Petya Muruti, CEO of DMD Consulting, in an interview with Forbes Women 2024

Petya Mourouti, Executive Director of DMD Consulting, is comfortable to step outside her comfort zone and bring feminine creativity into the male-dominated world of billboard advertising.

You studied law. What brought you to DMD Consulting?

I graduated secondary school with distinction and received an award personally presented by the Mayor of the Lozenets District in Sofia. I hold a Master’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Law. My career began as a civil servant, and I have numerous certificates and commendations from various state institutions, committees, and programmes. I have participated in many projects. On a personal note, I received a marriage proposal from my husband and got married.

My husband holds an exceptionally important place in my life. He is the person who supports me unconditionally in everything I do. In fact, we are not only husband and wife, but also friends and business partners. I was awarded the title of “Bride of the Year 2021.” It was precisely after this significant personal milestone that I began my work at DMD Consulting Ltd. I took up outdoor advertising. I love my work and often put in more than fifteen hours a day. I am a perfectionist and I believe in an individual approach to every client, because when you offer national coverage, you must pay attention to every last detail of the advertising campaign.

What does your company do?

My company, DMD Consulting Ltd., is one of the leading billboard advertising companies in Bulgaria. The company owns more than 160 billboards of the “Pisa” and “Megaboard” types. The advertising structures are located along motorways and national roads across Bulgaria. Outdoor advertising is one of the primary advertising channels, commanding over 83% market share. It reaches the consumer outside their home, in contrast to media advertising, print advertising, and internet advertising.

According to data from the Traffic Police, over 6 million vehicles travel during the summer. As a result, billboard advertising covers a wide target audience at a low cost per impression. Advertising is visible 24 hours a day. It works continuously. 80% of our perception is visual — you cannot close your eyes while travelling! Furthermore, this type of advertising is resistant to weather conditions, as advertising vinyls are made from 3M high-quality German-coated vinyl.

Billboard advertising is an excellent opportunity to promote a local business or establish a brand at a national level. With the help of GPS technology, advertisements can be targeted to specific locations and deliver personalised messages based on the user’s location.

What sets you apart from others in the market?

I am pleased to share that what distinguishes us from other companies is the fact that, in addition to renting out our own billboards, we also design visuals and provide individual media planning for each client. We also manage billboards owned by our counterparts (corporate-owned structures). Our corporate clients for billboard management include UniCredit Bulbank, HAPPY, Euromarket, Sis Industries, BGR Group, Yavlena, and others. We also carry out the construction of foundations and structures for advertising installations, as well as the procedure for obtaining permits for special road use through the operation of advertising structures. In other words, we offer a comprehensive service to our clients and counterparts — from the creation of the advertising visual by a graphic designer through to the construction of the structure and the issuance of the relevant permit. For structural engineering solutions, we frequently collaborate with international partners.

Photo: Kostadin Krastev-KOKO

What are the current trends in billboard advertising?

Billboard advertising is a traditional media channel. It plays an important role in advertising campaigns as a means of capturing consumer attention. This type of advertising is effective in keeping brands top of mind. Consumers see the messages repeatedly while travelling, and the trend is that there are ever more travellers, with numbers growing year on year. Trust is built. And trust sells — and endures into the future.

Consumers place greater trust in billboards, according to a Nielsen study. This also supports impulse purchasing decisions in both physical and digital environments. When consumers see advertising on billboards, they can immediately use their mobile phones to make an online purchase or head to a physical store.

Clear and precise messages, as well as colour impressions conveyed through billboards and absorbed by consumers, lead to repeated searches for the relevant brands, multiple visits to their websites and pages in the future, thereby extending the life of the campaign itself, while the brand enjoys trust and recognition.

Not least among current trends is the growing blocking of online advertising. In 2023, more than one quarter (26.4%) of internet users blocked digital advertisements on their devices. Trends indicate that this figure will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, people have developed the habit of skipping online ads when they appear. This trend in online advertising makes physical billboard advertising a far more effective channel for reaching large consumer segments.

The trends show that billboard advertising is adapting to changing consumer preferences in order to remain an effective marketing tool in today’s world.

Have you noticed changes arising from various state regulations on advertising in specific sectors?

Certainly, I have noticed the changes arising from various state regulators. Most recently this year, an amendment to the Gambling Act was passed, which categorically prohibited any and all advertising of gambling activities. Billboard advertising remained as the only permitted option, though it too is subject to restrictions and a legal framework. There have also been changes to the Regulation on Special Use of Roads, which governs our activity. This presents us with new challenges

What are the challenges in this business?

As in every business, ours too faces a number of challenges. We are increasingly required to install safety systems on motorways in front of advertising structures, which is tied to the procedure for obtaining permits for the special use of roads through the operation of advertising installations. The entire procedure is a complex, multi-component process. Projects are prepared by road engineers and include geodetic surveys, road engineering design, and a Temporary Traffic Safety Management Plan. We work closely with the specialised administration of the Road Infrastructure Agency across all regional road management departments, as well as with the Ministry of Interior and the Traffic Police. It is precisely because of these legal challenges that I am grateful to myself for my education and all the effort I invested to acquire the skills that now help me professionally.

And what are the challenges of being a woman in this business?

Globally, women are slowly but steadily making their way to the top of the corporate world — their numbers are growing continuously. The challenges are many, but the key one is to step outside your comfort zone and give your absolute best, and the results will follow on their own. This is my personal motto in the working day. The satisfaction of our clients and their success are both an incentive and my greatest reward to continue moving forward with even greater drive.

I believe that women are more creative and more readily find solutions and adapt their mindset to societal and economic changes — whether a financial crisis, the coronavirus crisis, or other challenges we face today. As a woman running her own business, I know there are others like me in our society, and I hope their numbers keep growing. To all the ladies: “Be bold — miracles happen every day!”

Source: forbesbulgaria.com