A letter from… Milan

As part of our new ‘A letter from…’ series, based on our teams’ experiences visiting markets, International Team member Gabriela showcases the incredible outdoor opportunities available to clients in Milan. She reports:

Milan is a major commercial hub in Italy, a city of international fashion, luxury, art, gastronomy, and culture,  and one of the big four prominent fashion capitals of the world - with their eponymous fashion weeks - alongside London, New York, and Paris. It’s known for its designer boutiques, delicious food, and the Duomo Cathedral.  Last month I had the opportunity to explore their outdoor advertising landscape on a business trip, networking with key media owners and emerging vendors, and I got up close to the rich tapestry of OoH sites this cosmopolitan city offers.

Milan is an unusual city when it comes to advertising, versus other European capitals. Despite being relatively compact, it has an extraordinary number of spectacular sites and wow formats across the city. This is due to its rich history and the number of buildings granted planning permission for temporary advertising spaces, which help fund the renovations and restorations taking place, and keep the city looking beautiful. 

The media landscape is dominated by large-format spectacular sites, both static banners and digital screens. Many of them are located in the most central parts of Milan, such as the Duomo, Corsa Como, Corsa Garibaldi, and Porta Venezia; key areas of the city famous for their food, nightlife, and landmarks. Luxury fashion brands, such as Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Valentino, and Ferigamo, are experienced in using the canvas of the city and taking advantage of the affluent audience living in and visiting Milan. These brands creatively make the most of huge canvases across the city and the audiences they have to offer, especially during key times such as Milan Fashion Week, twice a year in September and February, and Design Week in April.     

Beyond luxury retailers, tech companies are joining in on the medium; flocking to Milan’s large format spectacular sites - we saw many of the biggies, including Samsung and eBay. These sought-after opportunities often sell way in advance; the competition to advertise in this fashion heart of the world is extremely high. 

Walking around the magnificent Duomo area, admiring the crème de la crème of OOH advertising, reminded me once again why I love this industry.

During the trip, we met up with most of the key players for each OOH environment. We were amazed by the roadside offerings - both in large and small formats. Even though the first clearly dominates Milan, roadside street furniture allows brands to expand their reach, build recognition, and allow for some really creative executions. What was really interesting to see was, in this city, it’s not just FMCG or national brands utilising bus shelters, but brands like Prada launching their new collection. 

The special builds we saw in person bring outdoor to life with an immersive experience and are available across metro, rail, and roadside environments, as well as the highly engaging dwell time that the airport airside experience offers. They prove that creativity really catches the attention and helps create a buzz, both in person and online; amplifying reach even further. 

Men’s Italian apparel brand, C.P. Company, undertook the below campaign via Clear Channel Italia in September 2022 and February 2023. 15 units of the FSU VIP Network were emptied of traditional paper and filled with real jackets. This brand solution is called ‘Show Case’ and includes the wrapping of the frame and base of every unit. 

In addition to street furniture, we learned a great deal about advertising across the public transportation network and admired cleverly wrapped trams, trains and buses. Milan’s metro and train stations offer a wide variety of opportunities that even London should be jealous of.

All these formats combined allow us to create a well-rounded campaign and tell a story across multiple environments, as well as pick out specific audiences minimising waste in the process. 

And yet, even with all these classical options, the format that stood out for me the most was murals. There’s only a handful of locations that allow them, and in some cases huge fashion brands have been renting them exclusively for decades with rights to renew, meaning some of these sites never hit the market. A great example of the brilliant use of OOH is the site photographed below, picked personally by Georgio Armani 27 years ago due to its perfect location and seemingly limitless creative opportunities.

Milan is a walkable city, however, there is an arterial road going all the way around, allowing for easy access to the centre and creating opportunities to target those moving around in cars.

The spectacular Duomo sits right in the heart of the city, surrounded by streets filled with great shops and even better restaurants offering authentic Italian food, bursting at the seams during aperitivo hours. These are thoroughly enjoyed by tourists and Italians alike. This historical area, rich in beautiful architecture, provides a contrast to the modern financial district of Porta Nuova located 20 minutes walk away. 

This newer area of Milan is one of the main business districts, where the majority of the biggest tech and larger companies reside. Porta Nuova is filled with modern architecture, built of glass and steel, surrounded by permanent free-standing digital advertising opportunities.

One thing that everyone in Milan seems to have in common is love for fashion - streets are filled with fashionably dressed people, enjoying both luxury and high street shops alike - making it a perfect place for brands to advertise.