From media to monument: The vision behind iconic OOH landmarks

Out of Home (OOH) media – from design, to placement, to activations, to campaigns – is driven by the core principle of standing out. Doing something that nobody else is doing. Conceptualizing something different. Executing in a manner that creates a special, unique identity. Creating OOH landmarks is simply a continuation of this guiding philosophy. 

OOH in the context  of attention economy 

How does a brand keep its audience’s attention? How does a media format command a brand’s interest and attention? In today’s fragmented, cluttered marketplace, standing out is a strategic imperative, and to stand out, you must embrace out of the box thinking. 

You must not only be different from the run of the mill philosophy, but also put this thought process front and centre of your business approach. Attention is the currency that all media trades in and this is doubly important in OOH. 

Your media is defined by how you choose to position it. It can only be iconic and a landmark because you envision it as such. It starts with the approach. Out of Home is uniquely placed to maximize attention – both because of the audience it reaches, and also because of how its media formats can be integrated within public services. Right now, we think of this purely from an eyeballs perspective – it is part of a public service so I will get so many eyeballs. However, we should also be thinking about the service that is being delivered – this is how a connect is made with the audience and how you become a landmark. 

Meaningful message for deeper connections  

It’s also important to widen our perspective of what can be used to get attention. It’s not necessary for a landmark to be a large format or a 3D structure. A viral or witty message does not necessarily make you stand out. At least not when everyone else is doing it too. Our media is not just a vehicle to deliver a message it can be a means of connecting at a deeper level with the audience. It’s not about having the funniest message or a viral message or who the brand ambassador is. It’s the relevance of that message to its target audience that is most important. For example, simply hosting a public service message can help create a landmark because of the relatability and benefits to the audience. 

Moving from media to landmark 

It’s simplistic to equate size with being iconic, with being a landmark. First, you need to understand why your media is a landmark, why it is different, why you perceive it to be iconic. Sponsoring a stadium – taking it from one of many to one of one, makes it iconic. A stadium will continue to serve the same purpose it does – to host shared experiences – but the brand or media owner that sponsors it has the power to leverage the attention garnered by that shared experience into a landmark. 

Being a landmark isn’t so much about your media but what your media represents and who your media benefits. Today, anyone can put up a media panel. But what does the media panel do? What public utility is it adding? What value does the city get from it? Out of Home must first understand the interplay and connectivity between public spaces and media in order to create a mutually beneficial relationship. Yes, you are getting access to the attention of millions of people every day. That also means you have a responsibility to give them some value through services. This is how you go from being merely media to a landmark. And this is one space where Out of Home can clearly separate itself from other media channels. 

A simple idea of cleaning and maintaining Bus Queue Shelters in Delhi is an example of how Out of Home can create both business and public utility through its media placements. It is also a great example of how having the correct vision and out of the box mindset can create a business model that works across the world. JCDecaux has worked in conjunction with city partners for more than 60 years all across the world in order to deliver value for brands, cities, and most importantly, the citizens. 

Creating collective value with the media 

This approach requires a strong investment by businesses and corporate. This is only possible through a shared, larger vision of what Out of Home can be. An iconic idea is to make Out of Home more than just a media format but rather a major partner for cities. For Out of Home to create and maintain city services. Out of Home can be turned into a landmark by approaching local Governments with this vision.   

The possibilities for Out of Home’s expansion in India are infinite. This is because of the nature of the media and the rapid urbanization of India with infrastructure booming everywhere. However, I believe that to truly create iconic spaces, to truly be a landmark, the focus must not be solely on commercial imperatives. The focus must be on creating shared value for all stakeholders in the ecosystem – in conjunction with public and private partners – with a single, common vision driving it all. All of the associated benefits will follow with a strong foundation and that foundation begins with redefining what it truly means for Out of Home to be a landmark.