Creativity is the key to unlocking the potential of Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising by revolutionising our urban landscapes with dynamic and engaging content, messaging and activations. Of course, I would say this... I've spent the last 20 years of my professional life devoted to ensuring this is the case. However, it's important to note that it's only possible with the perfect synergy between the media and creative worlds.What good is the world's best DOOH campaign if the intended audience doesn't see/care/act?

By merging innovative concepts with technology, DOOH has transformed boring old static billboards into interactive opportunities, a chance to engage with consumers like never before, to excite, entertain, inform, interact, and communicate. The world's oldest medium is arguably the most trusted and rewarding for brands to play with creatively as part of the modern marketing mix.

Creative content that captivates audiences by leveraging location-based targeting and real-time data to deliver relevant messages is a real game changer for OOH and has been made possible through the investment that media owners worldwide have made in on-the-ground technology and screens.

Data-driven dynamic creative can ensure your campaign is always relevant to OOH audiences at given times. In some circles, this is known as Dynamic Creative Optimisation or DCO, aligning itself with the online world. We talk about this technique internally as AMM –Audience + Moment = Message. Who's around, what factors might affect them, and how or what should we communicate with them?

Whether immersive storytelling to gamification, augmented reality, anamorphic content, CGI, technology or technique-driven, creative executions can help elevate brand visibility, drive consumer engagement, and improve effectiveness on DOOH screens.  

Creativity in the DOOH media space helps campaigns transcend traditional advertising boundaries, it amplifies brand narratives and helps foster memorable connections between brands and consumers. It's the catalyst for transforming urban environments into dynamic canvases, where brands come alive to leave lasting impressions on audiences worldwide.

There's a quote I love to use from one of the most decorated creative advertising people in the world Mark Tutsell, who I interviewed on my Behind the Billboard podcast:

"Think of the streets as your stage and your goal is to earn a standing ovation."

ABOUT:  Grand Visual

Grand Visual is a unique, global production agency providing creative and production services for Out Of Home. They craft compelling OOH activations, shaped around audiences, locations and mindsets using various creative techniques; joining the dots between brands, agencies and media owners to activate creative Out of Home campaigns in the real world.  

Grand Visual has been operating in and helping define the OOH channel for almost twenty years and became part of Talon through acquisition in 2019.

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BackLite Media lit up 15 digital screens across Dubai with the universal symbol of peace — a single candle — in solidarity with the Essays for Peace global campaign, which marked International Peace Day on Saturday, 21 September.

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The burning candle creative — which included no words, no logos, and no political affiliations — was part of a worldwide initiative, which spanned more than 40 cities and more than 15,000 screens across the globe.
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Speaking to Campaign Middle East, James Bicknell, CEO, BackLite Media, said, “We are humbled to have taken part in the Essays for Peace initiative to commemorate UN International Peace Day by illuminating digital screens across Dubai, including high-traffic areas along Sheikh Zayed Road. The campaign successfully reached thousands of residents and tourists.”
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On the night of September 20th, when the clock struck midnight to mark the start of International Peace Day, this global action began in several cities in New Zealand and concluded in Honolulu, Hawaii, 36 hours later.

Out-of-home (OOH) companies from all over the planet joined the initiative, from Grupo Vía in  Buenos Aires, Argentina who displayed the candle over 400 screens to LUMO Digital Outdoor who lit the candle on digital screens in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to inspire global unity on International Peace Day.

The candle on the OOH screens replaced normal advertisements on the screens for a maximum duration of five minutes with either the image or a video of a lit candle. Spanish musician Llorenç Barber, renowned for his minimalist-inspired compositions, created a score for peace to accompany this action.

BackLite Media‘s Bicknell added, “As part of a global campaign that involved over 15,000 screens in 40 cities, the peaceful display of a single glowing candle served as a reminder of the power of unity and reflection. At BackLite Media, we believe in the responsibility of Out-of-Home advertising to support meaningful causes that transcend borders.

“Our participation in this initiative aimed to inspire a collective moment of peace, reinforcing our commitment to using our platform to support important global movements,” he concluded.

The IAB MENA DOOH Task Force has announced the release of its Guide to Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (pDOOH).

The advertising group has shared that the guide is “an essential” resource to transform the digital advertising landscape in the MENA region.

Even though 30 per cent of the total OOH investment in the region is spent on digital screens, IAB found that only 1 per of the digital screens were purchased programmatically. In contrast, as found in the ‘IAB MENA’ Attitudes to Programmatic’ survey, the region’s perceived scale of Programmatic DOOH is significantly higher than the current figures.

Given the positive market sentiment towards the pDOOH, the guide aims to educate and highlight the potential and growth opportunities of pDOOH.

The free whitepaper aims to equip advertisers, agencies, and stakeholders with insights into Programmatic DOOH in MENA.

The guide compares traditional DOOH advertising with programmatic DOOH (pDOOH), looking at the workflow differences, data-driven planning, targeting, and monitoring benefits.

It also discusses pDOOH’s flexibility, real-time optimisation, and targeted advertising, offering a roadmap for its integration in media strategies.  It lists regional pDOOH suppliers and the digital screen formats available in the MENA region.

The guide was developed collaboratively by 20 industry professionals from 17 member companies such as BackLite Media, Choueiri Group, Elan MENA, GroupM, MCN, Omnicom Media Group, Talon, Publicis Media, Pikasso, The Trade Desk, and Seventh Decimal.

“Collaborating together really drives increased collective knowledge.  By doing this, we aim to shed a light on the huge potential of pDOOH across MENA as a key part in the future growth of our region,” said, Ian Manning, Executive Director at IAB MENA.

Programmatic DOOH is poised for exponential growth in the region. In 2023, investment in DOOH was estimated to reach $350 million, and forecasts suggest that this figure will more than double to over $700 million by 2029.

According to IAB, the growth is primarily driven by the rapid digitisation and automation of OOH screens in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, coupled with the increasing demand from advertisers seeking dynamic and measurable ways to connect with audiences.
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It’s no secret that Out-of-Home (OOH) is a significant medium within the MENA region. Still, the rapid digitisation and automation of OOH screens in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar are transformative.

IAB MENA estimates that Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) spending was around $350m in 2023 and on a growth trajectory that could reach $700m by 2029—driven both by new inventory availability and the ability of DOOH to marry the best of mass reach and targeted, measurable delivery.

As the market for DOOH grows, we will also see an increase in programmatic buying and selling. This is still a fraction of the overall Digital OOH market in MENA, with many barriers to overcome. Still, the benefits of superior audience targeting, flighting flexibility and real-time optimisation will likely increase demand and adoption over the coming years.

IAB MENA DOOH Taskforce‍

The IAB MENA DOOH Taskforce, comprising 21 people from 15 member companies, released a series of papers and videos in 2023 covering the DOOH market, including a perspective on the available inventory, glossaries to set standard terminologies and a detailed whitepaper. This year, based on our members’ potential in Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (PrDOOH), we are delving more specifically into this area.

We see a positive upside for both advertisers and media owners. For advertisers, amongst other things, the opportunity to target and optimise campaigns in real-time to specific consumers using data across different networks is a considerable effectiveness boost. For publishers, the ability to maximise revenue opportunity through optimising inventory, leveraging different audience values and real-time measurement alongside the operational efficiencies created suggests it needs to be part of any successful offering.

The development of PrDOOH suits both buyers and sellers, making it an essential contributor to a vibrant MENA advertising ecosystem. Over the coming months, we aim to collectively and collaboratively develop resources that help the broader market fully understand the opportunity that PrDOOH brings, the routes to overcome challenges, and the practical steps to create and implement it.

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What is fuelling the continued growth of PrDOOH?

For the 5th year running, VIOOH have partnered with international research and strategy agency, MTM, to survey 1,200 advertisers and agencies across the US, UK, Australia, Germany, France, and guest market Brazil to learn about the current state of the nation of programmatic DOOH advertising.

Programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH) is rapidly transforming the way advertisers reach audiences on the go.  As a result, prDOOH adoption has accelerated among advertisers in recent years, a trend expected to increase as the technology matures and as the amount of programmatic inventory available expands.

The adoption rate of programmatic DOOH in media plans will increase from 27% to 35% over the next 18 months, aligning with global forecasts, according to the new research from VIOOH into the programmatic DOOH (prDOOH) market.

The VIOOH State of the Nation Programmatic DOOH 2024 report noted that Australian marketers are doubling down on prDOOH advertising, with investments projected to increase by an average of 28% over the next 18 months.

Further reinforcing this, there is a significant 12 ppt YoY rise in marketers planning to allocate new budgets specifically for prDOOH campaigns (27%), with 38% coming from other digital channels.

The report noted that direct-only DOOH buys were used by 45% of respondents (+11 ppt YoY), while programmatic-only buys reached 47% (+12 ppt YoY). Hybrid buys were at 41% (+9 ppt YoY), demonstrating a growing preference for the flexibility and adaptability of programmatic buying methods.

Demand-side platforms (DSPs) managed services saw an uptick of 25 ppt YoY, adopted by 44% of marketers in 2024. The use of in-house teams rose from 9% to 27% (+17 ppt YoY), highlighting a growing preference for direct, internal management of prDOOH campaigns and alignment with other programmatic channels within a multi-channel strategy.

Dynamism and creative flexibility

PrDOOH ranks as a top channel for securing the top spot for performance-led campaigns (92%) and for brand-led campaigns (86%), only slightly behind social media (88%).

Most respondents (92%) now see prDOOH as delivering the most innovative opportunities of all advertising channels (+12 ppt YoY).

Almost three quarters (71%) of Australian marketers believe prDOOH advertising offers the most precise location targeting compared to any other channel. This is notably higher in Australia than in any other market, exceeding the global average of 60%.

Trigger-based buying capabilities, such as responding to events, news or promotions, were the most influential factor for 69% of marketers in determining their investment. This is an increase of 16 ppt YoY, underscoring the growing importance of contextually relevant advertising in the Australian market.

Many Australian marketers leverage prDOOH for its unparalleled dynamism and creative flexibility, with 65% identifying it as the leading channel for dynamic creative opportunities.

Most (95%) of those surveyed are embracing Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO), either through consideration, pilot programmes or active integration. This aligns with the global average, reflecting a widespread recognition of DCO’s benefits, including enhanced creative agility and optimised ad spend.

Maximising efficiency and minimising wastage‍

Sustainability is a major consideration for Australian advertisers when planning and buying media, with 65% ranking it among the top attributes prDOOH delivers against (compared to 62% globally).

Marketers in Australia particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability credentials, recognising its eco-efficient reach as prDOOH is only activated when a relevant audience is present or predefined trigger criteria are met, maximising efficiency compared to DOOH and traditional OOH (65% prDOOH vs. 57% DOOH vs. 51% OOH), according to the report.

“In Australia, marketers are drawn to the flexibility, audience relevance, optimised ad revenue potential and sustainability credentials of prDOOH,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, chief executive officer at VIOOH.

“They’re leveraging its advanced targeting capabilities to deliver highly relevant and dynamic ads across the market, maximising efficiency and minimising wastage.

“We expect the widespread adoption of prDOOH to accelerate across the Australian market – and we’re looking forward to continuing to drive the evolution of DOOH towards a programmatic, more integrated future in the media landscape.”
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Download the report here: https://www.viooh.com/sotn-register-to-download-reports-2024
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Advertising sites throughout Dubai will now be managed and operated by a newly formed private joint-stock firm, Mada Media Company.‍

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has issued Law No. (20) of 2024 to establish the company.

Mada Media is tasked with overseeing advertising sites, investing in advertising technologies and conducting relevant research, all while ensuring compliance with regulations.

It is also authorised to form partnerships, acquire assets and enter into contracts to achieve its goals both within and outside Dubai.

The Commissioner General for the Infrastructure, Urban Planning, and Well-Being Pillar will oversee Mada Media’s operations.

The new law empowers Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Municipality to delegate their advertising-related functions and permit issuance to Mada Media.

These entities will also transfer their advertising assets, rights, and obligations to the company, including system access.

Mada Media's shares may be offered for public subscription in proportions determined by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.

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BackLite Media is currently hosting what it claims to be Huda Beauty’s first ever OOH campaign on one of its main collections of OOH offerings, The Triple Crown.

The advertising company said The Triple Crown is a popular choice for luxury OOH advertising in Dubai, making it the perfect location for amplifying Huda Kattan’s campaign.

Positioned on Sheikh Zayed Road, it offers unavoidable visibility to millions of daily commuters, ensuring the campaign reaches an affluent, diverse audience.

BackLite said The Triple Crown’s large, high-definition screens helped create a statement among Dubai’s residents and tourists, with the aim of complementing the campaign’s viral nature and elevating its prestige, hoping to align with Dubai’s premium and luxury brand ecosystem.

To position the campaign in a location where it would perform the best and deliver the highest ROI, BackLite claims it started the visualisation process by thoroughly understanding the campaign’s nature and the target audience.

“We identified the key objectives and demographics for the Easy Blur launch, and then recommended the best locations—like The Triple Crown—based on traffic data and audience fit,” said James Bicknell, CEO of BackLite Media.

“We also collaborated closely with the creative team, offering insights on adapting the artwork for maximum impact in an OOH format.
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This included advising on visual tweaks and adjustments to ensure the campaign was appealing and highly engaging for both daytime and nighttime commuters. This holistic approach ensured the campaign was perfectly tailored for OOH, creating a seamless transition from online to offline engagement,” Bicknell said.

The Easy Blur product line, launched earlier this month, has sparked a lot of chatter. It boldly features the brand’s founder, Huda Kattan, in a before-and-after setting to prove the product works like a filter.

Huda Beauty has previously stuck to social media and influencer marketing to promote its new products. According to BackLite, the significance of choosing a luxury OOH format to advertise the brand enhances the campaign’s perceived status as it fuels and association with other top-tier brands. Therefore, it aims to make it more appealing to a discerning audience.

BackLite claims the combination of strategic location and premium context helps the campaign stand out in a competitive market, amplifying its impact and driving consumer action.

Huda Beauty also unveiled a redesign of its logo earlier this year, which was rolled out with its best-selling Easy Bake Loose Powder. The rebrand was introduced in a YouTube video on Huda Beauty’s channel, where Kattan gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the strategy and process of the rebrand.

“This is an opportunity for us to really define who we are as a brand, who we are in the industry,” Kattan said about the rebrand in a recording of a meeting shown in the reveal video.

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In today’s media landscape, flash is king. Every day, people are exposed to an onslaught of information, but the best advertisers know how to create ads that cut through the noise.

In our digital-first world, out-of-home media is often overlooked by advertisers in favour of pursuing online marketing efforts. This represents a huge missed opportunity, as outdoor advertising is one of the most effective ways to engage with customers and inspire them to take action. Since the pandemic, more people are venturing out of their homes daily, making it more important than ever to incorporate OOH ads in your marketing efforts.

We’ve put together 6 tips to create impactful OOH ads that help you connect with your audience.

1. Let data lead

Creating a successful OOH ad campaign requires in-depth knowledge of your target audience, media channel preferences, and what drives their decision-making.

By gathering and analysing customer data, you can create strategic campaigns that focus on the needs of your target audience and consider how you can connect with them at each touchpoint.


2. Know your audience

The best way to design an ad that resonates with your audience is to understand who—and where—they are. Modern marketing is all about leveraging customer data to deliver a personalised experience, and OOH ads are no different.

A recent Zendesk study found that 76% of consumers expect a personalised experience. Data analytics can help you deliver that, maximising the impact of your campaign and facilitating cross-channel integration so you can offer customers a cohesive experience through OOH ads, digital advertising, and social media.


3. Make it contextual

When it comes to OOH ads, there are many formats and settings to choose from. The best campaigns are a culmination of data, technology, creativity, and context.

Tesco’s ‘Together this Ramadan’ billboard campaign used contextual targeting techniques, placing their billboards in areas with large Muslim populations and using digital technology to display both a fasting and non-fasting message, depending on the time of day. The campaign resulted in a 275% increase in mentions of Tesco and Ramadan on social media and remains a great example of how selecting the right setting is key to the success of your OOH ads.

Another tactic to consider is positioning your ad near a point of sale. Engaging with audiences effectively at or near a point of sale allows you to witness the power of OOH advertising in action, from building brand awareness to driving sales.

By placing OOH ads along the path to purchase and in proximity to certain retailers,  your OOH ads end up functioning as a last-mile sales push, transforming the customer’s intent to buy into a completed purchase. This approach not only streamlines the customer journey but also captivates audiences by offering them a digital experience in the physical world.

Through the use of data analytics, you can effectively determine the location and movement patterns of your audience, giving you greater insight into your own media placements.

4. Keep it simple

When you’re working with OOH ads, the amount of time you have to make an impression can vary depending on your choice of location.

While certain venues, like roadside billboards, tend to have a low dwell time, others, like bus stations, might have longer to make an impact. Your chosen venue and its corresponding dwell time should play a significant role in shaping the creative and messaging of your OOH ads.

For ads in places with lower dwell time, like the side of a bus, a simple, uncluttered ad with a clear message tends to make the biggest impact. In venues with higher dwell times, like train stations, people have more time to interact with ads, so you can include more visual elements as well as text and go into greater detail about the brand and its specific offering.

Colour selection should also take into consideration the placement of the ad and its surrounding environment to ensure that it will stand out and make an impact on passers-by. Colour is crucial to designing an effective ad campaign. In fact, studies show that colour has the power to increase brand awareness by 80% and influence 85% of purchase decisions.


5. Get creative

Want to optimise your business outcomes through advertising? Creativity is key to setting yourself apart from the competition and getting noticed. In fact, creativity is the main driver of marketing effectiveness, second only to the size of your brand.

While you likely can’t change the size of your brand overnight, you can place a greater emphasis on exceptional creative work, allowing it to be the driving force behind your ad creation and marketing campaigns.


6. Make it inclusive

OOH is not only one of the most effective ways to reach your audience but also one of the strongest channels to deliver inclusive messaging. With OOH ads being placed in public spaces, viewing them is a shared experience for audiences. Representation matters, and in an increasingly multicultural society, it’s key that you engage with consumers in ways that are meaningful to them, especially as OOH reaches more than 98% of the adult population.

Diversity and inclusion begin behind the scenes by hiring the right people to conceive of and create ads that speak to a diverse range of viewpoints and experiences.


7. Designing an effective OOH ad campaign

The key to a successful OOH ad campaign is to design an eye-catching ad that moves people and has a visual impact while keeping your messaging simple.

In order to unlock the benefits of OOH ads, creativity needs to be at the center of your process.

By combining creativity and data analytics to guide your decision-making, you’ll be able to create an ad that resonates with your target audience and inspires them to take action.

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Registration is now open for the World Out of Home Organization Europe Forum in Milan from November 4-6.

Proceedings will start on the Monday night with Welcome drinks at the Forum venue. In addition, we’ll be holding a celebration dinner on the Tuesday evening, venue to be confirmed.

The Forum will include one and a half days of presentations on the expanding World of Out of Home from Media Owners, Buyers, Tech Suppliers and Clients with a lunchtime finish on the Wednesday.

The European Forum follows another record-breaking Global Congress in Hong Kong with over 500 delegates as well as a second regional APAC Forum in Bali and the first Africa Forum in Cape Town.

WOO CMO Richard Saturley says: "WOO is now a thoroughly global organization but we felt it time to bring a Forum to Europe where the Out of Home industry is booming, overtaking North America for the first time in terms of revenue.

"Returning to Milan for the first time since 2012 is a great way to celebrate the advances in technology and creativity that are driving the medium forward. Interest in Milan has been massive so we urge members to register as soon as they can."

Ströer Co-CEO Christian Schmalzl has been annonced as our first keynote speaker and we'll be announcing more speakers in the coming weeks.

Click here to register: https://registration.global-studio.it/cmsweb/Index.asp?IDEvento=1955&Lang=EN

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