns.
2.8. Campaign Duration
A campaign’s start date is established when it begins running on a particular medium. It remains a “running campaign” until a new campaign is monitored on the same medium, at which point the end date for the previous campaign is set.
2.9. Cost of Monthly Rent
Market pricing for advertising is highly variable, with no fixed rules or standard criteria. Prices are set independently by media providers and are not subject to external restrictions or guidelines. Given the fluctuations in pricing from campaign to campaign and month to month, we rely on the most frequently observed prices for specific ad faces or locations.
Alternatively, we calculate an average benchmark price for an area based on historical data from the past six to twelve months. This average considers the price gap between the highest and lowest prices observed during that period.
As part of OWG, we collaborate with our sister companies to gather this strategic information and validate it against actual market practices.
2.10. Cost of Production
Calculating the production cost per ad face for traditional OOH is straightforward. The most accurate cost is determined by three key pieces of information: the ad face’s square meter area, the type of printing material (flex face for backlit illumination or banner for external illumination), and the printing rate per square meter.
2.11. Estimated Traffic/Impression
This metric quantifies the approximate number of vehicles or individuals exposed to an outdoor advertisement over a specified period. It is a crucial indicator for assessing an ad’s potential reach and visibility, directly impacting its value and demand in the D/OOH market. Calculating estimated traffic/impressions involves a blend of direct observation, historical data analysis, and an understanding of local mobility patterns.
Manual Calculation of Average Traffic/Impressions
A comprehensive manual calculation involves observing traffic flow at different times to build a representative average. This method accounts for variations in daily, weekly, and monthly activity.
2.11.1 Data Collection Periods
To ensure accuracy, data should be collected across various timeframes:
- Hourly Observation: Collect data for a minimum of 15-minute intervals during peak, off-peak, and shoulder hours of a typical day (e.g., 7-9 AM, 12-2 PM, 5-7 PM, 9-11 PM).
- Daily Observation: Extend observations across all seven days of the week to capture weekday vs. weekend variations.
- Monthly Observation: Repeat the daily and hourly observations for at least two to three different weeks within a month, and ideally across different months to account for seasonal changes (though for the Sahel, the focus is heavily on the summer season).
2.11.2 Observation Methodology
- Vehicle Count: For roadside billboards, count the number of vehicles passing the ad face in both directions. For pedestrian-focused ads (e.g., mall directories, bus shelters), count pedestrians.
- Directional Bias: Note if the ad face has a primary direction of visibility. If so, prioritize counting traffic approaching from that direction.
- Dwell Time Consideration: When counting, consider the estimated dwell time (the duration a viewer is exposed to the ad). For slow-moving traffic or pedestrians, this increases the impression quality.
- Visibility Factors: Account for external factors like weather, time of day (daylight vs. night, requiring illumination for visibility), and any temporary obstructions.
2.11.3 Calculation Funnel
- Step 1: Calculate Hourly Averages:
For each observed hour (e.g., 7-8 AM), sum the counts from all observed days for that hour and divide by the number of days observed.
Example: If 7-8 AM on Monday saw 1000 vehicles, 7-8 AM on Tuesday saw 950, and 7-8 AM on Wednesday saw 1100:
(1000 + 950 + 1100) / 3 = 1016.67 vehicles/hour (average for 7-8 AM) - Step 2: Calculate Daily Averages:
Sum the hourly averages for a specific day and divide by the number of active hours.
Example: Sum of all hourly averages for Monday (7 AM – 11 PM) / 17 hours = Average Daily Traffic for Monday.
Repeat for all seven days of the week. - Step 3: Calculate Weekly Average:
Sum the daily averages for the week and divide by 7.
Example: (Avg. Mon + Avg. Tue + … + Avg. Sun) / 7 = Average Weekly Traffic. - Step 4: Calculate Monthly Average:
If multiple weeks were observed within a month, sum their weekly averages and divide by the number of weeks observed. This provides the average monthly traffic.
2.11.4 Converting to Impressions
The raw traffic count needs to be converted into impressions by applying a Visibility Adjustment Factor (VAF) and sometimes an Audience Multiplier.
- Visibility Adjustment Factor (VAF): This factor accounts for how many of the passing vehicles/people are actually likely to see the ad. Factors influencing VAF include:
- Distance to Road: Closer ads generally have higher VAF.
- Dwell Time: Higher dwell time (e.g., traffic jams, long stoplights) increases VAF.
- Size and Clarity of Ad: Larger, well-lit, and clear ads have higher VAF.
- Clutter: Areas with many competing ads might reduce VAF for individual ads.
- VAF typically ranges from 0.3 (low visibility) to 0.8 (high visibility).
- Audience Multiplier: For vehicles, estimate the average number of occupants per vehicle (e.g., 1.5 – 2.5 people per car).
Example: Average Weekly Traffic * VAF * Audience Multiplier = Estimated Weekly Impressions.
Example Calculation (Simplified for one day/hour):
Let’s assume for a specific ad face on Int’l Coastal Road:
- Observed Vehicles (8 AM – 9 AM) = 2000
- Visibility Adjustment Factor (VAF) = 0.7 (good visibility, moderate speed)
- Audience Multiplier = 2.0 (average count of people per car)
Estimated Impressions for that hour = 2000 vehicles * 0.7 VAF * 2.0 Multiplier = 2800 impressions
This detailed manual approach, while labor-intensive, provides a robust foundation for understanding ad exposure, especially in specific, dynamic markets like the North Coast.
4. Data Validation and Quality Assurance
A funnel of three filtering operations is involved in the data process to guarantee the maximum accuracy. From collection to classification, the data travels through three phases of review and refinement. Similarly, the data entry process also undergoes a triple-phase review. Each record, including serially stored location data with existing historical information, is updated with new data, adding to its history. This triple-phase review acts as a real-time auditing process, guaranteeing maximum data accuracy.
1. Database Integration >>
All collected and processed data is integrated into a centralized, robust database system designed for efficient querying and analysis.
The system integrates data from all cities, districts, and main roads through an AI-powered entry, further audited by a human factor. This process generates real-time basic analysis.
After data integration, ensure that the total values for each item remain consistent across categories. For instance, the total number of ad faces in the city inventory analysis should match the total in the campaign analysis.
2. Validation Protocols >>
Three fundamental validation protocols are employed. The first is AI-powered validation, which scrutinizes photo file metadata to confirm the photo’s authenticity. The second involves an indicating counter for road or district inventory completion. Lastly, the third protocol calculates the ad faces within campaigns and compares this figure to the overall ad faces data.
Rigorous validation protocols are in place to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and completeness, including cross-referencing and anomaly detection.
3. Regular Audits >>
The regular audits that run on every step in the operation funnel are 2-layered by automatic technology such as the AI, yet there are human who audits the results, or total values, to guarantee it is valid as previously decided.
Additional periodic audits are carried out at the close of days, weeks, months, quarters, and years. Each audit limits periodic data and ensures greater quality accuracy.
Periodic audits of field data collection processes and data entry are conducted to maintain high data quality standards.
5. Insights Generation & Reporting
The substantial volume of multi-layered data, encompassing all collected and analyzed elements and their attributes, offers the flexibility to analyze the behaviors of market stakeholders and householders. This enables the creation of more accurate predictions for future actions. Each attribute is a key ingredient for various insights and data reports. There is a high demand for generating comprehensive, specific, or certain data reports and actionable insights for clients, which includes:
- Market share analysis by brand, advertiser, and industry.
- Spending analysis, marketshare, and growth.
- Demographical targeting and purpose orientation.
- Brand, advertiser, and industry performance over duration.
- Geographical distribution of OOH campaigns.
- Occupancy rates and types allocation across different D/OOH mediums.
- Trend analysis of OOH media utilization over time.
- Competitive landscape analysis within specific industries.
- Traffic/Impression estimation and campaign performance.
- Ad message clarity, quality, and accessibility are compliant, based on the adequate excellence benchmarks of scales and numbers.
This methodology ensures a thorough, reliable, and continuously updated understanding of the OOH media landscape and the behaviors of market stakeholders and/or householders. Moreover, it empowers informed decision-making for all stakeholders.
Glossary
This glossary defines key marketing, media, and advertising terminology used throughout this D/OOH/SS’25 report, providing a clear understanding of the concepts and metrics discussed.
- Ad Face: The fundamental unit of analysis for all Out-of-Home (OOH) media data, representing the minimum countable unit of a D/OOH campaign, regardless of its physical or digital nature.
- Advertiser: A company, corporate entity, or group that initiates and funds advertising campaigns to promote its brands, products, or services.
- Availability: The percentage or number of D/OOH ad faces that are currently unoccupied and available for new advertisements.
- Brand Ambassador: A person, often a celebrity or public figure, employed by a brand to promote its products or services.
- Branding Campaign: An advertising campaign primarily focused on reinforcing a brand’s promise, identity, and values, or promoting a known service, product, or project without relying on discounts or special promotions.
- Call-to-Action (CTA): An instruction to the audience designed to provoke an immediate response, such as “Visit our website,” “Buy now,” or “Learn more.” In OOH, CTAs can be directional (e.g., “Exit here for…”) or marketing-focused.
- Campaign: A series of advertising messages that share a single idea and theme, launched by a brand to achieve specific marketing objectives within a defined period. new service, product, or project to the market.
- Market Share: The percentage of total sales or occupied ad faces in a market, captured by a particular brand, advertiser, or industry.
- Media Agencies: Companies that plan, create, and manage advertising campaigns for clients, including media planning and buying.
- Media Buyers: Professionals responsible for purchasing advertising space or time on various media channels (including OOH) at the best possible price to reach target audiences effectively.
- Media Owners/Providers: Companies or entities that own and operate OOH advertising inventory (e.g., billboards, digital screens) and sell ad space to advertisers.
- Media Planners: Professionals who determine the most effective media channels and strategies to deliver an advertising message to a target audience.
- Occupancy Rate: The percentage of total D/OOH inventory that is currently occupied by active advertising campaigns.
- OOH (Out-of-Home): A traditional term referring to all advertising media encountered outside the home, typically including static displays such as billboards.
- Promotional Campaign: An advertising campaign featuring discounts, special offers, or limited-time deals to incentivize immediate purchase or engagement.
ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend): A marketing metric that
- D/OOH (Digital/Out-of-Home): A broad category encompassing all advertising media encountered outside the home, including both traditional static billboards and dynamic digital screens.
- Directional Ad: An advertisement primarily providing directions or guidance to a specific location, rather than promoting a product or service.
- DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home): OOH advertising that uses digital displays, such as LED screens, to show dynamic content, often with frequent content changes.
- Field Teams: Trained personnel responsible for the direct observation, verification, and data collection of OOH media placements across designated geographic areas.
- Impressions: The number of times an advertisement is seen or exposed to an audience.
- Industry Classification (ISIC): The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, a globally recognized system used to categorize economic activities and restrict competition analysis within specific sectors.
- Inventory: The total number of available Out-of-Home (OOH) media units or ad faces within a specific geographic area.
- Launch Campaign: An advertising campaign designed to introduce a measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising, indicating the efficiency of advertising investments.
- ROI (Return On Investment): A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment. It measures the amount of return on a given investment, relative to the investment’s cost.
- Sales Campaign: A common campaign type regularly launched by advertisers to maintain brand awareness among customers and consumers, often employed by major market players.
- Spending Per Ad Face: A metric indicating the average advertising expenditure for each occupied ad face, used to assess the cost-effectiveness of ad placements.
- Spending Per Meter: A metric indicating the average advertising expenditure per meter of advertising space, used to assess the efficiency of media utilization.
- Static OOH: Traditional Out-of-Home advertising that uses fixed, non-digital displays, such as printed billboards, whose content remains unchanged for the duration of the campaign.
- Teaser Campaigns (TBD – To Be Determined): Preliminary advertising campaigns designed to generate curiosity and anticipation for an upcoming product launch or event, with the full details yet to be revealed.