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By Melanie Lindquist, Managing Director, Talon APAC.

The World Out of Home Organization  (‘WOO’) hosted its APAC conference in Malaysia in October 2022. We listened to updates from around the region for two days, including Korea, Japan, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Australia, and Singapore.

I had the pleasure of presenting with Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific‘s Chloe Neo on behalf of the buyer/agency side to give insight into the view we see of OOH, not just as a medium but in context with the total media mix. The following is a summary of the presentation (with a few new updates), and if you would like a short version, take a look at this article by Campaign Asia Pacific.

For context, the Asia region is of considerable importance to marketers regarding diversity, size, and affluence. Marketers can grow market share, revenue, and ROI if targeted effectively.

Projections show Household Income (HHI) and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (uHNWI) in the region will grow over the next five years. Asia’s consumers are at the forefront of global consumption, with projections that this will continue over the next decade.

McKinsey “Meet your Future Asian Consumer”, 2021

Over the past few years (including the two years of covid), a few key trends are emerging that are impacting the consideration of OOH media in the marketing mix and influencing investment in OOH. Research shows that including OOH in a campaign can uplift effectiveness and impact and drive consumer advocacy, consideration, and purchase intent. However, marketers will remove OOH from a schedule without consistent proof points. This leads me to my first point.

PROOF

There is a persistent demand from marketers for proof.

OOH media needs to invest in ‘proof’ continually. Without proof points (pre and post), OOH is at risk of being removed or reduced on the plan. It is a persistent and growing requirement for considering OOH in the media mix.

Pre-proof can be in the form of audience, movement, psychographic/ behavioural, and buyer-graphical data. It can also include neuro-impact scores, traffic counts, population, demographic, reach, and frequency.

Post-proof can be through campaign verification (physical, digital, and programmatic), research, case studies, and campaign analysis.

It is also cyclical. Campaign verification, analysis of results, and post-campaign recommendations should be a discipline that folds into the proof points for future campaigns. Verification, including physical, digital, and programmatic, post-campaign reporting, benchmarking research (claimed and transactional), brand metric measurement, conversion results, and results against agreed performance metrics, all contribute to proving the performance of OOH.

“If there is no trust or recency in the ‘proof’, OOH risks reduction or removal from the media plan. That lessens the opportunity to demonstrate the power of OOH and the opportunity for the industry to grow.”

Thankfully, OOH is measurable. Continual investment in research, data, and reporting with verified, validated data that is recent and relevant will contribute significantly to OOH remaining on the plan.

Equally important is industry collaboration to build unified platforms like Outdoor Media Association‘s MOVE to provide standardized industry benchmarks that marketers and their agencies accept. It will also increase trust and acceptance from marketers inside and outside the region.

PACE

The media-buying world is rapidly moving to self-service with a growing demand for faster access and engagement with media owners. Pace does impact media investment, whether it is speed to market, speed to respond, or accessibility via technology to speed up processes.

Emerging and existing technology will help extend OOH’s buying capability. OOH media owners need to open up and automate access to inventory, access to avails, access to specifications, and access to long-range planning. It will remove complexity, fuel self-service, and contribute to a position for OOH on the plan, whether traditional buying or programmatic.

OOH media in the APAC region need to invest and adapt to buyer demand and build the capability to respond to the global pace of business. It will allow brands and their agencies to self-serve to a level of autonomy not yet seen in the region.

“We are in the era of self-service. Technology is fuelling this expectation. Media that does not embrace it will be left behind.”

While we always strive for more time, short-termism is still in play. ‘Post-pandemic recovery’ remains a mindset with less long-term planning and more campaign-by-campaign orientation.

Removing complexity, systemizing and automating processes, opening up access to inventory, and connecting to platforms (via partnerships or collaboration) will contribute to a position on the plan for OOH.

INNOVATION

Innovation is a permanent trend, and OOH inspires in many ways. From printing techniques, digital screen tech, data-informed creative, use of public space, or hardware innovation. It all contributes to using OOH media beyond simple spots and sites. 

OOH has always had the flexibility and creativity to work independently and create message layers and multi-sensory impacts. The most recent campaign using multi-sensory layers is the stunning The Coca-Cola Company Christmas campaign on The Piccadilly Lights from Ocean Outdoor in London. It includes live carollers, screen domination, interactive creative (song lyrics), and a mobile Coca-Cola truck driving past the site. All beautifully contextual leading up to Christmas.

“The OOH industry has an album full of innovation examples. Simply put, OOH innovation allows brands to transcend spots and sites. When Talon APAC advocates for OOH in the media mix, we can easily demonstrate impressive innovation in the APAC region.”

Product innovation is epitomized by Dole Food Company , screen-printing posters using ink made from real fruit waste (here) to authentically demonstrate their charter of zero-waste. 3D, anamorphic screens across APAC, including Big Tree’s CUBIG@ KLCC Junction in Kuala Lumpur to oOh!media’s Bourke St Mall in Melbourne and Ten Square, Landmark of Good in Singapore; create iconic, brand-enhancing campaigns.

Continuous innovation, including AR, VR, and 2D extensions, will grow the OOH APAC industry and significantly drive results for clients.

Data innovation to inform locations, target audiences and identify the best placement is not new. However, applying data to inform creative and develop deep connections with consumers through contextual relevance should be continually innovated.

In the last ten years, OOH has used digital to create contextual relevance, which research has shown to be at least 19% more effective. Brands. Agencies and media should look to ways data can inform the development and execution of campaigns. It creates impact and attention that positions OOH as a media leader and heightens consideration when planning campaigns.

Of course, this data should always comply with local privacy regulations and appropriate use of data. Here is an excellent article from ForwardKeys on using data to inform OOH campaigns.

Hardware innovation in OOH is uniquely positioned to affect public spaces positively and comes with great responsibility. Innovation in hardware, structure, and the physical build of OOH will attract brands and have a lasting impact on our environment.

Hardware innovation in OOH is uniquely positioned to affect public spaces positively and comes with great responsibility. Innovation in hardware, structure, and the physical build of OOH will attract brands and have a lasting impact on our environment.

Hardware innovation in the APAC region has included:

This innovation leads me to my final point and onto a significant trend impacting OOH investment and inclusion in media planning – PURPOSE.

PURPOSE

Consumers are more aware of purpose when deciding to buy. Equally, there is pressure on brands to deliver on purpose and demonstrate commitment to DEI – Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, and ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance, and Sustainability practices.

It is often considered a ‘Gen Z’ driver of consumption. If you look at the statistics below, you will see that while Gen Z is leading increases in preference to buy from sustainable brands, the uplift is across all generations.

Purpose is here to stay.

World Economic Forum + “State of Consumer Spending” – November 2021

At the time of the WOO conference, Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific announced a partnership that illustrates where ‘purpose’ is leading the media industry. They “expect to see more stringent, measured frameworks for pitches, proposals, and partners over time. As well as the creation of standardized metrics such as carbon footprint across clients’ media selections, supporting brand sustainability plans in the long term.”

The physical manifestation of purpose within OOH media is developing rapidly, with APAC emerging recently with impressive developments. For OOH to maintain relevance in the region, it is essential to persist with a purpose-driven product, business, and action that addresses ESG and DEI and improves the public spaces in which OOH resides.

What does this look like now and in the future?

Living Walls using live plants improves the site’s visually and contributes to an improved environmental impact by eliminating up to 10kg of CO² per sqm per year.

Eco Paint providers, such as Airlite, offer air-purifying paint to paint advertisements on walls or create bespoke murals.

Latex Ink – Revolution360 is now using HP Latex Ink, which is 65% water-based, and completely biodegradable, with no heavy materials or hazardous air pollutants.

Poster Evolution in many production companies has resulted in switching out traditional PVC banners for non-PVC materials and reducing the harmful effects of the disposal of PVC products. Urban Vision s.p.a. was one of the first media owners to introduce pollution-eating banners. The posters include a pollution-absorbing layer, creating a more eco-friendly product. Lightweight polyethylene vinyl billboard skins are routinely reused and repurposed at the end of their life cycle into various finished products like benches, sleepers, and bollards.

Green Roofs on bus stops increase biodiversity and support nature recovery. They can also absorb rainwater, urban heat and contribute to cleaning the air. Including solar panels also means that transit stops can run on green energy. JCDecaux Middle East is leading the way with the use of green energy to power the majority of their digital portfolio across airports and roadside.

World Out of Home Organization also announced the industry’s first Global Sustainability Task Force led by WOO Board member Katrin A. Robertson. WOO President Tom Goddard said about the initiative:

“There is much good work being undertaken by many [OOH] members, including some of the largest players in the business, but we must remember that we are a highly diverse industry in terms of stakeholders and owners and WOO can play a bigger role in helping members, smaller operators in particular, improve and communicate their sustainability performance.”

OOH in the APAC region will benefit from adopting and pioneering development that improves people’s lives and public spaces. It will also maintain relevance when a marketer considers media in their campaigns. It will become the standard, not the exception, in the future.

We are emerging from a two-year chrysalis that has disrupted the world forever. Marketers are more accountable than ever, and marketing plans are under scrutiny.

If the OOH media industry does not continue to adapt and make inroads into measurability, attribution, and independent verification (proof), harness technology to create self-service, ease of planning, and speed to market (pace), persistently push the boundaries of OOH capability (innovation) and authentically commit to positively impacting public spaces, the environment and people’s lives (purpose); OOH as a medium runs a significant risk of insignificance.

Talon continues driving, supporting, and advocating for OOH in the media mix. We know from our decade of client campaigns and creative innovations with Grand Visual that OOH is innovative, builds brand awareness, consideration, and drives purchase intent, and uplifts effectiveness when in combination with other media in the mix.

As part of a global strategic realignment at Talon, from today Plexus will become Talon International.

The same trusted team of experts you know, the same high-level service you expect and the same global independent OOH network that is still the biggest in the world.  All brought to you more efficiently and effectively under one unified brand synonymous with pioneering innovation and quality in Out of Home – Talon.

The world of Out of Home media is changing fast, and Talon is proud of our contribution to driving this evolution over the last decade. Talon’s ongoing dedication to offering our clients best-in-class planning, buying, creativity and technological solutions, ensures we deliver the best experience and outcomes for our clients on a global scale.

Nothing defines this global commitment more than the Talon International team who serve as a centralised hub connecting over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world, enabling us to plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets worldwide.

We are excited to take this next step on our journey with brand partners both new and old – to discuss the new opportunities this future holds, contact the team at

firstname.lastname@talonooh.com

Alternatively head to the Talon International page to see first-hand what this new direction has to offer.

Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency, today unveils a company rebrand as it continues its ambitious global expansion and commitment to being the global OOH media agency of choice.

Approaching its tenth year, Talon, which works with global brands such as Diageo, BBC, and McDonald’s, as well as leading agencies Omnicom, Havas, and Stagwell, delivers the most effective, innovative, and creative media solutions for OOH at global, national, and regional levels.

Talon’s refreshed manifesto and its people-first approach is driving the rebrand, which has creativity, effectiveness, measurability and sustainability at its heart. The world of Out of Home media is changing fast and Talon is proud of its contribution to driving this evolution through its technology and expertise. The new manifesto confirms Talon’s dedication to offering its clients best-in-class planning, buying, creativity, and tech solutions, and ensuring that it delivers the best experience and outcomes for its clients globally.

As part of the rebrand, all existing Talon brands will be brought together with one distinct voice, including its creative arm, Grand Visual, and Plexus – the largest independent global OOH planning and buying network covering 100 markets internationally – which will rebrand to Talon International.

The rebrand will be applied to every element of the Talon business and includes a website relaunch that showcases Talon’s work to transform OOH – from a legacy medium to one that is highly effective, data-driven, creative, and measurable – delivering proven effectiveness for clients.

This follows another incredibly successful year, which saw the company strengthen its presence with new office openings in North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. It also secured new investment from Equistone Partners Europe, providing capital to continue its global expansion through strategic acquisitions, as well as driving further technological innovation.

Sarah Parkes, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, says: “Talon has changed a lot in the last nine years, from our humble beginnings as an independent challenger brand in the UK OOH specialist market to where we are now – the largest independent global OOH agency with an ever-increasing international footprint. We’ve invested in our people, in building market leading proprietary technology, and now we have further invested in our brand. Re-booting our brand look, feel and tone of voice takes Talon’s unique energy and spirit out into the world, and brings the Talon global family together with one voice.”

Talon – The Screen @ Leicester Square, London, Ocean

Talon – Times Square, New Tradition, New York

Announced today, Talon is the headline sponsor of the Campaign Tech Awards 2023.

Open for nominations now, the Campaign Tech Awards exist to celebrate and showcase the companies that represent the industry’s trailblazing thinkers, imaginative clients and cutting-edge technology.  Championing the collaboration between agencies, brands and the technology communities, and recognising the outstanding work produced together to drive the creative industries forward.  

The awards honour successful innovators, celebrate amazing work, and stimulate even more ingenuity right across the marketing, advertising and media industries.

By embracing a technology-first approach to Out of Home, Talon have developed market leading proprietary AdTech platforms that have revolutionised OOH planning, buying, execution and measurement. Ada, our Data Management Platform enables behavioural audience-based planning and has been proven to deliver better short and longer term brand metrics. Atlas, our intelligent, automated digital OOH buying platform delivers 100% optimised programmatic OOH campaigns that generate more effective outcomes for our clients. And Plato, our in-house planning tool, automates campaign planning and buying for speed and precision.

Our technology platforms help our clients get the most from their outdoor campaigns –  sponsoring the Campaign Tech Awards is a perfect fit for Talon, elevating the amazing work being powered by technology across the wider media industry.

Nominations are open now, closing 22nd February. We look forward to celebrating with everyone at the awards ceremony!

campaigntechawards.com

As Talon approaches its 10th year, it is the perfect time to revitalise the Talon brand – including a fresh new look that will be applied to every element of the business. Coming soon!

Our Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Sarah Parkes, shares a sneak peek of Talon’s upcoming brand transformation. 

Talon has changed a lot in the last nine years, from our humble beginnings as an independent challenger brand in the UK OOH specialist market to where we are now – the largest independent global OOH agency with an ever-increasing international footprint. And our growth ambitions don’t stop there… 

We’ve invested in our people, in building market leading proprietary technology and this year we’ve invested in our brand too. You’ll have seen a taster of our new look and feel when you first visited the website and you’ll spy our new logo across our social channels. In the meantime, here’s a quick behind the scenes of what to expect when we officially launch our new brand by the end of the year. 

We are Talon 

If you’ve met us in real life or on Teams, you’ll know our mission is to drive the growth of OOH – supporting the transformation of OOH from a legacy medium to one that is highly effective, data driven, creative, and most importantly, measurable and effective for our clients. 

We’re growing fast, and our new positioning and website will support us on our journey – whilst championing the people who have made Talon what it is today.  

We’ve re-booted our brand look, feel and tone of voice to take Talon’s unique energy and spirit out into the world, and will start to bring the Talon global family together with one voice – including Grand Visual and Plexus which will rebrand to Talon International.

It’s everything our clients and agencies love about Talon – collaboration, bold adventurousness, relentless creativity and innovation – translated into new brand colours, a new logo, and a new website.   

We’re excited to share this next exciting step with you, but for now watch this space and begin to imagine what’s possible when we “think outside”. 

“The Only Way is Up for Out of Home!” – Barry Cupples, Group CEO Talon

Talon had an incredible time hosting a live recording of the Behind the Billboard podcast and an important conversation between Cephas Williams & Barry Cupples on the LBBonline – Little Black Book & Friends Beach, alongside joining in at Stagwell’s Speaker’s Lounge, a fireside chat with the DPAA on Yahoo Beach, attending events and catching up with clients and industry friends over lunch. Take a look at our behind-the-scenes roundup from Cannes in 2022.

In the words of our CEO Barry Cupples, “we’re just in the room as Out of Home expert’s trying to grow the category.” 

Cannes was a brilliant opportunity to connect with our industry peers and begin to work together to grow the medium. 

There are huge opportunities for brands to capitalise on OOH’s renaissance and the smart opportunities OOH can offer to reach consumers at scale. The time is now to further collaborate and educate advertisers and agencies on the fantastic results OOH can deliver. 

Here’s to Talon in Cannes 2023!

London, 15th July 2022: Frank Bryant, one of the founders of Talon Outdoor who set up and built the business alongside Eric Newnham and James Copley in 2013, has stepped down from the board with immediate effect.

Following the recent announcement that Talon has secured investment from Equistone Partners Europe, Frank has decided that this is the right time for him to step down from Talon and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.  

As one of Talon’s founders, Frank played a pivotal role in growing Talon from inception to the leading independently owned global Out of Home (OOH) agency. His incredible passion and energy for OOH have been vital to establishing Talon’s culture and success – providing clients access to the best planning and service the industry has to offer. 

In addition to building up Talon’s market-leading client-service offering, Frank is well known for his dedication to charitable causes and has been the driving force behind Talon’s charity work, raising a staggering 2 million to date through the industry-renowned annual “Talon Turns” parties and other fundraising efforts. The long-term partnership he established with FAB (Families Activity Breaks) has also positively impacted the lives of many military families. 

The UK business has a strong and dedicated leadership team led by Global CEO – Barry Cupples, supported by the wider team of talented, passionate and creative professionals, who will continue to drive the business forward. 

Frank Bryant said: “I’m happily stepping down from the board to enjoy retirement. Talon has been an unbelievable success since we came into the market and I’ve loved every minute of building and growing the business to its key leadership role in Out of Home. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a fabulous team of individuals which has been a privilege and honour to do. I wish Talon and the entire team continued success and I know the business will continue to grow and thrive under its current leadership.” 

Eric Newnham, Talon co-founder, said: “Thank you Frank for being a brilliant partner and colleague. You have been superb at helping us take Talon to the heights we now enjoy and I wish you all the best in your retirement.”

James Copley, UK CEO, said: “It has been an incredible 10 years. Frank has played a huge part in Talon’s success; both in the early days and then driving further growth over the last few years. His commitment to charitable causes has been inspirational, and we will continue his legacy with the Talon Turns events. On a personal level, Frank has been a brilliant business partner and friend and I have enjoyed the best 10 years of my career working with him.  I wish him the very best for his well-deserved retirement.” 

Barry Cupples, Global CEO, adds, “Frank has been an inspirational leader – his contribution has spanned every aspect of Talon’s phenomenal growth since start-up. As an advisor to the board, Frank has provided invaluable counsel as we successfully navigated a tumultuous few years. We are in a fabulous position to continue the incredible work done by Frank in nurturing talent and developing our management. He is a rare breed and a lovely person to boot. He will be sorely missed but we absolutely understand his position and respect his decision as he departs on the highest of notes.

The power of creativity to break through the clutter and capture consumer attention is undeniable. In late May, Netflix launched a global activation for the fourth season of its popular series, Stranger Things. The activation, which opened up a virtual portal to the ‘Upside Down,’ took over 15 landmarks across 14 countries, including the Empire State Building in New York City, Bondi Beach in Sydney, Duomo Square in Milan, the Gateway of India in Mumbai, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. The placements were big, bold, and visual spectacles that could only be possible in out of home (OOH).

An Airbus campaign, developed in collaboration with Talon’s award-winning digital OOH creative and production agency Grand Visual is another prime example. The creative execution projected a commitment to sustainability on the 2,700-plus foot tall Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai. There’s also PUMA, who in collaboration with Talon America, Havas Media Group, Grand Visual, and Nowadays, rolled out a cutting-edge digital OOH (DOOH) campaign to promote the launch of NBA superstar LaMelo Ball’s first PUMA signature basketball sneaker, MB.01. The award-winning advert appeared on DOOH bus shelters throughout New York City, which were outfitted with augmented reality (AR) technology and took passersby on an otherworldly journey.

Such campaigns underscore how OOH can serve as a veritable blank canvas with endless creative possibilities. The opportunity to capture the attention of audiences in their surroundings is what sets OOH apart – and creative is a proven competitive advantage. The world’s biggest brands are increasingly bringing the creative, immersive, and experiential capabilities of OOH to the next level.

What’s more is that these brands and their OOH partners are getting recognized for their creative excellence. At Cannes Lions, an international festival of creativity, OOH took home 48 Lions awards, including the top Grand Prix honor for ‘Liquid Billboard’ by Havas Middle East, Dubai, Cultural Insight for adidas. The world’s first swimmable billboard was created to promote the brand’s new inclusive, full-cover swimwear collection. With this single billboard, adidas reportedly reached 300 million people in over 50 countries. This campaign exemplifies the undeniable strength of OOH to help brands engage in-the-field and swim to victory.

Designing these types of one-of-a-kind executions begins with visually bold and creative storytelling to bring campaigns to life. And when combined with the latest in digital OOH innovations and emerging technologies like AR and virtual reality (VR), brands can enter the next dimension with campaigns that deliver powerful larger than life moments. What’s more is that great creative can also be a location driver, spark buzz, and deliver measurable results.

Elevating OOH creative begins with understanding the facts:

By its very nature, DOOH offers a lot of flexibility and limitless capabilities in terms of creating compelling advertising. And those attributes offer advertisers the chance to build everlasting moments, powerful statements, and lasting impressions.