FEPE International, the global organisation representing out of home media (OOH) owners, national associations, specialist agencies and suppliers to the industry, has rebranded as the World Out of Home Organization to reflect the association's evolution from a European-based body to one that is "genuinely" global.
The move aims to reflect the changed nature of the association from a European-based entity to a genuinely global body. The announcement was made at FEPE International’s 60th annual congress in Dubai, held from 1-3 May--a record-breaking event with over 400 delegates from across the world.
FEPE International president Tom Goddard said, "moving on from FEPE is like saying goodbye to a much-loved old friend, but OOH is a truly global and rapidly-changing industry in 2019 and moving from FEPE to the World Out of Home Organization reflects these seismic changes."
FEPE (Federation European Publicite Exterieur) was founded in Paris by French outdoor pioneer Jacques Dauphin 60 years ago and initially comprised the national outdoor advertising federations of France, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Italy and the Netherlands. It now has members (including many national associations) from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, India and China. Board members include JCDecaux, Clear Channel and Exterion.
The FEPE orignal logo was designed by Sleeping Giant. Today, the new name, logo and other related visual materials were developed with the help of UK brand consultancy Heavenly.
Heavenly CEO Richard Sunderland says, "Heavenly was engaged to help modernise the FEPE brand, ensuring it better reflected the unprecedented level of innovation that is now transforming the OOH sector."
"The name itself had become an acronym that not many could decode, even among the membership, and one that did not truly reflect the international role the organisation now plays," he adds.
FEPE International will transform to the World of Out Home Organization over the coming months.