Roshanspace takes up Title Sponsorship of Out of Home Advertising Awards (OAA) 2024 for the third consecutive year

Even as Indian OOH gears up for accelerated business growth in Year 2024 after a highly successful run in Year 2023 that saw total pan-India revenues go up significantly year-on-year and a notable step-up in DOOH expansion in some of the key markets, OOH media owners and specialist agencies are palpably redoubling the efforts to deliver compelling brand experiences through innovative use of the medium. Launch of iconic media and unveiling of innovative OOH campaigns over the last one year is illustrative of the collective surge to place Indian OOH on a higher growth trajectory.

The 18^th edition of Out of Home Advertising Awards (OAA) contest, formerly known as the Outdoor Advertising Awards, is designed to celebrate the most outstanding works executed in the period April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. One of India’s best known OOH firms Roshanspace has taken up the Title Sponsorship of OAA 2024, having also been the Title Sponsor of OAA 2022 & 2023.

Junaid Shaikh, Managing Director, Roshanspace, a strong advocate of OOH innovation, creativity tells Media4Growth that “When one is thinking of aesthetics, OOH has a certain appeal to it. It has a uniqueness to it. The Creativity you bring into OOH counters commoditisation. Most often unique positioning requires unique communication and a unique representation. And if you look at some of the renowned brands that are top of mind, be it Apple, Netflix, Meta or most recently Spotify, they do things differently.”

In his view, “Sometimes, the least or minimalistic, uncluttered design and communication in creativity leads to minimalistic approach. This very approach to creativity is visible in big brands, the good ones. That's why when you think of a phone you think of an iPhone and when you think of a luxury car, you think of Mercedes because of the aesthetics of the car and the trust in the brand which emanates from this very thinking or approach also reflects in the brand communication. Hence it is an embedded culture of the brand or the organisation and obviously this positions them uniquely, increasing their noticeability and recall.”

“This differentiated thinking will positively affect and impact the industry at large. Our assets are dynamic and deliver visual experiences on the move and advertisers need to view them as large stages to unleash their creativity,” he adds.

Reflecting on the role of DOOH in extending the boundaries of creativity, Junaid comments that “Today, we can move these stages from static to electronic and to digital and this brings in the possibility of tying together art and science, delivering an unparalleled experience. We are, as I keep saying, a canvas through which advertisers can speak to people, to the audience on-the-go. You can become a part of their life if you can anticipate who they are, how they are thinking, and what they are thinking on a daily basis.”

Junaid reinforces his viewpoint by stating that “OOH is usually in people's radar through and through their moving pattern, hence it is the most visible media touchpoint when the audience is driving or when they are passing by. Hence, we are media touchpoint providers to audiences when they're externally focusing or internally introspecting and it is at these times that DOOH works best.”

Pointing to findings of neuroscience studies with regard to DOOH impact, Junaid states that digital OOH displays have been found to generate maximum interest among audiences. “Through a dynamic medium like DOOH, this is exactly the opportunity that you have because the dynamic messages make a definitive impact on the consumer. With our iconic larger-than-life assets, we provide possibilities of creating visual experiences whilst tracking movements of the consumer. Therefore all these aspects culminate to give brands a huge chance to get up close and personal with their audience and communicate the right objective of the brand.

When asked if recognition of works of excellence by way of industry awards is important for talent acquisition and development in OOH companies, Junaid makes the observation that “as a close knit industry we are here to work together and grow our share of the ad pie. Awards always turn the spotlight on leaders who have inspired change and championed excellence in this domain. Awards are a platform to celebrate the thinking, it is the confluence of thought leaders and acknowledgement of their thinking and creation, which fuels a new wave of talent that would want to engage with the industry. They will bring in their fresh perspective in technology, measurement, programmatic and more. Talent acquisition is currently the most important criteria, a lot is riding here since with this comes excellence. And while we are at setting new standards in excellence, awards are the means to showcase these incredible feats.”

Sharing his particular views on OAA serving as an industry standard of OOH creative and media excellence, Junaid says: “OAA has addressed the need of this media business vertical in the most apt manner by positioning itself as the industry standard of OOH creative and media excellence. As an industry which is at the cusp of change, we need a platform that has consistently contributed to our growth and development. This forum has helped us collate our thinking and help us learn from each other and speed up growth, This common platform helps us think, ideate and arrive at new business ideas. OAA serves as an ideal platform to unite and improve our collective value as a media industry.”

The date of commencement of the OAA 2024 contest for submission of entries will be announced soon.

All OAA 2024 entries are to be submitted online, in specified templates. The entries will be adjudicated by separate Juries comprising eminent brand marketers and creative heads who have deep knowledge of OOH advertising.

The OAA 2024 metals will be given away at a special awards function that will be organised on July 26, 2024 at Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Manyata Business Park, Bengaluru, which is also the venue for the Out of Home Advertising Convention (OAC) 2024.