‘We need to invest more in automation of processes to make OOH buying easier’

“These are interesting times for OOH,” says Annie Rickard, Managing Partner at OOH Capital, a company that plays an advisory role, being at the intersection of different stakeholder interests in the OOH ecosystem. As Annie says, OOH Capital is a convergence of different kinds of expertise, which aims to support its clientele representing diverse segments of the OOH ecosystem- from media owners and media buyers to investors and tech players.   

Being at this intersection enables a holistic view of where OOH is headed globally. Sharing her observations, Annie says, “There many things that are in the right place for the medium. There are enough investments in infrastructure everywhere, including in India, and there’s a great deal of passion for the medium. The digitization of the medium has also made it more in line with the digital mediums.”  

The upbeat note is however tempered by some concerns, especially in terms of the gap between the medium’s growth potential, and how much it is growing in reality. As Annie points out, “It’s frustrating to note that OOH hasn’t grown as I believe it should have. It’s at about 5%,  but everyone in the space believes that it should be at least 10% or more. The is a medium that has all the ingredients for growth –  it enables effective delivery of brand message,  facilitates customised, localised messages and, supported by technology, can also deliver in real time. So, why aren’t we growing?”  

Why not, when it can? 

With that question, Annie strikes an introspective note, throwing light on some of the key challenges that are slowing OOH’s growth journey, despite its obvious potential. “Agencies are increasingly looking at an omnichannel approach for their media buying process. So the more we can automate the transactional processes, the easier we can make it to buy; there’s growing consensus on the need for this. So the investment that I would like to see is not necessarily in infrastructure, but in the process of transactions. I really think that will deliver the growth we want,” says Annie, clearly pointing to the need of the hour.  

Unified is the way to go 

Further, addressing the question of who should take the next step towards ushering in greater automation in the OOH space, Annie is clear that it’s a collective responsibility. “Advertisers just want to be able to buy the best OOH. And what we need to do is make it possible for as many people as possible to buy as much as they want as easily as they can. Now, that sounds very easy, but it’s not. But I do think that the start point is recognising that we need to unify on this,” she says.   

She also agrees that markets like India have many of the necessary factors in place –  

the investments, the passion, the commitment, and the desire to succeed. But she feels that some of the fundamentals have still not been addressed, especially in terms of standardizing the medium. “Everybody’s been working in silos. What we need is for people to not only invest in themselves and also in the industry,” says Annie, sounding out a clarion call for change. Essentially, it all boils down to a shift in the mindset – whether it’s about adopting new technology tools or a common measurement standard. And, it’s about bringing in an unified approach –  unified data, unified measurement systems and unified ways of working. “If we work together in a unified way, then everybody wins,” as Annie sums up. 

Read the detailed interview in the May edition of Outdoor Asia.