May 2023

The traffic-stopping special build for Amazon Prime’s season 3 launch of The Boys has won global recognition at the 2023 World Out Of Home (WOOH) awards.

The creative, which featured a giant visage of Karl Urban shooting ‘laser beams’ from his eyes into a strategically placed car wreck on Newton Road, garnered coverage around the world. It has now made it onto the six-strong WOOH shortlist for best Creative Classic OOH campaign.

The creative was a collaboration between Phantom Billstickers and Mediabrands Content Studio, along with media agencies Billie Media and Rufus powered by Initiative.

As well as reaching tens of thousands of viewers passing by the site each day, The Boys campaign ignited attention around the world. Fans organically shared content to the global Reddit thread r/TheBoys (545K members), and the site was digitally recreated within the world of Grand Theft Auto: Online in Brazil.

WOOH CMO Richard Saturley says: “We have had more entries than ever for the Digital and Classic Creative Awards and the quality has never been higher. Especially pleasing is that entries came from all over the world and that’s reflected in the two excellent shortlists.”

Phantom CEO Robin McDonnell says the company is “quietly thrilled” by the way a bold client and some no-holds-barred brainstorming led to a world-class solution. 

“The Boys launch shows what’s possible when everything comes together,” McDonnell says. “New Zealand agencies and marketers have shown themselves unafraid to stretch the possibility of the medium.” 

“Challenge us! We’ve got a passion for posters and the practical capability to deliver off-the-wall ideas – right down to sourcing and placing a wrecked car.

“Phantom has some of Aotearoa’s top sites, just waiting for you to populate them with the next global award-winning idea.”

The WOOH award winners will be named during the organisation’s annual Congress, to be held at Lisbon on 7-9 June 2023.

You’ve probably heard that the New Zealand economy is not looking too crash-hot right now. The Covid spend-up is over. The IMF predicts we’ll have one of the lowest GDP growth rates in Asia-Pacific over the next year or so.

Yeah, it sucks. At Phantom Billstickers, we’re not immune from market realities.  Neither are the landlords and property companies we partner with. 

But with that downbeat news out of the way, we’d like to focus on some positive stuff.

So here’s the good-ish news for Phantom’s partners. 

1. We’re not going anywhere

Phantom Billstickers has been around since 1982.This is not our first rodeo.

We’ve ridden the waves of boom and bust in the New Zealand economy many times over the last 41 years. Our business model has been tested and found to be resilient. By serving a very broad market – from A3 posters for local bands to billboards for major brands – we’ve been able to build a loyal and diverse client base who know that street posters work.

There’s even some evidence that traditional media, such as posters, have an advantage in the current climate. 

This helps underpin our business…and yours.

2. In fact, we’re growing

We currently have over 6,500 poster frames in 16 towns and cities across the country. It’s New Zealand’s biggest street poster network – and we’re in the process of making it even bigger.

In Taupo, we’re looking to bring Phantom frames to town for the first time. We’re also looking to sign up more sites in thriving Tauranga.

Do you own property in either of these locations? Do you know anyone in Tauranga or Taupo with a property that might be suitable? We should talk.

Get in touch with our Commercial Manager Yoannah Dieudonne on Yoannah@0800phantom.co.nz 

3. The joy of pa$$ive income

One of the nicest things about hosting Phantom Billstickers frames is that they create value from nothing. A Phantom contract turns bare walls into valuable real estate. The result is revenue you can rely on.

It gets better. Our billstickers maintain your wall space by removing tagging and keeping things tidy. Sometimes we install lighting. And every week, there’s a  fresh set of posters to enliven the scene and attract eyeballs. (Flora for the Concrete Jungle.)

Passive income is a beautiful thing. The economic cycle may peak or plummet, but our business partners know they can rely on their Phantom revenue during good times and bad.

4. No risk, no hassle, no headaches

Every business that hosts Phantom frames gets a contract to provide certainty. No ‘handshake deals.’ While these might sound easy, in practice they create grey areas, and we want to make sure you’ve got everything in writing.

Good contracts create good partnerships, and ours have been crafted to make sure our partners share in the value we’re creating from the street posters they host. It’s a win/win/win scenario for our business, our landlords and our advertisers.

When it’s time to renew contracts, we’re always ready to work with property owners to reach a mutually beneficial outcome. We will share data and explain our thinking. It’s all about creating long-term value.

And that applies whether the economy if racing ahead or going through a patch of (hopefully short-term) turbulence. 

Got a question about your Phantom contract renewal? Our Commercial  Manager Yoannah is always ready to clear things up. Email her on Yoannah@0800phantom.co.nz