Business | Talking Point
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Tom Goddard, At the World Out of Home Organization’s Global Congress in Toronto earlier this year, a speaker told delegates this could be a new golden age for classic (print) out-of-home (OOH) advertising. So, what does the association’s president think of the claim?
At WOO’s Global Congress this spring, you told delegates that striking the right balance between classic (print) out-of-home (OOH) and digital is one of the keys to sector growth for the medium. What do you consider to be the right balance, and why? There’s no doubt that digital is growing faster than classic (print) in value terms, but it’s worth remembering that even in the UK - one of the biggest digital OOH markets - at least 40% of OOH revenue is still classic and therefore this constitutes a far greater percentage in terms of actual number of sites. Classic therefore remains an important part of the mix and will continue well into the future. Classic is a highly creative medium and remains popular with many large advertisers, including tech companies. Apple is a major user for example. There is also the geographical element. Digital OOH is transforming many large city centres in terms of advertising, but smaller towns and out of town remain important when a client is looking to build brand awareness often complementing and amplifying campaigns in other media. At the same time, it can provide key directional signage for a small business or restaurant. This is particularly the case in larger countries like the USA and India. Classic OOH is a vital part of the ad. landscape here and will remain so for many years to come. WOO represents key players in the OOH space, but what proportion of your current membership is involved in print for OOH - and would you like to see that change? A significant number of our members are media owners.
20 | August / September 2022
Most large OOH players have a foot in both camps, partly reflecting the points made above. So, for example, transport specialists will offer both - you can have digital in, say, a tube station but not, so far anyway, a bus side. These will remain a vital outlet for entertainment and gaming advertisers, for example. We welcome new members from all sides of the industry. WOO has grown from just over 100 members pre-pandemic to over 150 members today and it’s vital that we continue to be a global forum for the entire eco system. Is OOH print still losing ground to digital - and do you think that tide can be turned? 2021 figures from our members show that worldwide digital is now about 40% of the OOH market in revenue terms - around $14bn a year, and it’s growing rapidly in many countries - China is a good example. What the industry needs to do - and this is a priority for the World Out of Home Organization - is get behind classic OOH and remind advertisers, agencies and others that it’s an incredibly powerful medium - one which has hosted and continues to host some of the most famous and best ads ever produced. It shouldn’t be a case of either/or, as both have an important role to play going forward. What are the main gripes OOH advertisers currently have about print media as opposed to digital - and who’s ‘job’ is it to convince them of print’s value? Measuring campaign effectiveness is obviously an issue both for classic and digital OOH as it is with any other medium and play out reporting can be more challenging
