For bold product stories, OOH is still the most powerful launchpad

For KFC India, outdoor has consistently delivered the kind of visibility that few channels can match. As Snehita Chakravorty, Marketing Manager – Dine-in Business, Yum! Brands (KFC India) shares, “Out-of-home advertising remains one of the most resilient and impactful methods for meeting marketing targets. Many of us have been exposed to OOH messaging from a young age, and its large, prominent formats contribute significantly to brand recall.” 

She recalls a product launch where OOH offered the perfect canvas for something truly unconventional. “OOH proved to be the perfect medium to introduce an innovative, oversized product that other channels could not effectively highlight. This resulted in a highly successful product launch,” she notes.

For her, the campaign reaffirmed that when a product demands visual magnitude, outdoor is unmatched in its ability to deliver scale, clarity and excitement in a single, high-impact moment. 

The visual power and creative freedom of OOH 

When discussing what makes OOH irreplaceable, Snehita highlights its ability to command attention in busy, high-movement environments. “The scale and visual impact of OOH offer a distinctive platform to showcase brand imagery in a bold and creative manner,” she says, adding that whether it is digital screens or massive billboards, outdoor allows brands to express themselves with greater spectacle and imagination. 

She believes the growing use of DOOH, 3D forms, and ambient integrations only strengthens this creative potential, enabling brands to move beyond mere visibility and craft memorable, culturally relevant moments. 

Balancing budgets in a multi-channel world 

Even as OOH continues to deliver impact, brand budgets today must stretch across multiple channels. Snehita explains this shift candidly: “I do not anticipate an increase in the OOH budget in the near future. Current marketing budgets are being divided among various segments, OOH, print, and digital marketing, which itself includes CRM, influencers, Meta ads and more.” 

However, she stresses that this does not diminish OOH’s relevance. “While I do not foresee a rise in OOH spending, I also do not expect it to decrease,” she says, noting that OOH remains a dependable complement to digital, especially when brands demand high-visibility amplification. 

Creative and operational challenges on-ground 

As hybrid OOH formats evolve, execution becomes increasingly complex. Snehita recalls an incident that underlined this reality: “The challenge was faced once when we were trying to create a physical + digital OOH, and somehow the digital screens crashed, but the physical elements stayed, making the whole idea look odd.”
Her experience reflects the need for greater synchronisation between static and digital components, especially as brands attempt more blended, experiential displays. 

A wish-list for stronger structure, transparency and sustainability 

Snehita believes the next phase of OOH growth requires more organisation and accountability across the value chain. She emphasises the importance of structured site guidance for advertisers. “We should classify sites as per location and size, and give brands suggestions on how to use specific sites for specific purposes such as innovations or flat branding,” she notes. 

Measurement remains a key concern. “The ROI and eyeball measurement is always a big question for OOH. There needs to be a metric on how many days is optimum for branding and after how many days recall dies out,” she says, reinforcing the industry-wide need for standardised evaluation mechanisms. 

She also calls for faster municipal approvals, improved site upkeep, and sustainability practices such as eco-friendly materials and proper disposal, areas that would collectively elevate the medium’s credibility and long-term viability. 

As KFC India continues to engage audiences across diverse touchpoints, OOH remains a powerful ally in delivering visibility, character and brand emotion in the real world. Through Snehita Chakravorty’s perspective, the medium emerges not just as an advertising channel but as a space where creativity, public presence and brand storytelling come together, a space uniquely capable of standing out in an age of fleeting digital impressions.