Straigh off of MediaWeek’s April 1, 2009 article comes ”Is digital out-of-home meeting expectations?” This is a very interesting view on how Digital Out-of-Home is being perceived by four individuals; and perhaps a sneaky/Ninja-rific way to pin two sides within the Out of Home / Digital Out of Home industry against each other without blatantly saying so. Here is how these individuals replied to the question:

YES – Chris Marjoram, managing director, IPM Any medium that increased its ad sales by as much as digital out-of-home in 2008 has to be considered a success. Digital will enable out-of-home to further increase its market share as it allows the advertiser to create a new relationship with the consumer. Digital can both inform and entertain, as well as deliver messages in real time, which wasn’t possible before. By enhancing standard outdoor plans with a digital element, we anticipate overall budgets will increase rather than shrink. Clearly, the economic downturn will slow the tremendous rate of investment in the medium, but digital will still offer advertisers more rounded solutions than before. Outdoor is now the most exciting medium to be in and digital is a key reason for this.

NO – Ivan Clark, director of digital and creative solutions, Kinetic Last year was undoubtedly the year of digital out-of-home and 2009 will again deliver big revenue increases to sales companies that invested wisely in the medium. However, it will only account for about 10% of out-of-home budgets. Although the capital’s commuter is well covered with digital on the transport network and roadside – with some notable exceptions – it’s too focused on London. You can’t reach a mass audience with digital out-of-home outside the M25. Research proving the increased impact of the medium has been scant. Sales directors have not delivered the required flexibility, while planners have been slow to exploit the potential. Additionally, creatives have not always fully understood the new mechanics.

YES – Tim Sapsford, managing director, Meridian Outdoor Exploring new digital developments in the out-of-home sector – and getting them right – was always going to involve some trial and error. In the past two years, we have seen rapid progress. Building on early successes like Transvision, clients can now access a significant portion of London Underground digitally with CBS’s Alive plant; central London’s busiest roads with JCDecaux and Clear Channel’s LED 48 sheets, as well as the major rail termini and shopping malls. Every study I’ve seen shows that screens improve consumers’ experience and brand perception, while driving impressive recall figures. My only disappointment with digital out-of-home is seeing it used in traditional two-week posting cycles. The medium offers ultimate flexibility and it’s crying out to be exploited.

NO – Arum Nixon, associate director outdoor, radio and press, MediaVest A few years on from the coming of the digital revolution in outdoor and the initial novelty is finally wearing off for consumers and advertisers alike. This is all part of a positive process as the market matures, but what does it leave us with? There have been success stories, predominantly in higher dwell-time environments – CBS’s ongoing £35m investment on the Underground being an example. But even here, we are still just scratching the surface of understanding the true value of the media and how best to maximise its potential. It is in roadside where digital outdoor is still finding its feet. There are still just a handful of digital sites, with the usual London myopia. There are some great examples of digital outdoor being used to its full potential. But we are still a long way off the level of understanding or critical mass to be able to plan and buy an effective national digital outdoor campaign. 

Ok, so there are usually two sides of every story and that just makes for good conversation. But, if you are in the industry, or know anything about advertising, you may have really noticed who said “Yes,” and who said “No.” If you are still not aware, or new to advertising; here’s the breakdown. The two “NO”s both come from 2 of the Top Ad Agencies in OOH/DOOH space,  while the two “Yes”s come from OOH/DOOH Media Asset Holders. And clearly, there is work to be done as the Agencies’ perspectives are not the most positive, this is not old news to most of us.

In plain English, here’s how this all works. Media Asset Holders (I have mentioned this term before here, so might as well explain now) are the ones who represent the networks/media assets, or owns these outright. These “Holders” present the media and assets to the Ad Agencies, whom represent the Brands, and also as the Buyers in this space. There are times where the Holders will go directly to the Brands themselves, but ultimately, the Ad Agencies bring in the “Big business” most of the time. A bit of “how this all works 101″ for those of you that are not familiar with this process/differences.  Anyway, it is interesting to see the clear differences / contrasts between the  opinions here. Is this because the Media Holders obviously have to have a bias point of view? Obviously positive perception helps. Or, is it that the Agencies still don’t get the medium or “protecting” the budgets? Maybe, some are still “traditionalist,” but they should Always “protect” the budgets with only the best intentions for the brands they represent. I think somewhere in the middle of the “Yes”s and “No”s is the real actual answer to the question: ”Is digital out-of-home meeting expectations?”

YES and NO – Christian, Chief Blabber Mouth, Justoutofhome.com

Yes: in the sense that 2008 was indeed a boon for the Digital Out-of-Home industry. Much of the technologies evolved at a rapid pace last year. Many networks were born, and existing ones continued on with their development and maturity. More importantly, the previous issues related to metrics and measurements; ROI, are finally starting to get figured out and certainly on the forefront at the present time. Interactivity has increased as well. The DOOH media overall is still at its infancy, but has excellent Potentials in the long-term.

No: In the sense that, the key word in the first answer is “potentials.” Critical aspects such as “metrics and measurements; ROI” has not been standardized yet, and potentially, never will be. In general though, these critical factors will get to a point where they are as solid as they can be, as they are in the “competing” mediums as well, thus making the buy process increasingly more logical, accurate, and sensible. It is also agreeable that the issues of “creatives” or content strategies have not reach their optimal levels. There are only a few “experts” in the industry whom understands how to create effective content for the Digitial Out-of-Home medium, and safe to say, these few individuals / companies will lead the charge on this front and experience a sudden increase in growth when the issue of content really comes to the forefront. Lastly, I believe the Apex of the industry will be reach when Measurement, Content (as well as issues like placement, layout, etc.), and Interactivity are all combined together effectively. Mobile, and even, some online mediums are helping to set the basis in terms of providing Integration and Interactivity as we speak, but there remains much more experiments to do, and social, direct response, and touch/kiosk technologies will also help on this front as well.

In order to have “Expectations” on a media, one must have a solid idea on what the media actually is, in conjunction with the media having been matured almost fully itself. This question is like asking, “Is your 5 year old child meeting your Expectations in terms of what you are hoping for his or her life?” It is just too early to tell. But as stated before, DOOH has excellent potentials to become an undeniable media; especially if all involved parties do their parts and well. If not, yes, it certainly could become a “flavor of the month” media. But overall, there is enough of a basis that exists today for buyers to consider spending their budgets on DOOH if the audience opportunities and rates are right.