OOH Collaboration Yields Big Results

In our medium, collaboration is as real as our ads, omni-present with impressive results.

When the industry convened in Austin last May, OAAA urged more collaboration as a building block for continued growth and relevance.

Since then, the level of collaboration within our industry has been unprecedented. Six months after our convention, in this column, I’ll do two things. First, express appreciation to collaborators. Second, I’ll highlight – okay, even brag a bit – about your commitment to working together for common goals.

Here are some of the ways we are collaborating for mutual benefit:

Industry Promotional Campaign

The industry launched a massive ad campaign a month ago, generating global publicity, buzz among media influencers, and testimonials.

The Get Out of Home campaign, created by Publicis New York, highlights how OOH competes with and complements online and mobile advertising.

This campaign is a “great new effort to evangelize the power of OOH,” said Sean McCaffrey at Gas Station TV.

The campaign launched during Advertising Week in New York (October 1-4), targeting advertisers and agencies. Nationwide, more than 50,000 OOH units are displaying Get Out of Home creative, thanks to industry-wide participation by printers and media companies (mobile billboards, malls, transit, billboards, and more).

The campaign has been localized across the country. Lamar Advertising Company will be customizing the digital campaign creative dynamically with headshots and comments about OOH from local customers and media influencers.

An OAAA member toolbox is available to help you adapt the campaign for your local markets.

This is great work by @YourOAAA – industry collaboration working well #GetOutofHome @TheDrum https://t.co/HDhLeCmwuR

— Elle Crossman (@ElleCrossman) October 2, 2018

Collaboration in Court

Soon after the Cincinnati City Council enacted a billboard tax in late June, Norton Outdoor Advertising and Lamar Advertising Company sued the city on constitutional grounds. Their consolidated legal challenge prevailed: a judge in Ohio issued an injunction on October 17 to invalidate the billboard tax, citing concerns about burdens on free speech.

By a separate ordinance, the city council also raised billboard fees significantly. The fee increase was challenged in the Norton/Lamar lawsuit, but the city council voted to repeal the fee hike on October 10.

All OOH companies – for the sake of fair taxation – admire this front-line collaboration between Norton and Lamar.

Standards and Best Practices

Five associations are setting standards for digital OOH: the Digital Place-Based Advertising Association (DPAA) Digital Sign Federation (DSF), Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Geopath, and OAAA.

The goal is to publish clear best practices by the end of the year to help simplify digital OOH buying and selling. A consultant from the University of North Carolina is assisting with this collaborative effort.

Concurrently, the Media Rating Council (MRC) is working to set standards so any organization providing data to the OOH medium will operate from a consistent base point (such as a common definition of an impression). The diverse MRC working group, which includes OAAA, exceeds 150 people.

Geopath plans to unveil enhanced ratings metrics early next year, building collaboration between buyers and sellers.

The OOH Tech Locator was recently launched on the OAAA website. It was a collaborative effort between OAAA’s tech member companies and provides easy access to information about the most important new technologies serving the OOH industry.

Industry attorneys and privacy experts are collaborating on consumer data guidelines to respect privacy. The OAAA Innovations Committee also is drafting a white paper to tell the story of OOH data usage.

Post-election Program

After the mid-term election tomorrow, the industry collaborates to congratulate winners in congressional races. This nonpartisan public-service effort communicates a positive message and also reminds voters who represents them in Congress.

Over the years, talented graphic artists within the industry have updated the creative for the industry’s post-election congratulatory messages. In this election cycle, we thank Eddy Herty, Justin Jenkins, and the creative team at OUTFRONT Media.

With full respect for competition in the marketplace, we know that collaboration on common goals amplifies our ability to meet challenges and serve customers.

As always, I welcome your questions and feedback. Please contact me at [email protected] or call OAAA at (202) 833-5566.

Modified: 1 year