[Newsmaker] Jonathan Everest from Outdoor Network

He's formerly worked at Group Africa, Corpcom, Inter Africa, Global Outdoor Systems and Minanawe Marketing.

What will your first order of business be?

Everest: To bring attention, focus and creativity to agencies and corporate marketers who are curious about how clusters of out of home media can be packaged in a way that makes sense for them; particularly street furniture. Media buyers rely on innovative strategy and packaging, based on the thought leadership you command when you constantly review credible research and have it at your fingertips. I will be leveraging all the resources available in our long-standing company to make this easily available and accessible.

What is your core strategy as head of sales?

Everest: A strategic mindset. I’m working with my team to help our clients shift paradigms and think of street furniture like real estate. By working in multiples, the return on investment becomes immense. Take for example the high impact that a specific message placed on one commuter shelter delivers when positioned in front of one school. Then imagine a national campaign that is spread across various touch points and seen over and over again by a consumer group travelling multiple times a day past shopping centres and through dense commuter nodes, on their way to and from places of work and play. By nature, and location, street furniture delivers a high consumer frequency reach, coupled with excellent media density at extremely cost-effective rates.

The biggest trend to note in your industry?

Everest: Alongside the digitisation of billboards, the trend in street furniture is to make the format a creative enabler of social media campaigns. Consumers can engage with the surprising and creative elements of a campaign execution, positioned at eye level, in the here and now, and immediately share images of it with their own digital social communities. One only needs to look at the use of commuter shelters internationally to understand the exciting creative executions that are possible. We’re starting to catch up here in South Africa and Outdoor Network will soon be showcasing some of our own.

What is your main business challenge?

Everest: The current economic climate is calling for ingenuity in the way we conduct business. There are a lot of great media deals available right now due to widespread cost cutting. We are educating the industry on the value of working with a media company like ours which has national reach, a wide range of inventory and a team with skill sets gained through 360 experience in the marketing industry at large. Key staff recruitment and retention becomes more and more important.

Most important attribute needed to do your job?

Everest: It’s vital to have insight and knowledge of our country’s media landscape, and the trends affecting it. Then you need the kind of perseverance that ultimately wins confidence. In tough economic times you especially need a creative and innovative mind-set that distinguishes you in the market place. Personally, I have always made it a priority to have regular and personal interaction with clients so that I am in tune with their needs.

What inspires you?

Everest: The potential of our unbelievably beautiful country and the people that live in it. It’s exciting to see both home-grown and multi-national brands perform well on our media, and to support and grow the talent I work with on a daily basis in this exciting industry.

What's at the top of your bucket list?

Everest: Professionally: Seeing all of South Africa’s great brands advertising on Street Furniture. Personally: The long road to Cairo on my motorbike with the Rooikat beckons…