Across the Desk is a brand new series from OAAA. In this series, we interview industry leaders and ask them about trends, best practices, and the latest in the OOH industry. In our debut of the series, we interview the Managing Director of Marketing & Communications at OMG Media, Christina Radigan.
What excites you about OOH right now?
The impact of COVID-19 has been significant on OOH, and to be candid, it revealed shortcomings with our measurement and its communication. However, over the last several weeks, I have been very encouraged to experience the industry coming together to work with Geopath to develop a measurement methodology that would facilitate a ‘real-time’ adjustment to audience impressions. I applaud Geopath, its data-tech partner, Intermx, as well as its Insights Council and Executive Board (comprised of OOH media specialists, OOH vendors, and brands). They worked collectively and tirelessly to provide the industry with data that will help contextualize and quantify the current crisis. I am confident that these efforts will position our industry for greater credibility, enhanced measurement, and ultimately greater collaboration in the future.
Which recent OOH campaign inspired you?
Seeing the OAAA partner immediately with the CDC and imperative COVID-19 health guidelines hitting the streets on thousands of digital OOH screens nationwide, was not only a testament to the unification of our industry for the greater good, but also demonstrated the power and flexibility of Digital OOH. Likewise, OMG worked with the American Red Cross and dozens of Digital OOH Networks to socialize the dire need for blood—within days, the organization reported to us that donations were on the rise.
Also, amid COVID-19, HBO Max maintained OOH exposure to announce the launch of its new streaming series coming this May. While HBO, a prominent investor in OOH, scaled back some of its efforts the goal is to amplify reach of the billboards using social media.
What is the next big thing for OOH?
Coming out of this crisis, I am bullish that Digital out of home will be in high demand as states and cities begin to dial back on lock downs, businesses open up and people go back to work. I also contend that there will be stronger demand for flexibility and a larger appetite for impression-based buying which will help to fuel programmatic transactions. I have liaised with several Demand Side Platforms over the last month and have seen great strides in transparency, data-integration and measurement.
Modified: 2 years