Kinetic, one of Ireland’s two main poster agencies, is celebrating 25 years of communicating brand messages this month. The company operates on a 32-county basis with offices in Dublin and Belfast.

Kinetic, originally named Poster Plan, was established in 1990 by Simon Durham and Carol Hogan. While working for Outdoor Advertising Services, they saw an opportunity for another specialist in the market.

At the time, the phenomenon of media specialists was very much in its infancy. Media was dominated by agencies offering full-service advertising requirements such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Wilson Hartnell and McConnells.

According to Durham: “Out of Home has stood the test of time and we are extremely proud that Kinetic has continuously remained ahead of the curve in this ever-changing industry. Some of our longest standing clients include Coca Cola, Irish Distillers and Heineken, and we thank them and all our clients and agencies for their loyalty and support. We are delighted to celebrate the past 25 years and look forward to continued growth into the future.”

Major Changes

Durham recalls that the early 1990s saw major changes take place within the market. most notably the introduction of backlit, 6-sheets into bus shelters, replacing the existing 4-sheet size. Traditional OOH such as 48 Sheets were by far the most popular formats and still remain effective today.

In Association with

“Over the years, the quality of sites has improved drastically and these days is much more prevalent in urban areas,” says Durham. “In 2008, the introduction of scrolling, illuminated Metropoles transformed the face of OOH across Dublin. More recently, Kinetic was the first agency to book campaigns on the first 96-sheet Lightbox in Dundrum, as well as the 48-sheet Lightboxes at Naas Road and Donnybrook. Additional 48 Sheet lightboxes are expected throughout the country later this year.”

In the 1990s, a big budget campaign was approximately €38,000. In the first half of 2015 the top campaign had a spend of €2.8m.

Out of Home advertising has become more short-term, with campaigns moving from a 2-3 month booking to a shorter, two week cycle basis. “The booking period has also reduced, which has attracted more advertisers across a wide range of sectors,” says Durham. “With the advent of Digital OOH in the last few years, select day and day-part campaigns are now possible as well as live, dynamic and reactive campaigns.”

Media Consolidation

In Durham’s view, media consolidation has been a positive development. Three main media owners now operate in the market – Clear Channel, Exterion Media and JCDecaux. “These vendors have invested heavily in the medium, bringing it forward,” says Durham. “Special builds or innovations can be seen in every cycle, from 3D builds, lighting effects, wrapped bus shelters and wrapped Luas columns.”

In 2008, Poster Plan rebranded as Kinetic. The Poster Plan name and brand was retained by Kinetic, which still exists as an extension of the business. Kinetic's mail rival is PML Group, led by Jimmy Cashin (58), which has been on the go for 33 years. PML is owned by Pinto Company, registered in the Isle of Man.

Kinetic Advertising Ltd is controlled by multinational WPP, which has a 51% stake in Kinetic Advertising’s holding company, POA Holdings Ltd. The balance of the shares in Kinetic Advertising are owned by Simon Durham (31%) and Carol Hogan(18%).

Kinetic Advertising had year-end debtors of €7.6m in December 2014, suggesting turnover of around €40m. Year-end creditors amounted to €8.2m, and balance sheet cash increased through the year from €752,000 to €1.1m. Year-end net worth was €598,000. POA Holdings had net assets of €990,000 at end 2013.