US power play: Video Everywhere Summit pulsates with digital OOH optimisation

Mid October, the DPAA convened industry leaders and luminaries in New York City for its annual extravaganza – the Video Everywhere Summit – part of Digital Signage Week that puts digital OOH very much in the spotlight. This year’s conference moved to the larger Sheraton Times Square, perhaps a metaphor for the growth of the industry and the expanding nature of the Digital OOH ecosystem. 

Key Takeaways

More and more, OOH events like this are attracting a wider audience of marketers, brands and technology companies, not just industry insiders. From Sir Martin Sorrell to CNN’s Brian Stelter to presentations from Adidas and participation from major brands and technology providers, the jam-packed agenda oozed with enthusiasm and optimism for the near- and longer-term prospects of digital OOH. Here are our five key takeaways:

A story of growth
OOH continues to make great strides in connecting brand advertisers to consumers in a beautiful and powerful way. Speakers and presentations across the spectrum cited any number of statistics demonstrating solid growth, which by some estimates is up nearly 15 percent globally and 8 percent in the U.S. Drivers include automation and access to a deepening and widening pool of data, ultimately earning for OOH a more prominent place in brand omnichannel marketing strategies and plans.

Bridging the divide
The gap between mainstream digital advertising and digital OOH is continuing to shrink, driven by outsized deals among digital and programmatic players, increased consolidation and the interest of global programmatic players in the OOH ecosystem. The bridging of the divide has the capacity to elevate the entire OOH sector and benefit all industry participants.

Screens everywhere
While major OOH media owners continue to invest in transforming their inventory to digital, new digital screens are popping up in greater numbers in new and sometimes unexpected locations. Today, connected screens are seen in taxis and Ubers, bathrooms, fitness clubs, restaurants and more. Airports across the US also continue to invest heavily in digital signage.

Screens powerful
The power of digital screens is transcending advertising. Connected screens are beginning to power IoT and smart city initiatives and are supporting a wide array of municipal and business purposes. 5G antennas are being housed in screens, helping to proliferate blazing fast connectivity speeds and enabling the advancement of connected and autonomous vehicles.

Looking and learning
As OOH has grown and evolved, the industry has been smartly heeding the lessons from other marketing disciplines. As a result, OOH today offers a cleaner supply chain for programmatic and has become a more trustworthy advertising medium that reaches, moves and influences the consumer more reliably than any other medium.