‘OOH offers precision, scale & measurable value that few media can match’

For Havells India, one of the country’s most respected electrical brands, Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising has remained a consistent force in building brand credibility, reinforcing trust, and ensuring high recall across markets. As a category rooted in everyday relevance, from homes and workplaces to public spaces, Havells relies on OOH to create a strong and continuous presence in the environments where consumers live and move. 

Siddharth Anand Jha, Senior General Manager at Havells, emphasises that OOH is not simply a visibility medium; it delivers strategic value when planned with precision, creativity, and contextual intelligence. 

OOH as a targeted and high-impact communication tool 

Siddharth highlights how OOH strengthens Havells’ ability to reach the right audience at scale. “OOH is a capable medium that helps us target specific customers over a larger base with effective and impactful communication,” he says. According to him, the medium is particularly powerful in reinforcing key brand messages consistently over an extended period, making it a strong contributor to sustained brand recall. 

He believes that OOH’s impact stems from its ability to combine scale with presence. Whether on highways, city centres or high-footfall commercial zones, the medium ensures Havells occupies a visible and credible space in consumers’ everyday journeys. 

A medium that delivers value and flexibility 

For Siddharth, the true strength of OOH lies in its ability to merge reach, relevance, and repetition, the fundamentals of marketing consistency. “OOH, when executed strategically, with the right mix of innovation, location, and timing, impacts audiences in a much more powerful way than many other media options,” he notes. “It’s truly value for money.” 

He also points out an often-overlooked advantage: OOH allows marketers to tweak strategy mid-campaign. “It gives marketers the flexibility to assess impact and make necessary corrections, whether in messaging, media selection, or duration, to optimize results,” he adds. This agility, he believes, makes OOH a smarter and more responsive medium than many assume. 

Innovative formats and local relevance are shaping the next phase 

As OOH formats evolve, especially with digital integration, Havells is expanding its approach to regional targeting. Siddharth explains, “With the options and avenues emerging in newer OOH formats, it’s one of the most attractive media for marketers to focus on.” 

He adds that Havells is sharpening its localised communication strategies. “We are re-strategizing our media spends to target local audiences through innovative messaging and OOH tools. The aim is to not just advertise but to generate measurable insights for each campaign, something that wasn’t easily achievable earlier.” 

For a brand that straddles diverse product categories, this ability to contextualise messaging at a regional level significantly enhances campaign effectiveness. 

Challenges that demand better organisation and structure 

Despite OOH’s strengths, Siddharth acknowledges the systemic challenges that persist. “Poor visibility and low impact due to improper media selection are common challenges,” he says. When campaigns are not aligned with the right sites or audience clusters, the impact is diluted. 

He adds that the lack of standardisation across the industry contributes to complexity. “The disorganized structure of the OOH industry continues to pose operational hurdles. The lack of uniform standards and clear accountability often complicates campaign planning and execution.” 

A call for transparency, regulation and reliable measurement 

As OOH evolves, Siddharth stresses the importance of regulatory clarity and credible metrics. “Agencies should only recommend regulated and approved sites,” he emphasises. Advertisers, he says, must be confident that their campaigns are executed on legitimate media, without disruption or compliance issues. 

He also calls for stronger measurement frameworks. “Campaign evaluation and analysis should be backed by scientifically quantifiable metrics. Access to such data would help marketers monitor progress and gauge real impact,” he notes. This, in his view, would significantly strengthen confidence in the medium. 

OOH remains strategically indispensable 

Despite the challenges, Siddharth is clear about OOH’s continuing relevance. “It’s a medium that continues to prove its relevance, even as the media landscape transforms,” he reflects. For Havells, OOH delivers not only visibility but meaningful visibility, presence that is measurable, memorable, and aligned with real-world consumer journeys. 

In a world where attention is fragmented and digital fatigue is rising, OOH remains, in his words, “an indispensable part of our marketing strategy”, a medium that brings the brand into the heart of everyday life with impact and authenticity.