Master Ad gears for rural expansion
MASTER Ad has earmarked about Bt500 million to expand its out-of-home advertising-media coverage, largely upcountry, both organically and through mergers or acquisitions of local companies, aiming to grow by 15 per cent to revenue of Bt1 billion this year
“We are negotiating with many local out-of-home-media operators in the provinces. The company aims to seal about three or four deals this year,” Suparanan Tanviruch, chief executive officer of Master Ad, said yesterday.
She said there was room to grow the nationwide out-of-home-media business because 70 per cent of the population resides outside Greater Bangkok, yet the capital and vicinity have absorbed about 70 per cent of out-of-home advertising expenditure.
Currently, Master Ad manages 1,347 out-of-home media units, comprising 660 billboards, 556 street-bench displays and 131 transit ad displays.
“Through the investment of Bt500 million in the second half of this year, we expect to double the number of units to more than 2,000, mainly in the provinces,” Suparanan said.
Master Ad believes it needs a larger out-of-home network to drive demand from its existing and future clients. The company targets a 40-per-cent share of the out-of-home advertising market within three years.
Apart from investing in new properties and M&As, the company is putting more focus on strengthening its sales teams, business and product development and technology to increase its competitiveness.
It targets revenue this year of at least Bt1 billion, up from last year’s Bt700 million.
Suparanan said VGI Global Media’s acquisition of a 37.42-per-cent stake in her company would result in benefits from media integration between the two parties.
