This week’s news featured announcements on OBIEs and more speakers for OAAA, insights and exclusive scoops from William Board, and news in the world of programmatic. Here’s a weekly recap of the top OOH stories you may have missed, along with colorful commentary from BB for the week ending March 23, 2024.
1. Streamlining Political PDOOH Ad Buys With Auction Packages
StackAdapt and Broadsign debuted a new auction package for their ad tech integration, making it easier for US media buyers to plan and execute their political programmatic digital-out-of-home (pDOOH) campaigns. The new offering, available on the StackAdapt multi-channel DSP, includes screens from Broadsign’s SSP that are pre-vetted as publisher-approved for political advertising in the US.
BB’s Take: Is pre-vetted space a selling point for politically PROGRAMMATIC buying? OOH has always pre-vetted its politically acceptable space/locations. What is a big miss with this story is one we are working on right now and hope to share this week.
2. The New Lineup Of Speakers For The 2024 OOH Media Conference.
Among the new additions are Scott Harrison, Founder and CEO, charity: water, Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, United Parks & Resorts, Shelly Palmer, Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and CEO of The Palmer Group and Chief Investment Officers, Kelly Metz, OMD USA and Marcy Greenberger, UM Worldwide. These additions underscore the conference’s commitment to presenting a comprehensive and diverse program that caters to the evolving needs of the OOH community.
BB’s Take: OAAA has added more speakers to the 2024 OOH Conference. The list keeps growing. The list PR declares the speakers “new industry leaders”. What is your take on the announced speakers?
3. OOH ‘Word On The Street’ Today —
Brent Baer shares his opinions and credible rumors about the OOH Industry. He recommends not doing anything rash after reading them as they are rumors and his personal opinions. He encourages others to share their responses, insights, and opinions in response.
BB’s Take: We don’t want to gloat that we were right or shared the news DAYS before anyone else did. Before it was public. But we did. Verde did purchase inventory in Hudson Valley. See today’s press release from Verde. As for the other items? …stay tuned. We have more confirmations and announcements rolling in. Thank you to our readers for sharing.
4. 2024 OBIE Awards Shortlist —193 Finalists
The finalists for OAAA’s 82nd Annual OBIE Awards have been revealed. The OBIE awards spotlight fantastic OOH campaigns, showcase innovative technologies, and inspire the OOH industry. The 2024 OBIE Awards shortlist features 193 finalists across 32 categories. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at the 2024 OOH Media Conference in Carlsbad, California. OAAA’s EVP of Strategy and Growth, Jeff Jan, and David Shing, Digital Prophet and Industry Luminary will cohost this year’s awards. Secure your spot at the upcoming 2024 OBIE Awards show and register for the conference at oaaa.ooh2024.com.
BB’s Take: One hundred and ninety-three shortlisted finalists. I would love to see what a long list or a medium sized list looks like? Hey congrats to the finalists and we look forward sharing the winners once they are announced. Another significant note is Rick Robinson will not be coming back as host in this year’s OBIE’s. After two years of hosting and doing a hell of a nice job, Robinson is being replaced by OAAA’s Jan and Shing of Shingy.
5. OUTFRONT’s Push On Digitization Of OOH With Significant Expansion Of Programmatic Transit Advertising
Outfront is actively expanding its rollout of programmatic in New York City’s MTA system, which covers nearly all of MTA’s subway stations, with the potential to reach more than four million daily trips from New Yorkers and tourists. This expansion creates America’s largest programmatically available full-motion transit network.
BB’s Take: What are your thoughts on this ‘push’ considering how transit has been performing? And how the transit business is doing in general? Will this ‘expansion’ provide the jump start transit so badly needs to return revenues to pre pandemic figures? Let’s hope so. Are the symptoms being treated and ignoring the disease or root cause? Best to address the cause of the issues of lower ridership and thus revenues reduction, rather than create another solution which may or may not solve the real issues. It may not be in OUT’s control to do anything about it.
6. OUT OF HOME Continues Growth Up 2.1%
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising revenue increased 2.1% in 2023 compared to the previous year, accounting for $8.7 billion in total spending, according to the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America (OSA), the leading trade group representing the entire OOH advertising industry. Digital OOH grew almost 10% in 2023, accounting for 33% of total OOH ad spend. But OOH also experienced growth across the Billboard, Transit, and Place-Based categories. OOH Transit made the most significant gains for the year at a 7.3% increase.
In 2023, three of the top ten product industries that grew by double digits included, in order of percentage growth: Public Transportation Hotels & Resorts, Local Services & Amusements, and Schools Camps & Seminars. In fact, Local Services & Amusements represented 27% of total OOH spend and grew by almost 12%.
BB’s Take: Is this 2.1% significant? Are we still leaning on the pandemic as an excuse for performance? Maybe it’s just me and the group I associate with and we feel anything less than 8% is unacceptable or certainly not growth to boast about? Where is your high jump bar? 2%? 4%? 6% 8+%?