Unboxing OOH: Data, metrics & personalization are key

What does it take to make OOH an integral part of the core media plan? This was essentially the question that set the context for the 20-minute fireside chat between Kedar Ravangave, Strategic Marketer (CPG, Ecommerce and Fintech) and Rajiv Raghunath, Managing Editor, Outdoor Asia & Media4Growth on the theme: ‘Unboxing OOH for great brand outcomes’ on Day 1 of the Out of Home Advertising Convention (OAC) 2024 that was inaugurated in Bangalore today.

An accomplished brand leader, Kedar Ravangave, addressed the core question by drawing attention to the gap between evolution of the medium and perception of its role. “OOH is still seen as a reminder medium or a medium for impact, as against something that is core to delivering engagement,” he pointed out.

Further sharing his own experience and observations across segments like FMCG, Ecommerce, Fintech, Kedar drew attention to the role of metrics in determining spends.

Here he emphasised the role of the digital medium in establishing ROI as an important factor in media spend decisions, through the use of right metrics, and therefore the skew towards digital as a medium by brands. Kedar however added that with OOH evolving as a medium with greater integration and the possibility for larger data analysis, the medium is making a come-back. His message was very clear: Across categories, what brand marketers really look for are ROI driven media plans. They will invest in any medium that offers personalisation, sophistication, as is happening in OOH currently, and the possibility to measure returns.

The conversation then came back to its core theme – Unboxing of OOH. Sharing his unboxing OOH moment, Kedar talked about the famous British Airways campaign that brought alive a hoarding with the image of a kid on it, every time a British Airways flight flew by overhead. Drawing on more examples of impactful and interactive campaigns, the conversation came to a very clear conclusion – that OOH is truly getting unboxed in significant ways, pointing to dynamic possibilities with the medium.