Talon Bolsters Leadership Desktop

New York, NY – March 5, 2024 – Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency, today announced appointments that will further strengthen Talon’s dynamic leadership team as the company enters its next phase of growth in North America with two key leadership positions. Former Senior Vice President, Client Strategy at Talon U.S., Enza Chiodi has been elevated to U.S. Chief Client Officer and the agency welcomes seasoned digital ad industry expert Laura Colona as its first Senior Vice President, Marketing, North America.

“Enza’s client-focused approach has been invaluable to Talon’s success. She is a trusted advisor who has enabled Talon’s clients to drive business results through brilliant campaign strategies,” said Group Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Sarah Parkes. “Laura’s wealth of experience in digital media, ad tech and OOH uniquely positions her to lead a strategic marketing organization that will ensure that marketers and their agencies are educated on the value of OOH through the benefit of choosing Talon as a partner.”

Enza Chiodi, U.S. Chief Client Officer

In her new role, Enza will lead the strategic priorities for client fulfillment journeys across Talon’s portfolio of brands, ensuring clients’ needs are met with excellence and innovation. With more than 20 years of experience in propelling brands forward, her work has extended beyond Talon having previously consulted for top industry players, including Intersection, OUTFRONT, Lamar and JC Decaux, as well as industry trade groups OAAA and Geopath, contributing to the modernization of the OOH industry and championing its digital transformation. Her contributions to the industry were recognized with her award of Changemaker – Top Woman in Media & Ad Tech.

Prior to shifting her career focus to the OOH space, Enza had senior roles in multi-channel planning agencies such as Omnicom’s PHD.  Her successful direction determined agency positioning, strategic initiatives and fostering staff growth. Notably, Enza’s reputation was built on trust and client-centric ideas with her consistently singled out by clients for her contributions to driving results.

Laura Colona, Senior Vice President Marketing, North America

Laura will spearhead Talon’s marketing and communications efforts to continue building the agency’s brand in North America, support the company’s growth initiatives, and foster a culture of creativity and collaboration. Most recently Laura served as the Commercial Marketing Officer at the OAAA where she provided executive leadership and management of OAAA’s marketing organization.  Most notably, she led the formation of its Brand Council with leading advertisers including IBM, Pepsi, L’Oreal, Allstate, Logitech, Inspire Brands and Little Caesar’s, delivering a collaborative platform to educate brands on the unrivaled value of OOH in the marketing mix.  Prior to joining OAAA, Laura served as Vice President and Head of Global Marketing at industry leading DSP, MediaMath where she was responsible for all aspects of the marketing organization and amplifying MediaMath’s industry-wide effort to create a 100 percent accountable, addressable and aligned supply chain.  Passionate about the rapidly evolving media landscape and creativity and effectiveness of OOH, Laura serves on the OAAA Marketing Committee, ANA Marketing Futures and Sustainability Committees, is a 2024 Grand Indies Judge and member of the Ad Council Diverse Leaders Group.

These appointments are the latest in a series of new senior hires, signaling Talon’s commitment to ongoing strategic growth worldwide. Last month, Talon announced its appointment of  accomplished industry leader Sue Frogley to Group CEO on the heels of Stewart Easterbrook joining as Chairman, the appointments of Mike Saunter as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Henry Lucas in the newly created role of Group Chief Commercial Officer and Todd Palatnek Senior Vice President, Client Development in North America.

Adds Parkes, “Talon’s strategic advantage in being at the forefront of OOH’s transformation will propel the medium forward as it continues to provide advertisers and their agencies the necessary tools to prove meaningful and incremental outcomes as they remodel how they capture consumer attention.”

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New York, NY – February 20, 2024 – Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media company, and Out There 360, the Luxury Out of Home Independent Agency announced today that they have formed a strategic North American partnership to develop and execute data-driven, creative, and measurable OOH campaigns for luxury advertisers. 

“OOH remains a strategically vital medium for brands operating in the high-end market,” said Barbara Valensise CEO of Out There 360. “Talon is at the precipice of OOH transformation with proprietary data-driven tools and technologies that develop best-in-class creativity and drive measurable ROI at every step of the funnel. Being supported by a trusted and established local partner aligned with our values and approach to clients will enable us to deliver impactful and efficient ad experiences.”

Out There 360 provides bespoke omnichannel strategic solutions and a range of interdisciplinary communication services for high-end brands, from the development and production of creative concepts to delivery on traditional and innovative media. Headquartered in Milan, Out There 360 has extensive experience in the luxury fashion space, including partnerships with several of the most prominent luxury brands.

Talon will be fully integrated into Out There 360’s North American strategy and planning process, maximizing OOH’s impact and effectiveness for clients in this key region. Powered by best-in-class proprietary tools and technology, Talon’s suite of solutions will enable Out There 360 to capitalize on a transformed, innovative medium. 

“Our partnership with Out There 360 will be rooted in collaboration with the shared goal of unlocking the creative and brand building power of OOH for Out There 360 world class clients and partners across North America,” said Sarah Parkes, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Talon. “As an advanced media channel that delivers reach, frequency, creativity, and results, OOH is unrivaled for brands to bring their stories and experiences to life at a meaningful scale.”

According to Statista, luxury goods sales in the United States have rebounded strongly, driven by increased consumer confidence and a growing appetite for high-end fashion and accessories. Latest projections from Bain & Company put the global luxury market at $1.65 trillion.  

Adds Parkes, “our integration with Out There 360 will ensure its leading luxury brands will have dedicated teams across key North American markets to execute OOH campaigns that engage consumers and deliver greater impact and outcomes.”

About Talon

Talon is a pioneering global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency focused on delivering effective, creative, data-driven integrated OOH communications. Combining independence with a collaborative approach, Talon promotes open and transparent working relationships between many of the world’s leading agencies, clients, and media partners. Headquartered in London with offices in Canada, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Manchester, New York, and Singapore, Talon delivers expertise at global, national, regional, and local levels. Additionally, the agency has built a global OOH planning and buying network – Talon International – covering 100 markets across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.talonooh.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Out There 360

Out There is an advisory firm that offers a range of integrated services for luxury brands, from go-to-market strategy to digital and physical brand communication, corporate social responsibility, and tech solutions. Out There 360 success is rooted in the continuous advisory that is offered to all clients. Headquartered in Milan, with local partners in Asia and North America, Out There 360 has a uniquely informed global perspective, aimed to create and advance a market-leader position for brands operating in the high-end market. For more information, please visit www.outthere360.com and follow up on LinkedIn.

Tillamook

The Stagwell (STGW) agency partnered with Talon to activate a first-of-its-kind connected commerce solution designed for all brick-and-mortar retailers.

Today, global media agency Assembly announced the latest in retail media innovation – a first-of-its-kind planning tool called ShopConnect that marries programmatic buying with digital out-of-home (DOOH) to create more effective and meaningful real-time experiences for consumers. The tool was designed in partnership with Talon, an independent OOH media agency, and Place Exchange, a programmatic SSP, to connect Assembly’s media activation capability to DOOH inventory located inside, outside, and in proximity to retailers across the United States. Assembly is committed to delivering omnichannel, full-funnel connected experiences to help clients’ brands perform, and ShopConnect is an embodiment of that.

ShopConnect redefines how advertisers strategize and execute their DOOH campaigns, targeting audiences at multiple touchpoints as they engage with brands on the path to purchase. ShopConnect ingests users’ behavioral data in real-time, optimizing delivery to ensure the right ads are served at the right time to consumers most likely to engage or convert. Whether consumers are commuting to work, shopping for a special occasion, or simply treating themselves to one of life’s simple pleasures – ShopConnect reaches consumers as they normally interact with the world and brands around them, natively integrated into their day-to-day routines.

“As advertisers seek smarter and more efficient ways to reach their target audiences, ShopConnect is the game-changer they’ve been waiting for and a significant leap forward in brand performance advertising,” said Andrea Montano, Executive Vice President of Insights & Connections at Assembly. “At Assembly, we find the change that fuels growth, and with ShopConnect, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and giving brands the power to harness the full potential of a data and tech-powered insights tool that makes retail campaigns more targeted, efficient, and measurable. Every impression should drive an outcome and ShopConnect pushes us further toward that goal.”

ShopConnect provides media buyers with direct access to strategic retail media – enabling them to identify, evaluate, activate, and report on DOOH inventory within specific retailer and venue types and drive lifts in consideration, brick-and-mortar visits, and sales. By automating the buying process and targeting specific audiences, ShopConnect reduces the wastage of ad budgets, resulting in higher ROAS (return on ad spend). “Marketers are increasingly prioritizing omnichannel strategies, and the digitization of OOH has become a powerful element in cross-platform consumer engagement throughout the customer journey,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Talon U.S. “Our collaboration with Assembly represents a pivotal moment at the crossroads of OOH and retail media. We are equipping brands and agencies with cutting-edge tools and insights to unlock the full potential of OOH in reaching and engaging consumers throughout their purchase journey and driving full-funnel outcomes.” 

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As marketers and agency partners pivot their media planning and buying strategies from channel silos to an omnichannel approach, it’s more important than ever to rethink the role of OOH. Talon created the CMO Guide to OOH Advertising for marketers to unlock the full potential of a sophisticated media channel, presenting insights, expert tips, and case studies.

Highlights for Marketers:

Download Guide Here

New York, NY – September 14, 2023 – Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media company, today announced that it has formed a strategic North American partnership with Mediaplus to develop and execute data-driven, creative, and measurable OOH campaigns for advertisers. The partnership, which extends Talon’s existing global relationship with Mediaplus, launched with a spectacular, high-impact, digital-led OOH campaign for De’Longhi North America, a global leader in the specialty coffee and espresso category known for superior Italian design and breakthrough technology.

“OOH remains a strategically essential medium for our clients to create real-world and human connections with their audiences and drive brand and business outcomes,” said Tamara Alesi, CEO of Mediaplus North America. “Talon is at the forefront of the OOH evolution with innovative proprietary data-driven tools and technologies that drive ROI and best-in-class creative. With this partnership, we are advancing our clients’ access to a highly evolved, digitized, and innovative offering enabling differentiation of their brands.”

Mediaplus North America is part of Mediaplus Group, Europe’s largest independent and partner-managed media agency with 35 offices across 18 countries. Since launching in 2022, Mediaplus North America has seen accelerated growth. Proud of the company they keep, the client roster includes De’Longhi, Siemens, and Hardcrafted LLC to name a few.

Mediaplus will leverage Talon’s industry-leading talent and best-in-class OOH suite of products, powered by proprietary technologies, to enable advertisers to capitalize on a transformed, data-driven medium. Talon will be integrated into Mediaplus’ strategic and evolved planning process in North America to maximize OOH innovation, relevance, and effectiveness for Mediaplus clients.

“Mediaplus is expanding rapidly in North America and innovation is what sets them apart. Our collaboration will be focused on unlocking the creative and brand-building power of OOH and driving full-funnel outcomes for Mediaplus clients and partners,” said Jim Wilson, CEO, Talon (North America). “OOH has morphed into an advanced media platform that delivers reach, frequency, and results and is unmatched as a creative canvas for brands to bring their stories and experiences to life at meaningful scale. The strengthening of Talon’s partnership with Mediaplus — with combined goals to drive effectiveness and improve business results for clients — will undoubtedly deliver better outcomes for advertisers and add genuine value to the top and bottom line.”

About Talon

Talon is a pioneering global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency focused on delivering effective, creative, data-driven integrated OOH communications. Combining independence with a collaborative approach, Talon promotes open and transparent working relationships between many of the world’s leading agencies, clients, and media partners. Headquartered in London with offices in Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Manchester, New York, Toronto, and Singapore, Talon delivers expertise at global, national, regional, and local levels. Additionally, the agency has built a global OOH planning and buying network – Talon International – covering 100 markets across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.talonooh.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Mediaplus

Mediaplus is part of Serviceplan Group, the largest independently owned, agency group in Europe, across 18 countries and with more than 5,500 employees. In North America Mediaplus is a boutique with the backbone of a giant, making the agency the perfect fit for brand partners. Mediaplus’s operating model offers flexibility to brands, without sacrificing access to strategic critical planning, technical and executional tools. They provide the additional freedom to access the group’s full global and integrated capabilities. Mediaplus delivers on the best of both, efficiency with their global clout, effectiveness with a hands-on and personal approach. For more information, please visit www.mediaplus.com and follow up on LinkedIn.

 

CPG brands have consistently been among the dominant advertisers in OOH and many are at the forefront of tapping into the expanded digital and enhanced creative capabilities to drive full-funnel brand goals. Dan Dawson, Grand Visual’s Chief Creative Officer was a featured speaker at the DPAA’s The CPG DOOH 3.0 event on the “Cheers to DOOH Success: Insights into Adult Beverage and Beyond” panel.

Dan was joined by Jessica Chappell, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Digital & OOH, Evergreen Trading, and Michael Burgi, Senior Editor, Media Buying and Planning, Digiday, served as the moderator. Together, they delved into the creative and strategic intricacies of DOOH advertising in the adult beverage industry, offering valuable insights into award-winning campaigns.

Key quotes and takeaways

OOH’s Appeal for Alcohol Brands 

“Brand fame is something that OOH offers more than any other channel — as the campaigns on billboards are what everyone remembers. This is what OOH does really well and that’s why this is a perfect marriage between OOH and the adult beverage sector.” – Dan Dawson

“Digital OOH allows our beverage clients to be more nimble and really be in the right place at the right time — and to be precise in building their media plans. It adds to the fame and allows us to be hyper-targeted, particularly if a budget is limited.” – Jessica Chappell

“Digital OOH is the perfect playground for adult beverage brands. As we’ve become more digitized, we can highly target specific adult audiences and drive mass awareness. Most adult beverage brands are seeking to shout their message on either a product benefit, a moment in time or a moment that matters and OOH is perfect for this.” – Dan Dawson

Building Emotional Connections Through Dynamic DOOH Creative

“It’s about the moments that matter and those moments could be anything related to cultural events, the weather or even delays on the subway. It could be anything that we can use as a piece of live data to tap into the emotional relevance to an audience at a given time.” – Dan Dawson

“The OOH medium has evolved tremendously over the last 10 years. Our clients are always seeking guidance on the creative principles — what they should and shouldn’t do and say. And we’re always striving and pushing our clients to be original and think about how to differentiate their brand from competitors. Be original in thinking, be creative, be tactical — and embracing hyper-relevant and timely tactics is key to capturing the moment and maximizing impact.” – Dan Dawson

“Emotion is key. When we can make people feel something, they will do something. And that runs through all of our advertising. We work hard to make people feel something, whether it’s joy, humor, or even cry. Leveraging the power of emotional advertising gets the story out — to inspire meaningful engagement.” – Dan Dawson

Case Studies for Driving OOH Success

“For our client, Tincup Whiskey (a Proximo brand), they’ve always had this affinity with the great outdoors and we helped them coin the line — the spirit of adventure is the whiskey that you open after you’ve climbed the mountain or been out on that hike or that bike ride.” – Dan Dawson

“Tincup wanted to celebrate the moment of wins. We created a powerful Tincup campaign centered on their Colorado Avalanche sponsorship, coinciding with their Stanley Cup victory – an incredible achievement. We launched an engaging countdown to the home games at downtown Denver’s Ball Arena. As each game unfolded, live stories were broadcasted, and our OOH screens in the vicinity dynamically updated with the latest results. This was an innovative and smart example of a dynamic campaign.” – Dan Dawson

“For a champagne brand or sparkling wine, we focus on aligning with market events. In the summer, we consider messages tailored for the Hamptons or Jersey Shore to achieve contextual alignment and deliver a specific impact. Ensuring contextual alignment not only resonates deeply with consumers but also keeps the brand at the forefront of their minds.” – Jessica Chappell

 

 

 

 

Strategic Partnership to Fuel Groundbreaking OOH Creative Ideas for Agencies & Brands

Grand Visual and Whisk: A Dynamic Partnership in Advertising

New York – May 17, 2023 –Talon, the pioneering global independent Out of Home (OOH) agency, today announced an innovative partnership between Grand Visual, Talon’s creative OOH agency, and Whisk, the leading online emerging media platform. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the OOH industry, enabling brands to revolutionize their advertising strategies and deliver ground-breaking, innovative, and impactful campaigns.

In today’s dynamic business landscape, brands are seeking advanced solutions to gain a deeper understanding of their audiences and deliver compelling advertising experiences that cut through the noise and supercharge ROI. The partnership between Grand Visual and Whisk addresses those exact needs.

Founded in 2019, Whisk has pioneered a cutting-edge AdTech platform that curates the best next-generation media channels and produces never-done-before ideas, enabling advertisers to diversify budgets and create innovative campaigns that align with their brand briefs. Grand Visual, Talon’s award-winning OOH creative services arm, brings extensive creative expertise to the partnership.

Grand Visual will now leverage its expertise to power Whisk’s OOH and experiential campaigns, pushing the boundaries of the medium and unlocking a new realm of possibilities. By combining their strengths, the partnership will deliver immersive, experiential, and unmissable concepts that guarantee unprecedented impact and results for advertisers. Together, Grand Visual and Whisk are reshaping the landscape of advertising, providing brands with unparalleled campaign experiences.

As audiences increasingly diversify their attention across multiple media platforms, Whisk fills a critical demand from brands to embed media diversification early into the campaign development process, and allocate their ad spend effectively and efficiently into channels, like OOH. Among all advertising mediums, OOH advertising stands out as the most effective in capturing consumer attention. According to a recent survey conducted by the OAAA and Morning Consult, an overwhelming 88% of adults notice OOH ads, with nearly 80% of those viewers inspired to take action.

Amy Still, Founder and CEO of Whisk, added, “The rapid pace of change in the OOH sector presents immense opportunities for brands to be innovative and make a lasting impact in their media plans. Partnering with Talon’s Grand Visual allows Whisk to offer our customers the most advanced solutions in OOH and experiential advertising worldwide.”

Commenting on the partnership, Jay Young, Chief Client Officer of Grand Visual, said: “We are excited to partner with Whisk and to be able to offer brands even more powerful creativity in OOH to help them reach their target audiences. The combination of our creative expertise and Whisk’s innovative technology platform is a game-changer for the industry.”

Barry Cupples, Group CEO of Talon, added: “I am excited to see this partnership between Grand Visual and Whisk. By combining our respective strengths, we’ll be able to provide advertisers with a truly unique and effective approach to OOH advertising. This partnership demonstrates Talon’s commitment to driving innovation in the OOH space and delivering measurable value for our clients.”

The partnership between Grand Visual and Whisk marks a pivotal moment in the OOH advertising industry. With a shared commitment to innovation, personalized messaging, and creating significant campaign impact which resonates with audiences and reaches consumers in a meaningful way in the physical world.

 

 

 

 

Tourism is returning to pre-pandemic levels and travel is leading the way as a top-spending advertising category so far this year. By leaning into data, technology, and creativity, destination marketers are building effective cross-channel campaigns that reach consumers throughout daily journeys, bringing captivating travel experiences to life that prompt consumer action.

Earlier this month, Talon US CEO, Jim Wilson moderated a panel, Data-Driven Omnichannel Strategies: Turning Data to Stories, at the eTourism Summit in Las Vegas.  

For the destination storytelling discussion, Jim was joined by panelists: Stuart Butler, CMO, Visit Myrtle Beach; Donald Lilley, Director of Technology and Business Intelligence, Visit Baltimore and Anna Strider, Director of Digital Strategy & Online Marketing, Visit Lake Charles.

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

“Our brand is a juxtaposition of our different destinations and what we have to offer. We’re looking at new and creative ways to get in front of our audience and we’re using OOH to get our message in front of a new audience. In making decisions, we focus on where that OOH placement is and who’s seeing it as it’s about reaching the right audience at the right place.” – Anna Strider

“Content is king, visitor experience is queen and visitor data is the crown jewel. We look at data from a lot of different perspectives. We use data to help us tell stories, look at what content is resonating and for audience-building. We hook people through content as a gateway to get people to come to our destination.” – Stuart Butler

“We’re using OOH for experiential, and we try to have playful interactions with people. Last year, we ran an OOH campaign that calculated the distance to our beaches so people driving down from Ohio and New York can see how much further before they arrive. We heard a lot of feedback that people loved that campaign, and it was our most commented piece that we’ve done in OOH — and people in our local community loved it.” – Stuart Butler

“For us, destination storytelling is about three components — authenticity by keeping it real, the engagement with the audience and the data. From a data perspective, we know that 53% of visitors to Baltimore are visiting friends and families. So, it’s important for those same family, friends and relatives to be part of our storytelling. Tourism needs to impact your community and our stories need to be about our neighborhoods and our minority-owned and women-owned businesses.” – Donald Lilley

Transforms Hundreds of LinkNYC Kiosks into Interactive Screens for Immersive “Shake Shack’s White Truffle Hunt” around NYC

NEW YORK – April 6, 2023 – Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency, in collaboration with the company’s award-winning digital creative production arm, Grand Visual, today unveiled the launch of a cutting-edge experiential Out of Home (OOH) campaign for Shake Shack to promote the launch of their White Truffle Burger – part of its all-new White Truffle Menu.

Known as “the king of the mushroom kingdom,” white truffles are the rarest and most valuable mushrooms in the world. These edible fungi grow in limited locations and conditions need to be just right – from the trees and soil to the temperature and moisture. Generally, white truffles can only be found at fine dining restaurants, but Shake Shack is bringing the fine dining experience to your local Shack in collaboration with Regalis Foods – no reservations required – via their White Truffle Burger, which features real white truffle sauce.

Shake Shack partnered with Talon and Grand Visual to develop the interactive OOH portion of its multi-medium marketing campaign. The premise of the digital OOH (DOOH) campaign is “Shake Shack’s White Truffle Hunt” throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Phase one of the campaign will kick off on April 3rd and run through April 6th with a call to action to join the hunt for a chance to win $2,000 – the estimated value of one white truffle, along with other prizes like meal upgrades. Dynamic digital billboards near Bryant Park will count down the days, hours, and minutes leading up to the launch of the truffle hunt.

“Our White Truffle menu is our most elevated menu yet, and we’re excited to highlight the new items in a way that captivates and engages New Yorkers in their surroundings,” said Mike McGarry, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Shake Shack. “We look forward to bringing our immersive campaign to life right in our hometown of New York City.”

“Digital out of home is playing a pivotal role in spreading large-scale awareness and engagement with Shake Shack’s limited-run White Truffle menu item. In collaboration with the fast casual brand and our creative agency Grand Visual, we have designed a unique real-world brand experience for New Yorkers that is also creating real business value for Shake Shack,” said Jonathan Conway, Chief Operating Officer, Talon.

Shake Shack’s White Truffle hunt officially starts on April 10th as part of phase two, concluding on the 16th. Three hundred strategically located LinkNYC DOOH screens will turn into interactive zones. Each screen has a unique QR code that sends the public – the truffle hunters – a geo-tagged URL. The hunters are then invited to ‘virtually’ dig at that DOOH site using their smartphones to potentially uncover prizes, meal upgrades, or maybe nothing at all.

“Shake Shack is known for putting their guests at the center of everything they do – from their bold menu options to their digital infrastructure. In turn, we created an audience-led experiential campaign that unites smart media planning and creative digital execution to achieve a meaningful connection with their target audience,” said Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Officer, Grand Visual.

Every participating LinkNYC screen features a unique piece of campaign creative and is reactive to changes in weather, such as rain. (Hint: White truffles grow best in moist environments, and after a rain, truffles can appear overnight.) The groundbreaking display technology allows the brand to harness the full power of DOOH, tapping into the sophisticated medium’s ability to use dynamic messaging and weather triggers. It also allows Shake Shack to validate that its truffle hunters have found themselves at a specific hunt site, providing maximum flexibility to award prizes across a high volume of locations across the three New York City boroughs.

OOH continues to be one of the fastest growing mediums. According to the OAAA, the national trade association for the entire OOH media ecosystem, OOH advertising revenue increased 20.7 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. A key OOH driver is the DOOH segment, which jumped 24.2 percent year-over-year.

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London and Toronto – MARCH 20th, 2023 – Talon, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency, today announced that it has acquired Novus Media Canada Corp, a leading specialized media agency, to further bolster its global presence and accelerate growth in the Canadian market.

Talon Expands in Canada: Acquires Novus Media for OOH Dominance

Under the ownership of Novus Media LLC, Novus Canada has leveraged its prowess for geography and understanding of location to build smart campaigns for agency partners and their many OOH advertisers.  In the past four years, the agency has grown into one of the largest and most respected OOH specialist agencies in Canada.

Approaching its tenth anniversary, Talon works with global brands such as PepsiCo, PUMA and BBC as well as leading agencies Omnicom Media Group, Havas and Stagwell, delivering the most effective, innovative and creative media solutions for OOH at global, national and regional levels. Talon secured new investment from Equistone Partners Europe in July 2022, providing the capital to support its global expansion both organically and acquisitively.

Talon’s acquisition of Novus Canada provides true independence and global access to best-in-class buying, planning, creativity and industry-leading technology platforms to enable all agencies and direct advertisers to connect with engaged consumers in their daily journeys in Canada and globally. With OOH poised to achieve 12% growth in Canada in 2023, Talon’s Canadian team will be equipped with Talon’s creative and technology-forward solutions to lead the OOH marketplace in Canada.

Talon Group CEO Barry Cupples said, “Our global agency scale and innovation focus sets us apart and the addition of Novus Canada marks another important step in our growth strategy. As the leading global independent OOH agency, we’re delivering best-in-class services, data and technologies that enable brands to take advantage of a resurgent Out of Home market.”

Out of Home has evolved into a sophisticated, data-driven and innovative medium – and Talon is at the forefront of the transformation. Through digitization, audience-based targeting, advanced measurement and unmatched creativity, Talon is helping brands and agencies re-imagine the possibilities of what OOH can do to deliver better outcomes for brands and add genuine value to the top and bottom line.

“As we embarked on our expansion strategy into Canada, we recognized that while many of our brands are cross-border, Canada is a unique and exciting market,” said Jim Wilson, Talon US CEO. “Novus Canada has established itself as the leading independent agency with stellar leadership, a specialist team and a track record of success. Joining forces gives us an even greater opportunity to realize our growth ambitions in North America, drive higher advertising market share into OOH, increase innovation in the market and unlock more value for brands in Canada.”

“Becoming part of Talon is not only an exciting opportunity for our Canadian Out of Home team,” said Melony Rios, CEO of Novus Media LLC. “It’s a win-win scenario for clients in Canada, for Talon, and Novus. Novus Media will continue to stay focused on our rapidly growing U.S. multimedia business delivering customized, fully multichannel media programs for marketers.”

Debbie Benadiba, CEO of Talon’s Canadian operation, said, “Not only will we be integrated and aligned with Talon’s strategic growth objectives, but we will also be positioned to leverage our combined best-in-class tools and technology for marketers. It positions us to be Canada’s largest, truly independent OOH agency that has compelling and competitive advantages for our clients and agency partners.”

Debbie is a media veteran, with leadership roles on the media vendor side with Bell Media and Rogers Media for more than 20 years, and leading Novus Canada since 2019. She currently holds board seats with DPAA, a global digital OOH trade association, and COMMB, a leading OOH industry association in North America and chairs WE.DOOH. DPAA’s Women’s Advisory board.