Top Women in OOH Spotlight 2024: Kim Aviles
OOH Today's Top Women in Driving Growth in OOH
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 Kim Aviles, Managing Director at Outdoor Media Group (OMG)
Originally from New York, Aviles has over 20 years of experience, including 12.5 years with OMG. She’s worked on various accounts over the years in industries including entertainment, travel, luxury, auto, and tech.
Based in California, she previously was the Senior Director at Heart’s and Science and worked for OMD USA, Deutsch LA, and Universal McCann. She received her BA in Communication from Wake Forest University.
She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.
Aviles became interested in the OOH industry after working at full-service agencies on the business’s media planning and strategy side for many years. Then, an opportunity arose to run Warner Bros’s out-of-home. She was introduced to Monica Denny, who gave her a shot despite her lack of extensive OOH background.
“I’ve been specializing in Out-of-Home ever since, and love working with this talented and fun group of people!” Aviles said.
Driving Growth in OOH
Aviles believes that driving growth in OOH starts with the people you work with. If they are excited and interested in what you are doing, they will also advocate for OOH.
“You have to feel genuinely strong about what you’re recommending and how it can benefit clients’ businesses and help them achieve their goals,” Aviles said. “My greatest success is that I still actively work with so many people who joined us right after college. To see them all grow within the out-of-home industry makes me proud!”
But to increase its share of total ad spend, Aviles says the OOH industry needs to focus on more streamlined and unified measurement.
“So many partners are developing their own measurement tools, but it’s a challenge when we look at plans holistically,” Aviles said. “Beyond brand lift studies, what more can we offer our client industry-wide, not just vendor by vendor?”
Overcoming Challenges in OOH
Aviles says COVID was an industry-wide challenge extending to when life began to open up again.
“Changing perceptions when things started to return to normal was challenging,” Aviles said.
When asked if women still struggle in this male-dominated industry, Aviles said she doesn’t think women are necessarily struggling.
“I, myself, am a pretty loud voice, and I’m not afraid to speak up,” Aviles said. “Advocating for yourself, having a voice in meetings, having a strong point of view that you can back up with facts– these are all things we can do to ensure women are being heard.”
But she also says she’s been lucky to work for and be exposed to many women in leadership positions on the agency and client sides.
“Honestly, I may be a little skewed and not see some of the challenges others face,” Aviles admits.
Promoting Women in OOH
Aviles says that women should have the confidence to speak up, share their opinions, and advocate for themselves. This must be balanced with listening to others. Ultimately, this is how more women will gain executive positions in OOH.
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