Talon APAC are a member of BritCham and are proud to be supporting their 70^th Anniversary Year celebrations. We admire their devotion to fostering continued support for businesses, communities and connections.

We were delighted to attend their celebrations at the High Commissioner’s residence, Eden Hall, and enjoyed the discussion about the continuing close trade relationship between Singapore and the UK.

Based in Singapore with offices worldwide, Talon APAC boost brands locally, nationally and globally with innovative Out of Home campaigns.

Read more about Britcham and how they support British businesses.

Every year, Black Friday signals the beginning of one the most intense shopping periods of the year. Across one weekend, consumers spend billions, setting the stage for the retail rush that follows. Last year alone, according to AIB, consumers spent over €95 million online on Black Friday alone, with a record-breaking 900k card transactions taking place. But this is only the beginning.

As we move deeper into Q4, the excitement builds. With 81% of respondents declaring Christmas as their favourite holiday, the final quarter is where it all happens. However, it’s not just about shopping; it’s about embracing seasonal traditions. From braving sea swims to scenic hikes and festive parties, audiences are embracing the season – outside of the home.

This is where OOH comes into its own, placing your brand at the heart of the action. OOH reaches your target audience at key moments throughout the season, ensuring your message resonates during those cherished traditions.

And just as Santa checks his list – we ready our ACES to ensure you have the winning hand this Christmas.

Audience

This Q4, we’re connecting with a nation that fully embraces the festive season in both their shopping habits and holiday traditions. Christmas is a big deal – according to Kantar €1.4 billion passed through Ireland’s grocery tills in December 2023, with shoppers making nearly 42 million trips to stores over the four weeks leading up to December 24^th. The shopping frenzy kicks off in October and November, with these months accounting for the bulk of Christmas gift buying.

This year, consumers are planning to shop that bit later, capitalising on events such as Black Friday to score the best deals. Despite the convenience of online shopping, the in-store experience remains a key part of the holiday tradition with 36% of shoppers preferring a blend of both online and in-store experiences. Not only that, but according to our insights Thursday to Saturday are the most popular days with people still eager to soak up the bustling atmosphere that comes with these shopping occasions instead of opting for quieter shopping times. Shopping centres are the most popular environment for this, but with many consumers navigating a variety of shopping spaces, reaching them through multiple OOH touchpoints is key.

Creative

But during the festive season, the challenge is not just to participate, but to stand out. The holiday magic lies in how effectively you can capture attention, especially as according to our research the time people dedicate to Christmas shopping varies across demographics. For instance, half of 16-24’s spend an entire day doing their Christmas shopping and according to promocode Irish consumers will spend four full days out shopping, giving brands extended dwell time to engage through creative OOH solutions.

A recent example from last Christmas is Jameson, who wanted to be the Christmas drink of choice. They took over a well-known pub, The Barge, and transformed it into a massive Christmas tree. The special build featured over 400+ Jameson bottles, individually lit and pixel mapped with LED technology to deliver seasons greetings. According to a Talon study comparing traditional OOH exposure with special builds, the results were clear: a +35% increase in purchase consideration, a +17% rise in consumer action, and 72% of respondents agreed that the extra elements made it stand out.

Effective

Our third ACE – effective – is all about delivering real, measurable results. While creative visual appeal is essential it’s not enough on its own. Talon’s benchmarks show how OOH excels in achieving key performance metrics along the brand funnel, with classic formats being 1.6x more effective at driving awareness, large formats 1.5x more effective at driving consideration, and digital formats 1.1x more effective at driving purchase intent.

Christmas campaigns are no exception. In the lead-up to the festive season, brands are looking to cut through the clutter and noise. OOH provides them with an opportunity to do that in a highly visible and public way, with Christmas OOH campaigns delivering a 23% uplift in ad recall. Not only that, but they also resonate emotionally – 62% of 18-34s report a positive emotional response to OOH Christmas ads. And with 60% of all ecommerce now happening outside of the home (IPA analysis), OOH is highly effective at driving short-term sales, delivering a 47% uplift in sales activation vs non-users, especially when featuring a call to action (55% sales message vs 28% brand building message).

Sustainable

The final part of our ACES – sustainable – highlights the growing importance of balancing creativity with responsibility as we approach this Christmas season. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact brands can have. According to our research, Irish consumers believe brands make a positive contribution. Sustainable advertising not only supports the planet but also increases effectiveness along the brand funnel, driving an average uplift of +57%. It even primes sustainable perceptions in other channels, particularly online social media, with a 5.8% average increase.

Take Not on the High Street’s campaign in the UK last Christmas, which encouraged UK consumers to reconsider their gifting habits. With 8 in 10 reporting bad gifts, and over 3.08 million thrown away, their campaign urged consumers to gift wiser through a series of creative OOH solutions.

As a one-to-many medium, OOH offers another advantage: it emits fewer carbon emissions per impression than any other media measured (KPMG 2023). As we move forward, brands can make even more sustainable choices by considering factors such as recycled paper use, digital sites powering down, and minimising the number of creative assets used.

The Q4 outlook this year for OOH is looking “Merry & Bright”. At Talon we believe that OOH delivers across four main benefits: understanding your Audience, crafting Creative that captivates attention, ensuring Effectiveness to drive real results, and embracing Sustainability for a responsible impact – otherwise known as ACES.

With record-breaking holiday spending predicted, longer and later shopping trips, high emotional engagement with OOH, this coming festive period is a chance for brands to cut through the clutter.

Reach out to a member of your Talon team for the full deck or to discuss your Q4 options – because this Christmas OOH is your winning hand!

London, August 2024: Workplace culture change programme Parenting Out Loud has embarked on a national Out of Home campaign, in partnership with Talon, to tackle parenting inequality, coinciding with the end of the school summer holidays.

The campaign encourages dads to be transparent – “loud and proud” – about their childcare responsibilities. Planned by Out of Home agency, Talon, it launched on August 26th and will run until and September 6th as children from across the country return to school.

Parenting Out Loud is live in shopping malls via JCDecaux and across select Ocean Outdoor large format digital locations in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

The creative shows a father walking with his two children and features the words: “School is back. A new season. Time for more… Parenting Out Loud… where dads are loud and proud about their childcare responsibilities at work.”

It also encourages fathers to share their working dad stories on LinkedIn using the hashtag #parentingoutloud. A video filmed by Parenting Out Loud founder  Elliott Rae showcasing some of the billboards and highlighting why the campaign is important can also be watched on LinkedIn.

Rae, an advocate for working dads and campaigner on mental health and masculinity, launched the Parenting Out Loud campaign in April. It aims to inspire a cultural shift and change in attitudes around the role of fathers that has persisted for generations. The campaign supports employers in building workplace cultures where working dads can be unapologetic, proud, and transparent about their childcare responsibilities

The programme champions equal parenting and gender equality at work and home and seeks to change the way society views dads and male carers by normalising male caring and changing the narrative around fatherhood.

Research has shown that one in three working dads feel uncomfortable talking to their employer about their family commitments, yet equal parenting is key to gender equality, with around 80% of the gender pay gap attributed to the motherhood penalty.

Equal parenting is also vital for the wellbeing and happiness of fathers and their children, with research showing that positive and consistent paternal involvement in the early years results in significant positive impacts on children’s education and resilience.

Elliott Rae, Founder of Parenting Out Loud, said: “Parenting Out Loud may not sound like a revolutionary act, but when fathers parent loudly at work, they help normalise male caring in the workplace and role model this behaviour for others.

“Encouraging, supporting and enabling dads to be equal parents is essential to addressing the gender pay gap, the motherhood penalty and achieving gender equality at home and at work. With this campaign, we want to encourage all dads taking responsibility for caring for their children to share their stories and help remove the stigma around male caring. Together, we can change the narrative around fatherhood in the workplace.”

Luke Willbourn, Managing Director – UK at Talon, said: “The Parenting Out Loud initiative is massively important, and partnering with Elliott to raise awareness of the campaign using Out of Home is a proud moment for us and for me personally as a proud and vocal working dad to two young children. His message aligns perfectly with Talon’s people-first philosophy and our mission to ensure everyone belongs at Talon.

“Belong, our DEI employee committee, works with the leadership team to shape working practices and staff wellbeing policies, and our School’s Out policy is specifically aimed at supporting working parents across the business. Parenting Out Loud’s mission to change the narrative around dads in the workplace and male carers is one we are thrilled to help spread.”

Equistone Partners Europe ESG Review feature Talon’s leading industry sustainability endeavours

Equistone recently launched its ESG review 2023 and featured Talon as a case study. It featured the multitude of strategies we have in place to reduce our impact on the climate with Equistone recognising that we are leading the industry in terms of sustainability endeavours. Delivering and executing our sustainability plan is a top priority at Talon and our sustainability framework sets out three main pillars of focus:

o ENVIRONMENT – Minimising negative environmental impact of our operations.
o PEOPLE – Building a purpose-driven culture to attract and retain diverse talent.
o COMMUNITY – Localising support for the community to encourage positive behavioural change.

To read the full Equistone Partners Europe ESG Review 2023 click below.
https://www.equistonepe.com/website/sites/EN/uploads/documents/esgreviews/ESG-REVIEW-2023.pdf

To read more about the sustainability initiatives we include within our core strategy click below.
https://talonooh.com/en/sustainability/

Talon was pleased to work with Havas London, Havas Media UK and Grand Visual on the Out of Home element of this campaign which received Campaign’s Ad of the Day.

With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games just under two weeks away, John West – the UK’s leading tinned fish brand and trusted household name- has launched a new campaign to celebrate the strength of ParalympicsGB athletes, and their role as proud protein partners of ParalympicsGB.

Building on John West’s brand positioning ‘EAT STRONG, GO STRONG’, the campaign showcases the power of natural protein, and how it fuels you to be strong, in whatever you do.

To relay this message, the campaign humorously dramatises the effects of John West’s natural protein on ParalympicsGB athletes via a bespoke special build with a life-sized javelin peeking out, with supporting copy ‘’warning, protein-fuelled javelin throwers are getting serious air miles’’. The special build sits alongside a number of DOOH, which feature other sports, including cycling and shotput – further playing on the effects of John West’s natural protein.

The media plan, developed by Havas Media UK, strategically positions the special build across three screens in major UK cities to ensure nationwide visibility. Key commuter spots have been selected to maximise exposure, including The Pump Station by Westfield London, Pin Mill Brow in Manchester and New Moseley Road in Birmingham.

The campaign also includes a series of humorous TikTok videos, which sees three ParalympicsGB athletes; Kadeena Cox, Para Cycling and John West protein Ambassador, Nathan MacQueen, Para Archery and Hollie Arnold, Para Athletics, not realising their own strength – lifting up cars and retrieving their equipment from people’s gardens. Filmed in an undercover style way, the videos utilise the popular doorbell footage TikTok trend and showcase a range of Paralympic sports.

In February 2023, John West Foods was announced as an Official protein partner of ParalympicsGB. The four-year partnership with ParalympicsGB, covers the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, as well as activities outside of the Games period. This long-term partnership will bring to life the brand’s ‘Eat Strong, Go Strong’ message and further amplify John West’s protein credentials.

Vicki Maguire, chief creative officer Havas London said: ‘’This campaign is fuelled by natural protein…bringing a touch of humour, while getting behind our ParalympicsGB athletes, to bring home the glory….’’
Vikki Babb, John West International, Marketing Director added: “We are extremely proud to be partnered with ParalympicsGB and are excited to be supporting the team on their road to Paris. The campaign perfectly brings together the John West tongue in cheek tone of voice and benefits of our natural protein.”

Andrew Darby, Managing Partner, Havas Media Network said: “We’re honoured to work alongside our sister agency, Havas London to support John West’s journey in celebrating and empowering ParalympicsGB athletes through the power of natural protein. This campaign truly exemplifies the synergy between creativity and strategic media planning—by positioning this captivating special build in central locations across the UK, supported by this engaging multi-media campaign, we will together ensure maximum visibility and inspire nationwide support for these incredible athletes.”

The campaign is live from the 12th of August, kicked off by the special build, followed by the DOOH on the 19th of August. The TikTok films will be live across the summer and throughout the Paralympics.

-CREDITS –
Project name: John West Paralympics – Eat Stong, Go Strong
Client: Vikki Babb (International Marketing Director) & Laura Cooper (Marketing Manager)
Creative agency: Havas London
Chief Creative Officer: Vicki Maguire
Creative Director: Dave Mygind
Copywriter: Joe Roberts
Art director: Doug Redfern
Managing Partner: Dave Owen
Account Director: Andrew Symonds
Senior Account Manager: Rica Dezoller
Head of Production: Louise Bonnar
Agency Producer: Ella Myerscough-McClymont
Senior Integrated Producer (print): Kat Loizou
Creative Production Director: Dean Trendler
Strategy Director: Jack Lewis-Barclay
Chief Design Officer: Lorenzo Fruzza
Design Director: Josh Toogood
Designer: Morgan Shipley
Designer: Walt Gregory
Media agency: Havas Media UK
Outdoor partner : JCDecaux Creative Solutions
Outdoor partner : Talon
Outdoor partner: Ocean
Production company: Prose on Pixels
Director: Doug Redfern & Joe Roberts
Executive Producer: Ben Kaufman
Producer: Rosie Smith
Production Assistant: Ella Higgins
DoP: John Fisher
Editor: Navid Khayati-Daryan
Post-production: ELMNTL
Post-production producer: Jenna Le Noury & Rose Crisp
Post-production (OOH): Prose on Pixels
VFX: Antonio Jimenez + Mustafa Pertev
Colourist: Henry Howard
Soundtrack composer: N/A
Narrator / VO: Joe Roberts
Audio post-production: Joe Marsden

August 8, 2024 – The latest expenditure results from the Outdoor Media Association for the first half of 2024 confirm the sustained growth trajectory of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, which saw a significant 26% increase compared to the same period last year. This impressive growth underscores the trust and investment that advertisers and brands are placing in the OOH medium. 

A major driver behind this growth is the consistent investment in Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising. Media owners’ investments in expanding DOOH formats across multiple environments have further fuelled this trend. Additionally, transport and small format OOH advertising also experienced notable increases, with transport growing by 32% and small format by 24% compared to H1 2023. 

Retail remains the highest investing category, with a 13% growth in H1 2024, continuing its strong performance from FY 2023. Grocery groups are leveraging OOH to broadcast their value messages, driving consistent reach. This category’s performance is further bolstered by the active presence of fast food, takeaway, and delivery platforms competing for customer share. 

Household services emerged as the second highest performing category, showing an 11% year-over-year increase. This growth is attributed to the launch and promotion of new TV platforms, which have significantly driven up advertising spend in this sector. 

Diageo holds its position as the top spending advertiser in OOH for H1 2024. Notably, Unilever has secured a place in the top 10, with substantial investments in new product launches and support for existing brands. 

A deeper analysis into mid categories revealed several interesting trends. The retail general mid category saw the largest growth in H1, driven by brands like Specsavers and M&S. Household telecom, TV, and online services experienced an 80% growth, spurred by new product launches such as Sky Stream, Vodafone Play, and new series from online platforms. 

While some mid categories showed decreases, the overall growth picture remains positive, with minimal reductions in spend. 

Aoife Hudson, Deputy Managing Director at Talon said, “These results affirm the growing confidence and investment in Out-of-Home advertising from leading brands and advertisers. The significant increase in Digital Out-of-Home formats and the strong performance across various categories highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of OOH. We are excited to continue driving innovation and delivering impactful advertising solutions for our clients. 

The impressive growth of Out-of-Home advertising in the first half of 2024 highlights the medium’s increasing value and effectiveness for brands and advertisers. As the industry continues to innovate and expand, particularly in the digital space, OOH remains a vital component of comprehensive advertising strategies.  

Lucy Baumgartner, Effectiveness Manager, writes about her choice to be social-free and the Gen Z Digital Detox trend for Ad Age

Lucy Baumgartner, Effectiveness Manager Talon, writes for Ad Age on why she doesn’t engage with social media anymore and why – with 3 in 5 now regularly undertaking social media detoxes – marketers should adapt their digital-first perspectives to effectively engage Gen Z. Lucy explains the reasoning behind her choice to step away from social media, and why marketers may need to consider alternatives when reaching Gen Z.

Read the full article.

Bangalore, INDIA – July 2024.

It is always an interesting journey when you have an opportunity to speak to your industry. This happened when I travelled to Bangalore for the #OAC2024 conference in July. Hundreds of leaders from the Out-of-Home (OOH) industry gathered to connect and collaborate on the challenges within the India OOH space, what the future looks like, and what is needed to propel and prepare businesses.

My presentation focused on behind-the-scenes and what is critical to prepare for the future landscape – which can be exciting and provocative.

The following is a summary of my presentation that (for context) is based on my 26+ year career in media – Experiential, Radio, Television, Digital, and OOH; on the client, agency, and media owner side, which gives me a holistic perspective of the industry. My current role at Talon also provides a full OOH industry view from clients, brands, agencies through to media owners and tech suppliers.

What did I cover?

• Global OOH landscape
• Three Levers for Growth and;
• An Inherent Risk (and also an opportunity)

THE GLOBAL OOH LANDSCAPE

The recent World Out of Home Organization expenditure results show impressive gains and projected gains in share of expenditure at a projected 5.3% for 2024. APAC receives the lion’s share of this investment. Digitization (DOOH) leads this growth, as does an emerging PDOOH (programmatic DOOH) investment. Research proves that consumer TRUST in OOH as a medium is an impressive driver of investment. Using OOH for sales activations also delivers short-term sales results, which defies econometric models where OOH is under-attributed. Overall, the Global OOH industry is performing projections expect this to continue.

Tom Goddard from WOO also presented these findings in-depth the previous day at the conference and can be found here – https://www.worldooh.org/news/2024-global-expenditure-survey

APAC consumers are growing, as is their wealth and consumption. In 2023, Global GDP expanded by 3.1%, and emerging economies and Asia led the recovery, with India as a notable example. By 2030, APAC projections are that 20+ cities will have one Million+ upper-income households, driven by growth in China, Japan, and India. Then, there is consumer consumption in Asia:

• 50% projected share of global consumption growth (2020 – 2030)
• 55% share of global households with upper-middle income and above
• 54% projected share of global B2C and B2B transactions, offline and online (in 2025)

THREE LEVERS OF GROWTH FOR THE OOH INDUSTRY

Statistics show growth and projected buoyancy in the region; it is time to accept change for the OOH industry. Those who do not embrace change will be left behind because those who invest in media are evolving in their attitudes, behaviors, and processes. There is an exhaustive list of potential areas of focus, but these three are what I chose to highlight that can help propel the industry forward – The Sales Model, The Talent, and The Tech.

THE SALES MODEL

Digital was not a consideration when original OOH sales model were designed. Single-site selling was the norm, and there was an almost linear engagement with clients. There are so many demands, considerations, expectations, and competition that old sales models are under pressure. From spot buying, DOOH, programmatic, audience selling, creative, data, measurement, triggers, verification, experiential, and anamorphic, along with considering multiple markets, cross borders, varying currencies, cultures, and languages .. it is complex.

Initially, “Brief to Response” time expectations were measured in weeks. Now, demand is rapidly moving to a self-service model for clients and their agencies, with demand for information at their fingertips for near-instant options, pricing, and availability. Change is coming, and those not adapting to this customer-driven demand will be left behind. And yet, there are still sales models/processes that need to adapt to the feverish requirement for fast, accurate information that does not require human intervention from the media owner-side.

Change is coming, and those not adapting to this customer-driven demand will be left behind.

Media owners must transform their sales models, and connecting their information pipes to the media buying ecosystem is essential. This is a lever for growth.

THE TALENT

The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right talent, skills, roles, and mindset and then harness it to propel their business forward. We need to infuse our businesses with diverse, talented people who want to be a part of our growth.

Dominating digital investment and tech transformation has created a skills and knowledge gap for OOH, and we must bridge it.

To transform the OOH industry, we must seriously consider the talent needed for growth. Not one generation or gender has all the answers, innovation, or ideas, so diversity of talent is critical to the Talent formula. Creating environments where collaboration and knowledge sharing (“share not hoard”) are the norm is vital.

No one generation or gender has all the answers, innovation, or ideas, so diversity of talent is critical to the Talent formula.

OOH media is competing with other businesses for the best talent. However, the halcyon days of free food and ping pong tables no longer attract the best talent. It is all about talent mobility, learning cultures, purpose, and fostering entrepreneurialism. Read the Deloitte 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey for more insight. It is a great read and perspective for anyone wanting to attract the largest emerging workforce generation of this time. What struck me about this report was how fearless the emerging generational workforce is about technology, innovation, and automation. They want to embrace it.

I caveat this with an important point. We should retain the incredible intellectual property and capability of those currently in the OOH industry, as they are invaluable. The goal should be to bolster capability and infuse new knowledge to grow the industry using the successful foundations of those who have built it successfully before.

THE TECH

Tech could be the subject of an entire week of discussion, but in the context of this presentation, I focus on how tech can transform the industry towards the self-service model mentioned in The Sales Model section.

Tech solutions remove duplication , and manual processes improve speed and agility. Tech solutions also allow us to redirect human talent to advocacy, education, and innovation. This will fuel growth for OOH, DOOH, and pDOOH. Especially if Audience Measurement is a priority.

If something is not measured, it has no value. If it has no value, it is not valued. For OOH buying, it is easier to justify removing a site, media owner, and country from a plan if there is no audience measurement.

The four key areas where Tech can make a considerable difference are in

• Measurement – tech that can make sense of what we know will be trillions of data lines, including location, audience, traffic, expenditure, behavioral, attitudinal, campaign, and neuro for every country, city, OOH, DOOH, and pDOOH site. Imagine that.
• Automation—There is extraordinary duplication and human intervention in the OOH buying process. Technology can remove duplication in the sales, booking, planning, inventory, reporting, and verification process, which would eradicate wastage and free up skills and resources for other parts of the business.
• Programmatic—The tech in programmatic is advancing, but the tech could power the entire OOH ecosystem, not just DOOH. The tech would remove planning friction, as the data would be fully accessible for planning purposes. However, this requires media owners to connect their data and become visible to global and local planners. Currently, some markets and media owners are resisting this change.
• Verification is an emerging tech that I do not see waning, especially with third-party independent verification partners. These tech bolt-ons allow agencies, brands, and media owners to verify media plan deliverables independently. OOH media has historically done this via POPs (proof of play, proof of posting photos and video) and Digital POP reports (reports from the media owners’ system on plays of digital ads) and provide post-campaign. However, independent verification, especially on large campaigns, assures clients they got what they paid for.

Collaboration is essential in removing barriers to tech innovation and adoption. There is power in industry partnerships.

Barriers to “The Tech” center around long-term, high capital expenditure requirements. However, there doesn’t need to be individual media owners building custom, bespoke technology in insolation; there is power in collaboration and pooling of resources for the betterment of the industry and connecting via partnerships with AdTech suppliers to the industry. There is a textbook case study for this in the Outdoor Media Association in Australia, where media owners initially collaborate and invest in improving their industry via an audience measurement system, MOVE, now an accepted industry currency. This 10+year collaboration has grown the Australian OOH industry significantly. OMA Chair Charles Parry-Okeden further reiterated this in his presentation at #OAC2024.

AN INHERENT RISK – The LURE OF OVER DIGITISATION

In a digital-oriented world, we need persistent education and demonstration of the effectiveness and impact of traditional, classic, static OOH on a media plan. DOOH and PDOOH are not substitutes; they are additional valuable assets created for marketers to connect with their consumers. These digital assets should grow the industry, not cannibalize it.

In some markets, DOOH allows as low as 1.67% SOT. That’s one 15-second ad every 15 minutes. That contributes a minuscule amount to the REACH & FREQUENCY formula and makes DOOH ineffective and expensive.

There is risk in the emerging countries where DOOH is developing. In the exciting rush to digitize, there is an inherent risk that a more lucrative yield on digital sites will drive media owners to increase the number of ads in a loop and essentially decrease the Share of Time (SOT) for an advertiser when they buy one ad spot.

Media plans should always consider [Classic, Traditional, Static] OOH and DOOH for effective reach and frequency. The 100% Share of Voice (SOV) OOH delivers is invaluable for brand awareness objectives.

The OOH media industry must drive adaption, innovation, and push for change to deliver on market demand and remain competitive.

It is critical to start now to ensure the industry can keep pace with rapid change and remains relevant in an aggressively competitive media ecosystem.

This transformation should be a collaborative process, as a unified industry has more capability and power and can effect faster change than one media owner in isolation.

Can we start yesterday?

Kritisha Thapa, who is currently enrolled on our paid internship programme, recently attended MAD//Fest 2024. In this blog, she shares the key learnings from the day for brands and agencies.

“Fortune favours the Bold” an ancient proverb that suggests one should act boldly and bravely to accomplish greatness. But what does that even mean to marketers, agencies and brands and how can one achieve boldness in such a vast industry? This was the main topic that industry leaders ventured to tackle at this year’s Mad//Fest by addressing concerns on how it is not enough to just think outside the box and that being ‘bold’ requires strategic thought/planning and should be built into the brands culture from the initial stages of its development.

Rachel Kerrone – Brand and Marketing Director of Starling Bank, builds on this by discussing how the brand has maintained its relevancy as an innovative digital challenger brand. She highlighted how young challenger brands such as Starling should retain big brand strategies and behave like a big brand from the start, cultivating a reputation that consumers can identify with consistently. But first you must capture your audience’s attention, and this requires us to draw back to the actual core concept of a campaign, the briefing element.

Dani and Kate, co-founders of Just Add Joy, expanded on this by emphasising the importance of a good brief and how it can unlock creator marketing’s immense potential. Creative briefs should be carefully catered to the creator and should not be rushed. They should be clear, concise and thoughtfully organized to make sure it’s right the first time; measure twice, cut once.

Now when it comes to the creative itself, we know how much a great creative can impact consumer attention and brand outcomes. But what is it that truly makes people pay attention? Matt Butts – Measurement and Insights lead from WeTransfer, talked about how those whose “happiness “or “surprise” increased after ad exposure on WeTransfer are more likely to deliver stronger impact than those with negative/neutral emotion with at least a +50% increase in brand perception. Therefore, implementing elements into a creative that induce such emotions should be an essential priority for optimizing campaigns.

This is evident for us at Talon too. From our creative testing research, we see that consumers are much more drawn to facial imagery than product, and creatives that use facial imagery see a +21% stronger level of attention. 

However, it’s crucial to understand the difference between one-off surface level impacts of a campaign vs quality, long-term strategic engagement. Emerging from a panel discussion between Rory McEntee – Brand & Marketing Director from Gymbox and Dom Boyd Managing Director at Kantar, on the topic of attention deficit. Dom pointed out that brands cannot always rely on PR stunts to drive attention because it is about balancing between traditional brand building values vs just performing stunt moves that add to the brand. You must think about how you can link the stunt back to your own brand.  

Bharat Sharma – Chief Operating Officer at MCanvas, adds to this by highlighting that innovation is not a onetime thing, you must consistently keep spending money and effort on these creatives to see results. This is why drawing a connection between the campaign and the brands story is what truly makes a meaningful impact on consumers and the brands’ culture.

Ginny Nackvi – Head of Brand & Creative at Dishoom, shared an inspirational demonstration of how Dishoom preserves the heritage of Bombay by writing stories that are deeply rooted in the Bombay history and culture, giving a refreshing insight into how brands should aim to “deepen not dilute” their story when expanding the business on a larger scale. Each franchise of Dishoom has its own unique story to tell, adding to the overall Dishoom experience and this is the mindset that all brands and agencies should encompass when collaborating. This is achieved by creating campaigns that build on the overarching theme, approach or story of your brands identity. 

Being mindful of your audience is a fundamental aspect of success or fortune within this business. Producing a campaign that genuinely resonates with people is no simple feat, but Gary Raucher – EVP of ASICS, exhibited how they are breaking the rules of this game. Within the world of sport and exercise it has always been highlighted that the only things that matter is the winning moments and physical gains, but ASICS advocated how it can also benefit the mind. Greatness is not defined by a certain number or personal best but how exercise makes you feel. By changing the narrative around sport and movement they are relating to regular everyday people whilst promoting the wellbeing of athletes and people over winning.

It’s evident that achieving boldness within this industry requires a lot of intentional effort and strategy. However, continuously exploring ways to break category conventions by forging your own path and bringing some specialism to the business is what can really differentiate your brand from others. By working with great partners with similar goals and objectives you can expect to create exceptional campaigns that attracts authentic and long-term engagement from consumers. It was really inspiring to see how industry leaders at Mad//Fest are approaching marketing with a bold flair and I am excited to see what the future holds for this aspect of the business. 

Fiona Renner, Client Director at Talon International, recently went on an exciting trip to Dubai, and discovered the world of Out of Home (OOH) advertising in this region with the Talon MENA team. Her week-long adventure was full of learning, cultural discoveries, and building strong connections.

Exploring the World of OOH Advertising in Dubai with Talon International 

Recently, I went to Dubai to visit the Talon MENA team and deepen my understanding of the local market. Here’s a glimpse into my week in Dubai, the insights I gained and why such experiences are essential to thinking outside at Talon. 

Exploring the Local Culture and Office Dynamics 

Our Dubai office, located in Media City, opened its doors less than two years ago. Arriving just two weeks post-renovation, I found it to be a vibrant and fresh space on the ground floor of Building IV,  with lots of amenities like a shared office area, a coffee machine, and big windows that flood the space with natural light. The office is strategically positioned amidst Dubai’s lively media hub, near iconic landmarks like The Palm, and Dubai Marina and among the headquarters of technology and media giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, BBC, and others. 

The team at Talon MENA is as dynamic as the city itself, it includes people from diverse nationalities who bring a rich set of skills and  perspectives. I brought a taste of London with me, sharing delicious treats like tea cakes, Penguins, and Biscoff chocolate bars—a small gesture Idid that turned out to be a conversation starter. 

The Power of Roadside Advertising 

Dubai’s advertising landscape is dominated by roadside billboards, particularly large-format classic locations. The city’s growing digital advertising scene is also making waves with the introduction of many new screens. 

One of the striking features of Dubai’s advertising infrastructure is its extensive network of billboards along major streets like Sheikh Zayed Road. This iconic highway sees a daily traffic volume of approximately 800,000 cars during peak seasons, ensuring significant exposure for Out of Home (OOH) ads. Luxury and ultra-luxury advertising on OOH media is prominent in Dubai. This differs from the use of roadside OOH in other cities, and highlights the high socio-economic status of Dubai’s residents.  

While I was there, I saw OOH campaigns from brands including Samsung, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavali, Huawei, and high-end property development (Damac and Emaar). The OOH locations themselves are massive, some towering up to 16 meters high and one even stretching 200 meters long, perfect for capturing the attention of Dubai’s affluent residents and visitors. 

During my visits to various roadside and airport sites, I saw many OOH advertising formats, from dynamic digital screens to traditional back-lit paper sites. Different OOH formats can be used to achieve different marketing objectives and target audiences. 

Meeting Clients and Understanding Their Campaign Goals 

My time in Dubai included a visit to the Arabian Travel Market Expo, where I gained valuable insights into our clients’ objectives for international OOH campaigns. Meeting clients including Saudi Tourism and Dubai Tourism allowed me to delve deep into their campaign goals, whether it’s raising brand awareness or driving consumer engagement. Understanding their target audiences—whether tourists or local residents— is important in planning our strategies to meet their specific needs. 

Visiting Dubai Airport – DXB – with Wissam and Yasmine from JCDecaux 

One of the highlights of my trip was having exclusive access to Dubai Airport’s terminals, including T1 and T3. As an international travel hub, Dubai Airport serves millions of passengers annually,  each terminal is designed to meet the unique requirements of different airlines and travelers. T1 serves all other international airlines and is the busiest terminal due to the high volume of layovers and transit flights, T2 accomodates  low-cost airlines and cargo, T3 is exclusively for Emirates Airlines. It was nice to see how brands utilize airport advertising to reach a captive audience of global travellers. And what made this day better was the tasty lunch that followed our visit to one of the most renowned Lebanese restaurants. 

Words I learned 

Arabic and its dialects are spoken by approximately 422 million people worldwide, making it one of the most widely spoken languages globally. And I had the chance to learn a few words while I was there such as: 

• Marhaba – Hello 

• Khalas – Enough, Finished 

• Burj – Tower 

• Habibi – My love, and can work for anything actually… 

• Eh – Yes 

• Laa – No 

Enhancing Talon’s Global Expertise 

Working in diverse markets like Dubai enhances my ability to offer informed and culturally relevant advice to our clients at Talon. This experience allowed me to stay up to date of the latest trends, technologies, and consumer behaviours in the OOH advertising space—knowledge that is crucial for crafting effective strategies that resonate across different markets and demographics. 

My experience in Dubai underscores the importance of being part of the Talon International team. These immersive experiences not only contribute to our company’s growth but also ensure that we remain at the forefront of the OOH advertising industry, delivering impactful campaigns that resonate globally. 

By embracing opportunities to immerse ourselves in different cultures and markets, we strengthen our capabilities to innovate and adapt, ultimately driving success for our clients and reinforcing Talon’s position as a leader in the global advertising landscape.