#Newsmaker: Shamendran Naidu - Executive at Transit Ads

Briefly tell us about your new role?

Naidu: I have been appointed to executive: Transit Ads™ and am responsible for managing and leading the Transit Ads™ business, which is a division of Provantage Media Group. Part of my role is to ensure that from development to sales to operations, the strategy and business goals are met. I am constantly interacting with staff to ensure best practices. I look at how we strategise, respond to briefs, create new opportunities and continue to innovate.

What will your first order of business be?

Naidu: To position Transit Ads™ as the leader in the transit media space and to align our business growth to this. I also want to bring valuable insight to the market. Transit Ads™ continues to research the transit environment and the consumer within the environment. It is a dynamic space and how the consumer assimilates messaging and information is constantly changing, so too are shopping habits.

What is your main business challenge?

Naidu: Educating the industry. The majority of media buyers default to allocating advertising budget to the LSM A market. So the challenge is always “how do we channel a larger percentage of spend to the LSM B market?”

We place an enormous emphasis on research in terms of demographics, the consumer’s buying habits and their behaviour within the transit space and providing these insights to the industry, so that informed decisions can be made when purchasing the media platforms we have to offer, thus ensuring that the necessary return on investment can be achieved.

The biggest trend in your industry?

Naidu: Evolution of the transport industry within South Africa, by expansion and improvement of the current transport infrastructure, as well as new modes of transport such as BRT systems and Gautrain create considerable growth opportunities and new advertising environments. This is a natural incubator for innovation and growth in terms of out of home and digital out of home advertising opportunities. It is an exciting time for the industry.

Most important attributes needed to do your job?

Naidu:Being innovative and open minded, attention to detail, able to adapt to constant change, the ability to lead a dynamic team and the capacity to always see the bigger picture.

What's at the top of your bucket list?

Naidu: I’ve just graduated with an MBA so watch this space…