Top Women in OOH Spotlight 2024: Karen Goumakos

“We need to stop acting like a supporting media in the mix. Be bold, be confident, and help our clients see how OOH is worthy of that leading media role,”

by Amber Larkins, OOH Today

We recently posted our annual list of the Top Women Driving Growth in OOH for 2024. Today, we are highlighting Karen Goumakos, General Sales Manager, Reagan Outdoor Advertising 

Goumakos has been in the Outdoor Advertising industry for over 30 years. She’s served as General Sales Manager since joining Reagan Outdoor Advertising in 2009. She oversees a 14-person sales department with 11 salespeople. She manages sales teams representing Reagan inventory in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana.

Before joining Reagan, Goumakos was with Adams Outdoor Advertising for 15 years. She served as General Manager for 8 years, overseeing two Pennsylvania markets. Before managing, she was a National Sales Executive with Adams for 4 years, working with regional and national clients and agencies on behalf of all 14 of Adams’ markets. She spent her first 3 years in OOH as a Local Account Executive in Adam’s Lehigh Valley, PA market. Goumakos was involved with a local chapter of the American Advertising Federation for over 15 years. She was one of the founders and eventually club President of the Greater Lehigh Valley Ad Club. She also served as a board member and, ultimately, the President of the Austin Advertising Federation. She’s served on boards for Chambers of Commerce, YMCA, Leadership, Women’s Resources, and Boy Scouts. Goumakos graduated from the University of Pennsylvania -Wharton School of Business and worked with Wharton’s Small Business Development Center in consulting small businesses in the Philadelphia region.

“We need to stop acting like a supporting media in the mix. Be bold, be confident, and help our clients see how OOH is worthy of that leading media role,” Goumakos said.

Goumakos has always been fascinated by advertising. She remembers re-enacting “the Big Fig Newton” commercials with her sister when she was young (“Here’s the tricky part”). She fell in love with advertising in college after an agency internship. Her first job was in direct mail advertising.

In 1993, she was looking for a new opportunity. Tony Cioffi, a recruiter, introduced her to Adams Outdoor Advertising for a sales position.

“Tony said Adams was a great company, and OOH was a growing industry,” Goumakos said. Cioffi joined Adams Outdoor shortly after placing Goumakos. He is now the GM in Lehigh Valley.

“A friend who owned a local ad agency recommended I seriously consider a career in OOH. He told me it was a media that was poised for growth. His words were prophetic!” Goumakos said.

Driving Growth in OOH

Goumakos is fortunate to represent some of the country’s most beautiful OOH markets and is surrounded by incredible teams.

“Our teams have achieved success because we have an unwavering belief that we can change our clients’ worlds with OOH,” Goumakos said. “We help nonprofit organizations reach their goals. We help companies grow beyond their expectations. Our goal is to be relentless in delivering the highest ROI, incomparable service, and an extraordinary customer experience.”

One of her favorite customer successes was her first sale. A local flooring company contracted a small area poster campaign. She called to touch base about 10 days after the campaign was posted.

“They told me, ‘Get here, please. We need to talk.’ I feared the worst,” Goumakos said.

But her fears were unfounded. When she arrived, she was asked to greet customers and help answer phones because they were overwhelmed by the response to the campaign.

“For me, it was love at first sale,” Goumakos said.

She’s also experienced quite a few notable divisional successes.

When Wendy Hickey and Goumakos were promoted as managers in Northeastern PA, the market negatively perceived OOH. They took a proactive approach to transform the market’s perception of the company and the OOH industry.

“We became very active politically and in both the arts and business communities to accomplish this shift,” Goumakos said. “We created a demand-based pricing structure to maximize revenues in peak occupancy periods.

Their revenues grew more than 73% in four years, and their team won the Adams’ Wings Award for Excellence in 2003.

“We had a blast being part of that turnaround,” Goumakos said.

In Austin, they had set a goal of growing from a $12 million to a $20 million revenue market. One of her favorite all-time moments in her career was when they not only reached that milestone in 2019 but exceeded their original goals.

“Billy Reagan organized a teamwide celebration, and reaching our division growth goal was a testament to our team and their perseverance,” Goumakos said.

Goumakos believes the industry needs to prove that OOH deserves a larger share of total ad spend. The media world has changed dramatically in the last decade. The changes in media consumption have weakened other media, but OOH has strengthened.

“We need to stop acting like a supporting media in the mix. Be bold, be confident, and help our clients see how OOH is worthy of that leading media role,” Goumakos said.

It’s hard for her to pick a favorite campaign from her years in the industry. “They’re like our children, right? We love them all,” Goumakos said.

One of the clients they work with is ABC Home Services in Austin. Their Director of Marketing loves the power of great creative. Melody Roberts from Out of Home Creative has been a great partner and designed several campaigns.

Overcoming Challenges in OOH

Like many, Goumakos most challenging year in OOH was 2020. Before COVID, they had never experienced underdelivering on proposed impressions. 2020 was the first time they ever had to provide makegoods (like Television often does) post-campaign.

“It was tough to be in “out-of-home” advertising when everyone was directed to “stay at home,” Goumakos said. They had to get creative, but they managed to retain their clients and minimize losses during the industry’s most challenging year. “Though it was tough, our relationships strengthened through it all. We emerged from that year stronger than ever.”

Though the OOH industry is considerably more inclusive and diverse today than when Goumakos first entered the business, there can still be a struggle. There’s a higher percentage of women in leadership roles in OOH today, but women sometimes must work harder and excel longer before being considered for leadership roles.

Goumakos believes their perseverance makes the achievement all the sweeter. her advice to women trying to climb that ladder is to keep at it.

“Know your strengths and focus on developing yourself in the areas needed to become an effective leader. Volunteer to help mentor newer teammates or to train new hires. Take on additional responsibilities that highlight your leadership qualities,” Goumakos said. “When you regularly display your ability to mentor and lead others, your managers should see that too. If you keep a positive attitude, support your organization, and persevere, you will ultimately receive the reward you’ve worked for.”

Goumakos said some of the biggest challenges women face in the workplace are overcoming their internal limiting thoughts and belief systems.

“We’re often taught as girls to act humble, behave, follow others’ lead, and not to boast,” Goumakos said. “While humility is certainly a positive attribute, developing confidence is key to success. Work on strengthening the quality of your thinking. Surround yourself with inspiring women mentors who motivate you to take on challenges and overcome your fears.”

She also sees that balancing work and family life is still a challenge often weighted more heavily on women’s shoulders. She recommends that women be creative in presenting solutions to their employers to request the flexibility they need while still completing their jobs successfully.

Promoting Women in OOH

Goumakos says that at Reagan, they encourage all employees to reach their highest potential and look for each team member’s hidden strengths and talents.

“Naturally, we’re more successful when we do what we love, so we encourage employees to expand and transform their roles to capitalize on their strengths and passions,” Goumakos said.

Too often, women are taught to lead like men, but Goumakos thinks women are most effective when they use their unique strengths in leadership roles.

“Women are often natural at helping others recognize and develop their strengths. They are often excellent long-term strategic thinkers. They’re intuitive and strong at creating connections and synergies,” Goumakos said. These attributes are desperately needed to drive the growth we seek in our industry.”

To increase the number of women in executive leadership in OOH, Goumakos believes we need to look for individuals who love to mentor and train others. Current leadership should look for budding leadership qualities in female team members and promote them internally and externally.