London, 2017
King Out of Home, the privately owned, entrepreneurial and independent media owner has today announced a full business rebrand to Maximus.
The rebrand marks the coming of age of the business and its rapid expansion, reorganising and bringing together a substantial portfolio under one roof with distinct divisions. Maximus are gearing up for growth through investing in people across sales, marketing and development.
King Out of Home launched in 2003 from humble roots in East London erecting plywood on walls to sell to local businesses. The company has grown organically with just £50 of startup capital, no investors or debt, to become one of the dominant players in the super premium large format market benefiting from relationships with the UK’s largest property owners and the world’s biggest brands.
King Out of home is now the only major privately owned UK large format outdoor media owner in a sector where all the other companies are backed by private equity, venture capital or debt, which puts the business in a very strong position to become one of the ‘big 4’ outdoor media owners of the future.
Given its history the business has a bold stance and totally unique position in the outdoor market believing in free thinking and open mindedness. Being independent means they operate differently to other media owners focusing totally on client and landlord relationships. Organic growth has created one of the most financially strong and viable companies in the sector with no limit on its expansion plans for the future.
Ashley Smatt, founder of Maximus, said: “ We are hugely excited about the future of the business. In an increasingly diluted media market, through their uncompromising simplicity and impact, super-premium large format Billboards have been the cornerstone of almost all the world’s biggest brands’ marketing strategies for centuries. We are proud of what we do and truly believe in the power of big billboards in the right locations. We believe in empire building and the future of outdoor to leave a lasting legacy for both ourselves and our clients”.
The ramp up of the business has included a number of pivotal appointments. Ged Weston was appointed as Commercial Director from Airport Media in October. Weston has then brought in Debbie Harrison as Business Director and Lee Anderson as Marketing Director, joining from JCDecaux and Primesight respectively. The appointment of Weston is a significant part of the long-term growth plan for the business. Weston will be responsible driving all sales and marketing operations within the company across Client, Agency and Poster Specialists. His remit is to build greater coverage across the industry.
Weston said: ‘’We are currently focusing on what is important in driving the large format banner market. We have a distinct proposition and go to market plan. We now have the sales and marketing resources to move the sector on and drive significant growth. We are investing in sales, marketing and development resource to better serve our clients. Maximus is on a mission to showcase brands to the world in a truly memorable way’’.