TITLE: Chief Executive Officer, BackLite Media

YEARS IN THE ROLE: 15 years

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 23 years

YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION: 20 years

As leaders in outdoor advertising, we face a pivotal moment where change is inevitable and essential. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies is transforming the industry, challenging us to rethink how we approach our craft.

At BackLite Media, we believe in fearlessly embracing this change – not just as a necessity but as an opportunity to lead the market through this exciting evolution. We see ourselves as drivers of innovation but, more importantly, as leaders guiding our teams and partners through this transformative journey.

AI is reshaping the advertising landscape in profound ways. The days of traditional billboards are behind us, replaced by dynamic, data-driven campaigns that can adapt in real-time. With AI, we can analyse vast amounts of data to deliver personalised, context-aware content that speaks directly to the viewer. This shift requires not just technological advancement but a mindset that embraces possibility and is unafraid of the unknown.

At BackLite, we’ve adopted AI as a cornerstone of our strategy, harnessing its potential to create smarter, more impactful campaigns. For luxury brands, this means elevating the consumer experience, offering bespoke messages that align perfectly with the brand’s ethos and the audience’s desires.

Leading through this change means guiding our teams, clients, and partners to understand that AI is not something to fear but a powerful tool that can enhance creativity and drive results.

“The ability to adapt, pivot and innovate without hesitation is critical. We are not just reacting – we are shaping the future.”

Our recent acquisition by Multiply Group is a testament to our commitment to this vision. As part of a larger ecosystem, BackLite Media is now positioned to take bolder steps in transforming outdoor advertising in the region. This gives us the strength and resources to not only innovate but to do so on a scale that influences the entire industry.

Being part of a bigger vision means aligning ourselves with a strategy that goes beyond short-term gains. We are building for the future, and that requires leading our people through change with confidence and purpose. The ability to adapt, pivot and innovate without hesitation is critical. We are not just reacting – we are shaping the future. We are bringing our clients and partners along on this journey, helping them navigate the evolving landscape of AI, data-driven marketing, and immersive experiences.

Our role as leaders is to balance technological innovation with human-centred creativity, ensuring that every step forward enhances our ability to connect with audiences on a deeper level.

The outdoor advertising industry is at a crossroads, and the only way forward is through fearless change. For regional players, the challenge is not just about adopting new technologies – it’s about embracing the mindset that comes with it. It’s about being willing to disrupt traditional models, question the status quo, and take risks that push the industry into new territory.

At BackLite Media, we have chosen to lead with courage. We are not afraid of the changes happening around us; instead, we are driving those changes. From AI-powered Programmatic campaigns to the integration of sustainable practices, we are setting a new standard for what outdoor advertising can achieve.

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CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Having been deeply involved in BackLite Media’s acquisition by Multiply Group, I had the unique opportunity to contribute to building a regional out-of-home (OOH) powerhouse. One of the key achievements during this journey was the creation of The Triple Crown Abu Dhabi, the only premium digital out-of-home (DOOH) format in the Emirate. This exceptional platform has successfully hosted luxury brands and received widespread praise from our clients, solidifying our position in the industry.

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RAPID FIRE

Focus for the next 12 months?

Growth and innovation.

Buzzword we need to kill?

Bandwidth.

Marketing needs to prioritise?

Customer experience.

Marketing needs to change?

Quantity over quality content.

Top lesson learnt in 2024?

Adaptability wins and embrace change early.

What worries you the most?

Regulatory changes.

Biggest blessing in your life?

My family.

Value/principle that matters the most?

Integrity.

Next travel destination?

The Seychelles.

What is your pet peeve?

Micromanagement.

Who do you look up to?

My wife.

Favourite restaurant in the Middle East?

LPM. Just wonderful food and wonderful service.

What are you reading?

‘The Wealth Money Can’t Buy’ by Robin Sharma.

Favourite hobby?

Golf.

Top tip?

Do what you promise.

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What started as a bold vision has become a defining symbol of Dubai's skyline and a game-changer in out-of-home advertising.

The Triple Crown, part of The Landmark Series, has transformed how brands engage with their audience, blending cutting-edge technology with architectural brilliance.

We reflect on the journey that brought us here—how The Triple Crown has redefined outdoor advertising possibilities, impacted the industry, and where we're headed next. Watch the video to hear from our leadership about the vision, innovation, and exciting future.
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The location of The Triple Crown in Dubai near Mall of the Emirates ensures maximum exposure for premium brands, as the screens are visible to thousands of vehicles daily. This prime positioning guarantees that advertising messages will significantly impact brand awareness and engagement. The high-resolution displays showcase every advertisement with stunning clarity and brilliance.

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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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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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In the ever-evolving landscape of retail and advertising, the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) market has emerged as a dynamic and transformative force. As technological advancements continue to reshape consumer behavior and expectations, retailers are increasingly turning to DOOH. To create more engaging, data-driven, and personalised experiences.

In this blog, we will explore four key trends driving the growth and evolution of DOOH in the retail sector. The rapid growth trajectory of the market, the expansion of digital inventory, the improvement of data utilisation, and the rise of interactivity and personalisation.

These trends not only highlight the increasing importance of DOOH. Also present significant opportunities for retailers to enhance their marketing strategies and connect with consumers in innovative ways.

1. Growth Trajectory of DOOH:

The Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) market has been on a rapid growth trajectory in recent years, with industry forecasts predicting a significant increase in DOOH’s share of the overall Out-of-Home (OOH) market.

This surge is driven by the rising investment of retailers and brands in digital signage and programmatic DOOH. As these stakeholders recognise the channel’s potential to deliver highly effective and targeted marketing campaigns. The popularity and impact of DOOH are set to continue rising.

Its non-block nature, the ability to insert into customer’s every day life without interrupting their activities. Its wide reach are some of the attractive features of the channel. This growth trajectory presents a golden opportunity for retailers to leverage DOOH as an integral part of their marketing strategy, enabling them to reach broader audiences and achieve greater engagement.

2. Expansion of Digital Inventory:

Retail media owners are increasingly focusing on expanding their digital OOH inventory, transitioning away from traditional assets and digitising existing sites. Screens are just easier to manage than posters.

This shift towards digital displays in high-traffic areas such as retail locations, transportation hubs, and shopping centers provides brands with new opportunities to reach consumers at the last point of influence.

The expansion of digital inventory in retail environments is fuelling the growth of DOOH as a key part of their retail media strategy. By strategically placing digital displays in areas with high footfall, retailers can effectively capture consumer attention and influence purchasing decisions.

3. Improvement of Data:

One of the most significant advantages of DOOH is the ability to harness data to optimise advertising campaigns. Retailers can utilise their own audience data, such as membership lists or e-commerce customer information, to enhance their DOOH networks. By incorporating footfall counter sensors, such as cameras, retailers can gain valuable insights into the number and type of people engaging with their content, making it one of the most reliable ways to quantify the number of Impacts delivered.

This data-driven approach enables brands to make informed decisions. About their advertising investments, ensuring that their messages reach the right type of audience and the right amount of people. This combined with the deprecation of several targeting methods in other channels, particularly online and its cookies. Contextual data is becoming a key part of digital advertising across the landscape. This is where retail is king, where shoppers are already at the point of purchase, with interest and context already included and significant amount of first party data is available for further detail. The improvement of data utilisation in DOOH is driving increased advertiser confidence and investment in retail media networks.

4. Increased Interactivity and Personalisation:

The rise of interactive and personalised DOOH experiences is another key trend transforming the industry. Retailers are leveraging advanced technologies such as touchscreens, gesture-based controls, smart content management systems and video analytics to create more engaging and tailored DOOH campaigns.

These interactive features not only capture consumer attention.  Also gather valuable data and deliver personalised messaging that resonates with the target audience. As consumers increasingly expect more interactive and personalised experiences. This trend is likely to gain further momentum in the DOOH space. Retailers who embrace these technologies can create memorable and impactful campaigns that drive consumer engagement and loyalty.

The digital out-of-home (DOOH) market is rapidly evolving, offering retailers unprecedented opportunities to connect with consumers in innovative and impactful ways.

The growth trajectory of the market, the expansion of digital inventory, the improvement of data utilisation, and the rise of interactivity and personalisation are all key trends shaping the future of DOOH in the retail sector.

By embracing these trends and integrating DOOH into their marketing strategies. Retailers can enhance their brand visibility, engage with their target audience more effectively, and drive business growth. As technology continues to advance, the potential of DOOH will only expand. Making it an essential component of the modern retail landscape.

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