‘Now is the time to build demand and brands’

In a recent press note issued by the Australian OOH body Outdoor Media Association (OMA), the CEO of the association Charmaine Moldrich said “We will get there” to its members facing the brunt of COVID-19. Calling OOH an uncharted territory, Moldrich said, “Having dedicated the last 10 years of my life to the business of Out of Home advertising, it seems somewhat counterproductive to recommend that people stay home. Yet this is the firm advice of our government and medical professionals worldwide”.

The association is undertaking practical steps to help the industry to overcome the current situation at the earliest possible. “And while our team at the OMA is yearning for a crystal ball, the best we can do is collate the data, process the information, and work to provide relevant advice to our members and the advertising industry,” Moldrich added. 

Moldrich also spelled out some of the ways that outdoor advertising remains relevant in the ‘stay at home’ world; such as –

• Education: The current government campaign encouraging social distancing and handwashing is essential to provide clear messaging to the public and establish the new norm for the short-term.
• Trust and Normalcy: Maintaining a sense of normalcy for people when they are out and about is as important now as ever before. While travel has changed, people are still out and about, including those people working on the frontlines of fighting COVID.
• Creative opportunities: Telstra announced recently that they are continuing their ad spend but have changed their messaging to now incorporate helping people. “The new world of COVID offers an opportunity to rethink what your brand means to people, not to mention a great way to live your brand values, to show that your brand values are more than rhetoric”.

“We are a media channel that is very adaptable, we can broadcast, we can narrowcast, we are flexible. Now is not the time to look for superficial wins and bargain basement media. Now is the time to build demand and brands. Now is the time for leaders to step up. It is in this moment of crisis that we need to act in all our best interest so that we get through this in one piece together. COVID will pass and we will all be out and about again. Don’t hide your brand, show off its great values and people will remember that your brand stuck by them, your partners will remember that you weren’t out bargain hunting, your customers will remember that your brand was there in the time of COVID-19 showing leadership,” Moldrich summed up.