The greater outdoors

“Netflix and Google’s interest is another proof point that OOH makes strong synergies between the consumer out and about and the online/content platform.”

In late 2014 a group of advertising’s most influential executives parked themselves around a table with the aim of formulating a plan to make it easier for marketers and agencies to plan, buy and evaluate digital out-of-home (DOOH) media. The group – the members of which included media owners, strategy heads and sales directors – agreed the value presented by screens in lifts and lobbies, large format digital panels, interactive billboards and digital outdoor audience in real time was poorly understood by both agencies and advertisers alike. They vowed to do something about it.

With the digital channel still only a couple of years old, their concerns were reflected in results generated by peak industry body the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), which at the time showed DOOH accounted for just 17 percent of the total $759 million revenue generated by its members. Thanks in part to the collaborative approach taken by the group, within two years of that round table discussion, total OOH proceeds would increase by more than $30 million. But, far more significantly, digital’s share of that would rise to more than 40 percent. OMA CEO Charmaine Moldrich says that, by the end of 2018, income from digital assets will account forexciting period of progress and expansion – led by digital and the increasing availability of powerful data sets. This is compelling for advertisers and the reason we continue to see our revenue grow.”