2014 is the 50th anniversary of JCDecaux. This milestone year will be marked across the Group worldwide, celebrating the unique history and success of the company.
In Ireland, 2014 is our own milestone year with the completion of the dublinbikes expansion and the launch of digital media formats into Victoria Square, Belfast.
The JCDecaux Business Model
JCDecaux's story began in Beauvais in 1953. Jean-Claude Decaux, who was born into a modest family of shoe-shop owners in 1937, already believed in the impact of advertising on sales and decided to display advertising posters for the family shop in the city. This initiative, which was rare in the 1950s, enabled him to gain recognition and to become a poster provider for other Beauvais retailers seeking to promote their businesses.
Jean-Claude Decaux soon wanted to set up his own billboard company. The young entrepreneur employed six colleagues to display large format roadside billboards, as strong competition prevented him from gaining access to towns.
However, the 1964 French Finance Act, which planned to impose higher taxes on roadside advertising displays in order to reduce their number in the countryside, encouraged him to rethink his development strategy. He devised a new kind of advertising support and proposed an innovative concept to mayors: providing and maintaining bus shelters, financed by advertising.
The Mayor of Lyon was the first to adopt this new public service provided by a private company in 1964. The advertising bus shelter and the JCDecaux business model were born.
Since then, the Group has never stopped innovating and designing new street furniture such as Citylight information panels, outdoor scrolling advertising panels, directional signage, public conveniences, public litter bins or large-format scrolling panels, etc. At the same time, JCDecaux has exported its idea of financing street furniture via advertising throughout the world and is present in over 60 countries in 2014.
JCDecaux in Ireland
JCDecaux entered the Irish market in 1999 with the acquisition of David Allen, Ireland's first outdoor media owner. JCDecaux are the recognised market leader in the billboard sector on the Island of Ireland and hold the RPA contract for advertising on the Luas and also the contract to manage the Northern Ireland Transport Holding (NITHC) rail portfolio. JCDecaux Metro Formats came about as a result of the JCDecaux advertising in exchange for public service model which delivered the hugely successful dublinbikes scheme to the capital. Most recently, we have added retail and digital to our portfolio in Ireland.
For further information regarding 50 years of history at JCDecaux please go to www.jcdecaux.com