Archana Aggarwal joins OOH Advertising Awards 2025 as jury

Archana Aggarwal, a seasoned media consultant, has joined the upcoming OOH Advertising Awards (OAA) 2025 as jury. The awards are an integral part of the 19th edition of the OOH Advertising Convention (OAC), scheduled to take place on July 18 & 19, 2025, at The Westin Powai, Mumbai. The convention’s theme for this year is ‘Mapping a New OOH-scape.’

Archana Aggarwal is an accomplished media professional with 25 years of experience in the industry. Her career includes a tenure at Airtel, Country Media Manager at P&G, and significant roles with agencies such as Group M and McCann-Erickson, where she managed key clients including HUL, Kellogg’s, Bajaj Auto, and Coca-Cola. She played a crucial role in the launch of major brands like Airtel 4G, Olay, and Pampers in India, and her work on campaigns for Gillette and Whisper garnered international recognition at prestigious events like Cannes and Festival of Media.

Sharing her enthusiasm for her role, Archana expressed, “I’ve been part of the OAA jury for over 10 years. The rigorous standards, the high caliber of entries, the diverse perspectives of the jury members, and the thoughtful discussions leading up to the awarding of medals are what lend these awards its credibility and makes me proud to be associated with it. Being part of the OAA jury gives me the opportunity to see what other brands are doing and see creativity evolve in a time when technology, culture and consumer behaviour are shifting so rapidly. Most of all, I’m excited by the chance to celebrate ideas that aren’t just well-executed, but that leave a lasting impact, on the industry, on consumers, and sometimes, on society itself.”

On judging campaigns integrating creativity and AI, Archana emphasized, “My focus has always been on ideas rooted in consumer insights and media strategy. If AI is used simply for the sake of novelty, without a clear strategy or consideration of the consumer perspective, it becomes more about chasing awards and lacks real relevance.”

When evaluating entries, Archana highlighted the balance between craft and impact: “Balancing craft and impact when evaluating entries is all about finding the right harmony between quality and effectiveness while meaningfully connecting with the consumers. Most importantly, the entry should showcase how they have solved the brand problem. Just doing impact without addressing the business objective is meaningless.”

Regarding the importance of OOH advertising awards, Archana stated, “In a TV+digital dominated world, OOH is often underestimated or used only as a support medium. Awards like OAA help highlight its continued relevance and effectiveness, showcasing how powerful the medium is if used strategically especially when it is well integrated with other mediums. OAA also helps attract and retain talent for the industry.”