OOH…Here’s One Thing

 

by Jim Johnsen,
Managing Director, Johnsen, Fretty & Company

 

 

 

Teach Your Children

If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a little passionate about music.  Coming of age and music are inexorably intertwined for me.  My guess is, they were for you as well.  That’s what makes music so damn good.  

And man, if there was ever a group that defined “my” generation, it was Crosby, Stills, Nash (CSN) …and sometimes Young.  Their lyrics bypassed my ears and hardwired themselves right into my young brain.  Not only did they make beautiful music, but they really had something to say.  “Teach Your Children”,  “Ohio”, “Helpless”, “Carry On”, “Everybody I Love You”, “Almost Cut My Hair”, “King Midas in Reverse” and on and on…and on.  They wrote incredibly powerful songs.  Maybe I am just a bit old, but where are the “super bands” of today that are willing to put it all out there?  

“Don’t let the past of remind us of what we are not now.”
Crosby, Stills & Nash – Suite: Judy Blue Eyes 

(so tough to pick one song over another…a bit of trivia, Stephen Stills, who wrote the majority of the songs, wrote this about his girlfriend at the time, Judy Collins)

Okay Johnsen, thanks for taking me way back. What’s the point?  Well actually its 3 points.
1.  If you are an old timer like me, its worth pulling up your Roku and watching David Crosby:  “Remember My Name”.  As Rolling Stone magazine says in their critique, he lets it all hang out there, the good, the bad and the ugly.  I learned a ton about the lineage (Crosby = The Byrds, Stills and Young = Buffalo Springfield and Nash = The Hollies), bits of trivia like the Byrds gave Bob Dylan his first hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man” and the fact that CSNY never really set out to be a group but rather a collaboration of individual artists.  2.  There are some incredible parallels between when these guys hit it big (1969-1974) and the present.  For those that think now is something new, it might be a relief to know we have been here before (look up the first verse of “4+20″…it could have been written yesterday).  And 3., LA and specifically West Hollywood and the Sunset Strip was an incredible incubator for the explosion of the rock and roll.  The movie shows that most of the up and coming stars of that time lived just above Sunset Strip in Laurel Canyon and had standing gigs at Ciro’s, The Whisky and a few other places.  

Long short, watching David Crosby roll down Sunset past all the spectacular outdoor both in the present and the “old” days is worth the watch by itself.  (And his first encounter with Jim Morrison at the Whisky wasn’t bad either).    

I can’t sign off without tipping my hat to Barry Frey.  The virtual DPAA Summit he pulled off this past week was nothing short of miraculous.   When Raja Rajamannar, CMO of Mastercard not only grants you almost an hour, but also lets you get deep inside his business strategy, you know you are doing something right.  

In any event, here are a few quotes that I scribbled from the Summit which I wish I could have thought of myself:

“Digital outdoor is one to one at scale”

“If you don’t have an idea that resonates at the emotional core it doesn’t matter how good your media plan is.” 

“Strap art on outdoor and people will pay attention to the ads (okay a bit of a paraphrase)”

“Measurement:  nice to have is one thing, but must have is another.”  (as in wake up people)  

“We are the last mile of outdoor.’  (Convenience Store indoor)

“Until this year, 30% of what we bought was digital, now, 70% is”

“Contextual marketing  (given how many times I heard it, my guess is that will be the omnichannel of 2021)”

“Mark my words, outdoor WILL be 10 – 15% of media mix instead of 4% today, and within the next 5 years”

“We need to think about 360 degree consumer marketing.  We need to touch the consumer many times a day, and DOOH has the power to do much of that.”   

“We should think of outdoor not only as amplifier but as a primary channel”

“30% of the 4% is now digital out of home” 

“80-90% of digital advertising is programmatic.  Why not DOOH?”

Hit me back if you would like to learn which prolific leader said what.
Email James E Johnsen: jjohnsen@jfco.com

Carry On My Friends!
Crosby Stills Nash – Carry On / Questions

Jim Johnsen

 

jfco.com
Securities transacted through StillPoint Capital Member firm FINRA/SiPC