#OAC 2026: ‘Beyond billboards lies the real OOH business’

The fire-side chat on day 2 of the 20th edition of OAC couldn’t have asked for a better start and context-setting 

Twenty years ago, the world looked very different. Twitter had just been launched. Rang De Basanti was in cinemas. The FIFA World Cup was won by Italy, while India was only beginning to discover the possibilities of digital media. Outdoor advertising, too, was at a very different stage of its evolution. 

Setting this context, Dr. Dwarika Uniyal, Pro VC and Director of RV University, Mysore Campus, opened the fireside conversation with Shripad Ashtekar, Managing Director, Signpost India Ltd, urging the delegates to reflect on how dramatically both the world and the advertising industry had transformed since the first edition of the OOH Advertising Convention in 2006. 

“It is a unique combination,” he remarked, introducing his guest and himself. “A professor who never left the university and an entrepreneur who left university to build one of India’s largest Out-of-Home companies.” 

The journey of Shripad Ashtekar, Managing Director, Signpost India Ltd, from a first-generation entrepreneur to one of the industry’s most influential leaders became the centrepiece of a candid discussion on innovation, infrastructure and the future of outdoor advertising. 

From impressions to obsession 

The conversation began with the session’s intriguing title, ‘Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give an Impression!’ 

Picking up on the contradiction, Prof. Dwarika asked the obvious question. “Your business is built on impressions. Then why say you don’t care about them?” 

Shripad’s reply reframed the discussion. “Impression is a machine-learning tool or a number. Everyone writing the cheque today is more interested in obsession than impressions because obsession is what finally drives conversion,” Shripad said. Indeed, for him, impressions have become little more than numbers generated for presentations and dashboards. What brands should really aspire to create, he argued, is obsession. 

Drawing from iconic Indian advertising, he cited campaigns such as ‘Daag Achhe Hain’ and ‘Chal Meri Luna’, explaining that consumers remember ideas that become part of popular culture, not because they generated millions of impressions, but because they stayed with people long after the campaign ended. 

“I give a damn about impressions. I’m obsessed with creating that one thought which creates value for everyone,” he added. 

Building cities, not just media businesses 

Moving beyond advertising, Prof. Dwarika shifted the conversation towards entrepreneurship. Outdoor advertising, he observed, has traditionally been viewed as a difficult and often unglamorous business. What then inspired Shripad to build his career in the sector? 

Shripad’s answer pointed to creating value, not merely for advertisers but for every stakeholder connected to a city. 

Using Signpost’s redevelopment of Mumbai’s bus queue shelters as an example, he explained how the objective was never just to install advertising assets. 

Instead, every project begins by asking a simple question: “What additional value can we create?” 

“Our obsession is about creating spaces where people love spending time. We want to create value for commuters, cities, brands and every stakeholder involved,” Shripad explained. 

Whether it is airports, metro stations, bus shelters or urban furniture, Signpost’s philosophy has remained consistent, design first, advertising second, he explained. 

Looking beyond the billboard 

Continuing the discussion, Prof. Dwarika pointed out that Signpost had consciously moved beyond conventional billboard advertising. Was that a deliberate strategy? 

“Absolutely,” replied Shripad. He believes the industry itself has limited its own imagination by allowing OOH to become synonymous with hoardings. 

“Beyond billboards lies the real OOH business,” Shripad observed. 

He spoke about airports, metro systems, projection mapping, drone shows and public infrastructure projects as examples of how the medium is steadily expanding beyond traditional formats. 

With India’s infrastructure growing rapidly, he believes the industry’s biggest opportunities now lie in creating integrated urban experiences rather than adding more standalone advertising structures. 

Technology begins with understanding the physical world 

The discussion naturally moved towards technology. While AI and automation dominate conversations across industries today, Shripad argued that outdoor advertising still presents challenges machines alone cannot solve. 

He revealed that Signpost has physically mapped more than 100 Indian cities, measuring factors such as visibility, viewing angles, obstruction levels and site positioning, variables that existing AI models still struggle to interpret accurately. 

“Technology understands traffic patterns. It understands digital behaviour. But someone still has to understand the physical world,” Shripad said. 

He also announced that Signpost intends to make parts of its technology platform openly available to the industry, believing that shared tools will help grow the OOH ecosystem as a whole. 

Taking an outdoor company public 

One of the more important moments of the conversation happened when Prof. Dwarika asked about Shripad’s decision to list Signpost on the stock exchange, a rarity within the outdoor advertising industry. 

For Shripad, the answer was simple. The move was never about prestige. It was about creating credibility. 

“Going public was a challenge, but it has helped attract the right people, the right talent and the right opportunities. More importantly, it shows that our industry can create long-term value,” he said. 

He expressed hope that more OOH companies would eventually choose a similar path, strengthening the industry’s overall perception among investors and stakeholders. 

The next disruption will be experiential 

Towards the close of the discussion, Prof. Dwarika asked to define the next phase of OOH? 

Without hesitation, Shripad pointed to experiential advertising. 

He narrated the story of a recent installation at one of Signpost’s digital bus shelters in Mumbai, where an experiential execution unexpectedly inspired a Kathak dancer to create a performance at the site. The video later inspired another recreation hundreds of kilometres away at Ajanta and Ellora. 

For Shripad, the episode perfectly illustrated outdoor advertising’s unique ability to spark participation. 

“OOH is not competing with digital. It is complementing digital by creating experiences people genuinely want to engage with,” he remarked. 

More human than artificial 

As the conversation moved into a rapid-fire round, Prof. Dwarika posed a series of quick questions. 

Innovation or scale? 

“Innovation.” 

Artificial intelligence or human insight? 

“Human insight.” 

One piece of advice to the next generation? 

“Love your work.” 

If his career had a billboard headline? 

“Signs of Tomorrow.” 

The exchange brought an otherwise strategic conversation to a personal close, offering delegates a glimpse into the philosophy that has shaped Shripad’s entrepreneurial journey. 

Wrapping up the session, Prof. Dwarika reflected on the broader message emerging from the discussion. 

Outdoor advertising, he suggested, must continue dreaming bigger, innovating fearlessly and reclaiming its position within the wider media ecosystem. 

He once again turned to ‘Rang De Basanti’ to remind audience that “to fly in dreams you don’t need a plane ticket; you only need wings of hope.” With that, he left the delegates with one final thought -The future will not be built merely by chasing impressions. It will be built by creating ideas, spaces and experiences that people remember long after they’ve passed them by.