Reflecting on 2024, OOH experienced remarkable growth with many of the trends we anticipated coming to fruition.

Looking ahead to 2025, advancements in the channel have firmly positioned OOH as a strategic powerhouse for brands, capable of addressing multiple objectives across both the upper and lower levels of the marketing funnel.

1. The rise of Retail Media

According to Group M, Retail Media accounted for 17.5% of global advertising spend, having doubled its share since 2018. It is the third-fastest growing channel and is expected to surpass TV by 2028. As the lines between retail media and retail OOH continue to blur, alignment between the two has never been more important. According to our own consumer behaviour research conducted in December, 89% of consumers continue to spend in brick-and-mortar locations where retail OOH and retail media formats are front and centre. As supermarkets continue to build their own internal media teams, we anticipate a growing interest from advertisers seeking opportunities in this space.

This shift highlights the critical role OOH plays in the shopper marketing strategy. By combining the targeting capabilities of retail media with the precision of retail OOH, we can help brands reach consumers at key moments in their shopper journey – from priming to persuade to convince, OOH can drive measurable results across both upper and lower funnel objectives.

2. OOH and Experiential will converge

2025 is shaping up to be a year where creativity in Out of Home (OOH) advertising takes centre stage. Advertisers are moving beyond the ordinary, embracing simplicity with bold, imaginative creative solutions. OOH allows you to use the public space as a canvas, and studies show that this approach enhances a brands legitimacy in the eyes of its audience. A Talon UK study shows, 40% of people say they trust brands with this format of advertising, showing OOH’s strength in building brand trust compared to other media channels.

Brand-building is an important strategy to continue pursuing, and non-traditional locations are stepping into the spotlight offering new opportunities for advertisers to break the mould and connect with audiences via experiences. But Creativity isn’t just about being different – it’s about being effective. In 2025 expect to see more campaigns that harness the power of impactful design and innovative placements to drive results and connect with audiences like never before.

3. Continuous measurement of Attention Metrics

In 2025, OOH effectiveness will be increasingly driven by a growing focus on attention metrics. Kantar’s recent Media Reactions is a key example of how attention is coming to the forefront of conversations around media effectiveness, citing a 90% correlation between channels that claim capture their attention and those that they prefer, with global consumers placing OOH and DOOH in their top three attention grabbing channels, and top five preferred channels. Further studies on advancements in measuring “attentive reach” are also enabling advertisers to better understand how audiences engage with campaigns. Findings from our DOOH Effectiveness study show that nearly 70% of respondents pay attention to DOOH ads, with over 40% likely to engage across a diverse range of DOOH ads and formats. Looking ahead to next year, with a new best in class OOH measurement system imminent, the industry is preparing for even more robust ways to demonstrate OOH’s accountability and measurement.

With all media channels now referring to attention as the “new metric”, by comparison, OOH has been researching and quantifying this concept for some time and will continue to – cementing its role as a vital channel in the omnichannel media mix and achieving measurable and impactful results.

4. Big screens and first-party data will drive Programmatic OOH

The continued expansion of programmatic capabilities in OOH is reshaping how advertisers engage with audiences. With some large-format digital screens now becoming programmatically enabled, advertisers have an opportunity to integrate their online and offline strategies seamlessly – bridging the gap between the digital and physical world.

This evolution has fuelled growing appetite across categories, driving innovation and precision in campaign execution. In 2025, we anticipate advertisers leaning further into programmatic OOH, using the likes of first-party data to deliver contextually relevant, impactful messages in real-time. It’s a space where creativity and technology converge. Our Optimise programmatic solution offers sophisticated targeting and precision at scale, providing access to premium inventory in real-time trading opportunities. By leveraging advanced technology and automation, we deliver scalable, flexible, and highly measurable OOH campaigns for maximum impact and efficiency. It’s never been a better time to THINK OUTSIDE.

5. OOH solidifies itself as a critical power play in multichannel strategies

In a world grappling with ad blockers, privacy concerns, Google adopting a more updated approach to user tracking and privacy and increasingly fragmented audiences, OOH is solidifying its place as a critical power play in 2025. With its unique ability of being an unskippable medium, OOH offers unmatched visibility across multiple touchpoints. This highlights OOH’s value as a cornerstone of multichannel strategies.

A recent study by WARC and JCDecaux revealed that OOH significantly amplifies the performance of other media channels, enhancing search by 54%, social by 20%, TV and Radio by 17%, and press by 7%. As the ultimate digital primer, OOH pairs seamlessly with mobile, delivering an 11% boost in memory encoding and a 13% increase in emotional impact. With brands increasingly seeking unified messaging and amplified presence, we expect to see more campaigns in 2025 leveraging OOH and DOOH within 360 strategies to drive cohesive and impactful results.

6. Data-driven strategies will become the standard

As consumer behaviour evolves rapidly, often influenced by external factors, data-driven strategies have become essential. We predict this trend to continue to evolve over 2025, driven by various economic and social factors all set to influence consumer behaviour in some form. At Talon, our audience remains at the heart of every strategy we create. Through bespoke consumer behaviour research, conducted alongside our partners at Spark Market Research, we gain deep insights into evolving trends and preferences, feeding them directly into our campaign planning. Utilising our mapping system, Talon Zone, we can develop highly tailored strategies that truly connect with audiences. This data-led approach ensures campaigns are relevant, impactful, and adaptive to real-life factors.

7. Repurposing and education will fuel Sustainability

In recent years, we’ve seen a significant shift across all sectors towards sustainability. Consumers are becoming more environmentally aware, and as such it’s our role to ensure we are all playing a part for our planet. Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword. In 2024 the OOH industry has made some positive strides in this space from using fully recyclable paper for large and small formats, while 90% of OOH formats are using renewable energy to charge sites.  In addition, a powering down initiative was introduced whereby we worked collaboratively with our media owner partners to encourage powering down at off peak times, an initiative adapted by a majority.

Looking ahead for 2025, the OOH sector has a pivotal role to play in spreading the message of sustainability and driving public awareness. At Talon, sustainability is a top priority, and as members of AdNet Zero, we are actively contributing to a key working group.  We predict that in the coming year many advertisers will increasingly focus on repurposing their OOH campaigns to align with sustainability goals. With many brands already showcasing this shift, as they incorporate reusable elements from their campaigns for future use, setting the stage for a growing trend in eco-conscious advertising.

As we look ahead to 2025, we remain optimistic about the continued growth across the broader media landscape, particularly in OOH. OOH is expected to maintain its strong trajectory, outpacing the wider market. With the launch of the new industry research on the horizon, we believe it will further solidify OOH’s role in the media ecosystem and attract new advertisers to the channel. This optimistic outlook sets the stage for a dynamic year ahead, where retail media, creative solutions, effectiveness, multichannel integration, data-driven strategies, programmatic and sustainability will shape the year ahead.

Building on our earlier pieces discussing “What is Programmatic OOH?” and “Why Programmatic OOH this Christmas?”, we turn our focus to 2025 and explore the trends we expect to shape this space in Ireland. Programmatic OOH (PrOOH) continues to push the boundaries of OOH, evolving PrOOH from a tactical add-on to a strategic cornerstone for advertisers. Here are our four trends to watch out for in 2025…

1. Big Screens as a growth driver

Programmatic OOH (PrOOH) will continue its rapid growth in 2025, with big screens emerging as a key growth driver. With 9 large-scale digital screens now available to buy programmatically in Ireland and more on the horizon – spend in this space has seen an impressive YoY growth. Our OPTIMISE_ programmatic solution offers sophisticated targeting and precision at scale, providing access to premium inventory in real-time trading opportunities. By leveraging advanced technology and automation, we deliver scalable, flexible, and highly measurable OOH campaigns for maximum impact and efficiency. It’s never been a better time to THINK OUTSIDE.

2. Brands will lean further into 1st party data

In 2025, we believe brands will lean further into 1^st party data. The availability of rich audience data has empowered brands to go beyond demographic targeting. In Ireland, advertisers are recognising the value of leveraging their own customer data – from app downloads to footfall metrics – to create more relevant and engaging messaging.

By extending digital strategies into PrOOH, brands can not only deliver more contextually tailored campaigns but also expand their reach and build strong consumer trust. OOH has long been regarded as one of the most credible advertising channels, largely because its messages are displayed prominently in the public sphere for all to see. In an era where trust is under increasing scrutiny, leveraging PrOOH’s reliability ensures brands not only capture attention but also reinforce reliability.

3. Programmatic as a core component of media strategies

In 2025, Irish advertisers will increasingly integrate PrOOH into their overarching media strategies. This shift is fuelled in part by research highlighting the effectiveness of Out-of-Home (OOH) and digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) when combined with other media channels. Studies such as Kantar’s Media Reactions show that OOH and DOOH consistently perform well among global consumers, ranking within the top three most preferred advertising channels.

While the ideal mix of media channels depends on the campaign objectives, PrOOH frequently works alongside other programmatic channels like online video, display, mobile, connected TV (CTV), and audio. Media planners are increasingly blending traditional OOH with PrOOH and digital channels, creating fully integrated campaigns – bridging the gap between online and offline strategies. With in-person experiences more vital than ever, this integration allows brands to connect meaningfully with consumers in their everyday environments – driving engagement and reinforcing messages across multiple touchpoints.

4. Creating micro moments to deliver bottom funnel metrics

With PrOOH advertisers can now target audiences with greater precision, analysing their behaviours. This contextual and real-time bidding enables brands to create impactful micro-moments by leveraging dynamic triggers such as time of day, weather, or location. By tailoring creative messaging to these real-world contexts, PrOOH has pushed OOH further down the purchasing funnel, effectively driving those critical bottom funnel metrics like conversions and sales.  

Programmatic OOH (PrOOH) is set to transform media strategies in 2025, evolving from a strategic add-on to a critical component of overarching media strategies. It’s flexibility, real-time capabilities, and ability to use audience data have driven its rapid growth. By combining with other programmatic and digital channels, PrOOH enables more precise targeting and impactful results across the entire brand funnel – cementing its role in future-forward advertising strategies.

We’re excited to share our Managing Director, Chadi Farhat’s, perspective on the evolving world of OOH in his article “The Global Locals: Bridging Borders” for Campaign Middle East.

He discusses the strategies that we, at Talon MENA, employ to drive global OOH expansion for our clients while staying rooted in local insights. As the GCC and MENA regions shape their ambitious futures, he explores how tailored, data-driven, and creative approaches are key to delivering compelling results.

Read the full article here

London, UK – 16^th January 2025 – Talon, the leading independent global Out of Home (OOH) agency, today unveiled its complete global management team, marking a significant step under the leadership of Global CEO, Sue Frogley, appointed in June 2024. The newly established team combines strategic new external hires and internal moves designed to accelerate Talon’s global expansion and deliver long-term success for its clients. 

Sue Frogley, Global CEO, said, “This is a pivotal moment for Talon as we assemble a leadership team that reflects our ambition to redefine what OOH can achieve for brands worldwide.”

The new appointments include: 

• Andy Stevens, Global Chief Product Officer – Stevens joins from Clear Channel, where he most recently served as Chief Data Officer for Europe, overseeing the company’s data strategy and rollout of its audience data tool, RADAR, and programmatic platform, LaunchPAD. Prior to this, Stevens spent 10 years in New York, holding several senior roles including SVP, Research & Insights at Clear Channel Americas. In this new role, Stevens will focus on advancing Talon’s data and product strategy to improve client outcomes across major markets. 

• Charlie Goldring, Global Chief Commercial Officer – one of Talon’s first employees, Goldring has spent the past five years driving commercial success as UK Chief Commercial Officer. In his new global role, Goldring will align Talon’s commercial strategy across international markets, strengthening partner collaboration, and delivering innovative solutions for clients worldwide.  

• Mandy Rayment, Global Communications Director – Rayment brings vast industry experience driving recognition for agencies, most recently as Director of Communications at Publicis Media UK, she oversaw communications across its agency brands, including Zenith and Starcom. In this new role, Rayment will lead Talon’s communications and marketing efforts globally.

These follow recent internal moves including: 

• Sarah Parkes, Managing Partner, Talon Network & Grand Visual – formerly Talon’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Parkes has been instrumental in elevating Talon’s global brand presence and leadership position. In this new role, Parkes will leverage her extensive industry expertise to oversee continued growth of Talon’s global footprint, while steering Grand Visual’s creative and technology-driven solutions to new heights.  

• Robin Hall, Global Chief Client Officer – as the founder and driving force behind Evolve’s success, Hall has built a reputation for fostering strong partnerships and delivering transformative solutions for clients worldwide. In his new role, Hall brings his entrepreneurial spirit and deep understanding of client needs to strengthen Talon’s client relationships, ensure seamless collaboration and drive exceptional outcomes across the globe. 

Talon’s global management team is completed by James Copley, Founder and Chair, UK & Ireland; Ryan Laul, CEO, North America; Luke Willbourn, Managing Director, UK; Danielle Austin, Managing Director, Evolve; Hayley Tiptaft, Global People Director; and Mike Saunter, Global CFO.  

While this team will shape Talon’s global strategy and support local market leaders to drive success across key regions, Talon Founder and Non-Executive Director, Eric Newnham, along with Chair, Stewart Easterbrook, continue to provide strategic oversight and guidance as part of the board. 

These new appointments come at a time of continued global expansion for the business. Since its launch in London in 2013, Talon has built a robust international footprint with operations in 14 key cities across the UK, EMEA, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Following investment in 2022 from Equistone Partners Europe, Talon has accelerated its growth with the acquisition of Evolve, the international OOH experts, and Novus Media Canada Corp, now Talon OOH Canada. These strategic moves, combined with Talon’s proprietary adtech platforms and the earlier acquisition of award-winning creative OOH studio, Grand Visual, have cemented its position at the forefront of the sector. 

Sue Frogley, Global CEO, continued, “This team brings an incredible mix of fresh ideas, deep expertise, and a real passion for what we do. Together, we’re set to continue pushing boundaries for our clients, empowering our people and building even more momentum across the business. I’m excited for what’s ahead as we continue to set the benchmark in the evolving OOH sector.” 

2024 was another strong year for Out of Home (OOH), and 2025 is poised for even greater growth and innovation. The sector continues to evolve, consistently delivering exceptional creativity, data-driven strategies and technology-powered results for advertisers.

With global OOH revenue projected to reach US$41.82bn in 2025 – and digital OOH (DOOH) growing 8.44% to reach US$22bn – further expansion is on the horizon, largely driven by increased investment and rising programmatic OOH (prOOH) adoption.

As OOH evolves, several priorities will continue to shape its direction in 2025. These include leveraging econometrics to maximize ROI, supporting brands navigating new HFSS regulations to maintain reach, aligning DOOH with retail media networks to enhance the path to purchase, and harnessing AI to drive efficiency and creativity. Together, these focus areas will ensure OOH remains innovative, adaptable, and a key player in the advertising ecosystem. 

Beyond these priorities, we believe 2025 will be defined by seven key trends shaping the future of OOH: 

1. The fabric of real-world connections creating micro-moments
2. Continued growth of prOOH 
3. Data-driven OOH anchors omnichannel campaigns 
4. Supporting sustainable marketing strategies with OOH 
5. OOH’s credibility building consumer confidence 
6. The convergence of experiential and OOH

1. The Fabric of Real-World Connections

In a world saturated with digital interactions, consumers are craving authentic, real-world connections; and spending even more time Out of Home. People are seeking depth, authenticity and sensory richness in their experiences.   

They want to engage with the world in meaningful ways, finding textural experiences that connect them with their environment and each other. Accenture has termed this “social rewilding” – a quest to reconnect socially in the real world, often but not always around nature, and to balance technology’s role in the moments that bring people joy and well-being.  

In 2024, people did more physical and ‘real-world’ activities with a recent Kantar survey finding that 48% spent time outside, 47% hung out with friends in real life and 46.9% shopped in physical grocery stores. Advertising on OOH puts brands at the centre of this, woven well within the fabric of people’s everyday lives.  

2. Creating Micro-Moments: OOH Delivers Broad Reach and Personal Resonance

Leveraging audience-first planning and real-time data in OOH to deliver highly contextual and targeted messaging will become mainstream in 2025. This approach will enable brands to create campaigns that feel like personalised one-to-one connections, even when reaching a wide audience across a one-to-many platform.  

Personalisation in OOH is transforming how brands engage audiences – audience-first planning through Ada; and Atlas for real-time triggers such as location, weather and time of day to dynamically adapt OOH campaigns to their environment. 

This enables highly relevant and impactful messaging that bridges the gap between broad reach and personal resonance. For example, kids’ sunscreen ads appear on digital OOH locations during sunny weather, placed where parents of school-aged children are more likely to see them. Similarly, protein coffee promotions day-parted in the morning on commuter routes and delivered programmatically to those more likely to go to the gym. 

3. Continued Growth of Programmatic OOH

PrOOH will continue its rapid growth, as more brands embrace its precision, flexibility, and real-time capabilities at scale. 

By combining the flexibility of digital platforms with the unparalleled reach of OOH, programmatic allows advertisers to enhance their media plans and buy and optimise ad placements in real-time and aligned to audiences. This precision enables brands to deliver highly relevant messages to targeted audiences at the right moment and place. 

In the UK, PrOOH spend will continue to grow, rising from an estimated £86.8 million in 2024 to £105m in 2025. We’ll see more advertisers using prOOH, with an estimated 36% of media plans set to include prOOH and a +29% average increase in prOOH campaign spend over the next 18 months.

4. Data-Driven OOH Anchors Omnichannel Campaigns in the Real World

The linchpin between physical and digital touchpoints, data-driven OOH will play a pivotal role in omnichannel marketing strategies in 2025. 

OOH works as the link between consumers’ digital footprints and experiences, delivering holistic campaigns. Creating connections across screens, OOH cements brands in consumers’ day-to-day lives, seamlessly, linking campaigns across mobile, social, and in-store. Connection between screens increases engagement and enhances brand recall.   

Marketers can achieve cohesive messaging that resonates across touchpoints by syncing OOH with digital channels like social media and mobile ads. 

5. Supporting Sustainable Marketing Strategies with OOH

As sustainability becomes a core priority for consumers and businesses, OOH advertising continues taking significant strides to reduce its environmental impact. OOH has a unified carbon calculator to provide transparency and plan sustainability-focused campaigns. 

Sustainable practices, such as green-energy powered DOOH and recycled classic poster materials, are now commonplace. Industry initiatives like unified carbon calculators offer brands transparency and the ability to plan campaigns with lower carbon footprints. When compared with all other media measured, OOH accounts for 3.3% of all UK ad power consumption and <3.5% total UK ad carbon footprint. 

Consumers increasingly value brands prioritising sustainability, and OOH can deliver on this expectation while maintaining the scale and impact needed to influence public perception.  

6. Credibility of OOH will Help Build Consumer Confidence

OOH is proven to build trust in an era of digital misinformation, offering a credible and tangible medium for brands to utilise. Consumers are struggling to discern genuine content online, underscoring the importance of trusted offline media.  

OOH has remained a stable, trusted medium for authentic brand communication. Unlike digital platforms where content credibility is often questioned, OOH offers a physical presence that reinforces trust in the real world. OOH’s tangible nature positions it as a reliable foundation for cross-channel campaigns, amplifying trust in both physical and digital spheres.  

7. Experiential and OOH Will Converge

In 2025, OOH and experiential channels will become increasingly converged, blurring the lines between static media and live brand experiences. As consumers crave immersive, memorable interactions with brands, OOH will evolve to incorporate more experiential elements, turning physical spaces into interactive stages where audiences can actively engage with content.  

2025 will see us reimagining physical spaces as experiential stages, blending OOH creativity with interactivity. From gamified billboards to immersive art installations, experiential OOH campaigns invite audiences to engage directly with the brand. At the end of 2024, Campaign listed its Top 10 Experiences, signifying that brand experiences have a firm place on the agenda.  

These tactile, sensory-driven experiences not only enhance brand recall but also foster emotional connections, making the consumer feel part of the story and positioning OOH as a leader in creating meaningful interactions.

Out of Home is changing fast, and Talon is at the forefront of that change. We’re passionate about OOH and are on a mission to drive the growth of this sector within the media industry through its key strengths – Audience, Creative, Effective & Sustainable. 

In this blog, our team reflects on new initiatives, launches and more.

If you missed part 1, please click here. 

The Evolution of Atlas

In 2020, we announced the launch of Atlas, our intelligent automated digital OOH buying platform that facilitates audience-first planning programmatically. This year, Atlas launched in Canada.

Speaking about the recent rollout, Sarah Kim, Senior Vice President, Client Partnerships, said, “It’s been very exciting to bring Atlas to life in Canada. Now we have more options for the Talon team and clients in the marketplace and can continue to provide integrated plans using Talon tools.” 

Echoing this, Daniel Mak, Managing Director, Client Partnerships, added, “It has to be Canada’s launch of the Atlas DSP. We’ve had some growing pains getting Atlas set up and working the way we like, but the fact that our agency has an in-house DSP with access to multiple SSPs is a key differentiator in the market with significant upside for the business.” 

In 2024, the platform has now advanced to offer real-time executions for our clients.

Nicola Fox, Head of Programmatic, said, “Selfishly, I have to highlight the transformative work we’ve done with our partners this year to elevate programmatic OOH. The significant enhancements we’ve made to our Atlas Real-Time offering represent the biggest step change to the product since its launch in 2020.These enhancements have empowered brands to activate national campaigns in real-time, fuelled by data, and the rapid uptake from our clients is proof of its impact. 

This success has been a team effort. Our internal teams have embraced a massive upskilling effort to lead from the front in educating the market. Our agency and client partners have been instrumental in embracing and testing new capabilities and driving innovation, while our media owner, data, and technology partners have provided invaluable collaboration and support. 2024 has been a year of incredible progress, and I’m excited to see where we can take it next.” 

Jamie Finn, Head of Planning Operations UK, added, “Without a doubt the evolution of Atlas, and the opportunity where we can now offer Real-Time executions for our clients. 

It’s brilliant – not only does it massively benefit clients and advertisers by providing new routes to market through data driven planning- but it also boosts the overall technological offering of the OOH industry in general – particularly areas such as real time availability and direct media owner booking.” 

Out of Home’s ACES

“For me, it has to be the aces,” said Luke Willbourn, Managing Director UK. “At the beginning of 2024, we launched OOH’s ace cards which we play to make sure our clients’ media plans deliver.  

Covering all key pillars – Audience, Creative, Effective & Sustainable – when played right, these cards will ensure you have the winning hand for your media plan. It’s been fantastic to showcase OOH’s strengths to our clients, agencies and partners and I’m looking forward to seeing how we elevate this in 2025.”

Effectiveness, Econometrics and OOH 

“It has to be our rollout of content around Econometrics. This has been a core focus for us in 2024 and we’ve made great headway! Effectiveness, Econometrics and OOH – this work showcased the latest research around the importance of location data in econometric modelling and our new MMM template that sits within our tech stack to ensure OOH is measured robustly and fairly,” said Head of Effectiveness, Emily Alcorn.   

“Talon has worked hard this year to develop an automated MMM template that sits within Plato, to ensure we are able to provide the rich granular data from Route at the click of a button to improve modelling accuracy. We also worked with JCDecaux and Nielsen this year to supply data for their ‘Location Matters’ research which looked at utilising granular location data in MMM modelling, which can increase OOH ROI by up to 42%. This data is fundamental for brands seeking more payback on their investment.

I presented our work on Effectiveness, Econometrics and OOH at the World Out of Home Organization in Milan to showcase how brands are evaluating OOH and the ‘Location Matters’ research we worked on with JCD was awarded gold in the Econometrics category at the Media Week Awards and won the Applications & Impact of Data award at the MRS Awards.”

ShopConnect Launch

Earlier this year, Talon partnered with Assembly and Place Exchange to activate a first-of-its-kind connected commerce solution designed for all brick-and-mortar retailers. The tool was designed to connect Assembly’s media activation capability to DOOH inventory located inside, outside, and in proximity to retailers across the United States. 

Patrick Murray, VP Marketing, said, “The rise of retail media has been such a huge part of the conversation throughout the industry in 2024. The launch of ShopConnect in partnership with Assembly and Place Exchange enables brands to tap into DOOH screens, both in-store and along the path to purchase, to reach ready-to-buy consumers and influence their purchase decisions.  

Not only has the platform given advertisers the capability of activating DOOH inventory at or near the point of purchase, but the campaigns have delivered results that have earned award nominations.” 

Programmatic OOH in Ireland

“As we approached 2024, one of the key priorities for the Irish business was to harness innovation and maximise the unique potential OOH holds to captivate, engage, and delight audiences,” said Talon Ireland’s Managing Director, Andew Sinclair. 

“Through both programmatic and standout special builds, we have grown these areas exponentially and executed award-winning campaigns, setting the standard and inspiring clients with the limitless possibilities the channel offers.” 

Deputy Managing Director, Aoife Hudson, echoed this, “In 2024, the demand for Programmatic OOH surged, marking a pivotal shift in the industry. Talon cemented a leadership position, actively educating clients and partners on the transformative benefits of PROOH and its strategic value within the media mix. 

To drive this momentum, we launched a comprehensive three-part series to the market, showcasing the potential of this cutting-edge technology. Our efforts also succeeded in attracting a wave of new advertisers to the channel, further solidifying Programmatic DOOH as a dynamic and integral part of the advertising landscape.” 

Beyond Pints

“Our Beyond Pints initiative really stood out as a highlight for Grand Visual in 2024,” said its Managing Director, Jay Young. “Beyond Pints was launched to strengthen our team culture and invest in our people by organising unique experiences outside of work that foster creativity, curiosity, and connection.

The aim was to create opportunities for our team to bond, recharge, and experience inspiration beyond the usual agency setting—whether through art exhibitions, immersive installations, or other culturally enriching activities. 

The response has been incredible. It’s allowed us to form stronger connections across departments, sparking conversations and fresh ideas that feed back into our work. This initiative is already proving its value by bringing energy and new perspectives into our creative process, making it an invaluable part of the Grand Visual experience.” 

To get the first look at our trends and predictions for 2025, make sure that you are following us on LinkedIn. You can also keep up to date with the latest Talon news and views by signing up for our monthly newsletter.

We’re back for the fifth edition of our annual end-of-year wrap up! 

We’re celebrating the campaigns and accomplishments of 2024 and will be sharing our expectations for Out of Home (OOH) and the wider landscape in the new year. 

UK OOH revenue for the first half of 2024 totalled £646m, an increase of +17% year-on-year (Outsmart). This is the strongest H1 since records began. Q3 2024 advertising revenue was up +12% year-on-year. 

We’re predicting OOH will grow +9% to £1.41bn in 2024 and +7% to £1.51bn in 2025. For 2025, we estimate that digital OOH will account for 68% of overall OOH revenues, totaling £1.02bn.   

In this blog, we’re reflecting on some of the standout OOH campaigns in 2024 from our clients this year that reimagined and re-invented the possibilities of what OOH can be. 

Some of the Team’s Standout OOH Campaigns in 2024 

All the campaigns below showcase the best in “thinking outside” in 2024 – exemplifying independent thought and big ideas, supported by Talon’s technology, data and effectiveness expertise.

Specsavers: Should’ve Gone to Specsavers

For Grand Visual’s Managing Director, Jay Young, Talon UK’s Head of Planning Operations, Jamie Finn, and Head of Client, Mike Huckerby, the activation for Specsavers stood out to them the most. 

“For me, the Specsavers van stunt was a true standout campaign in 2024,” said Jay. “Our team concepted and produced an installation where a Specsavers-branded van appeared ‘stuck’ on a pillar, creating a humorous, memorable moment that instantly connected with the nation.  

The simplicity of the concept was its strength—anyone who saw it instantly understood the brand message and appreciated the clever play on Specsavers’ iconic tagline – “Should’ve gone to Specsavers.” 

This campaign was especially rewarding for us as it combined a highly visual stunt with precise execution. There’s always a logistical challenge in taking such a bold idea into the real world, but the team managed it seamlessly. The campaign sparked plenty of social media buzz, UK news coverage and was even discussed by the This Morning hosts on ITV.  

For me, it perfectly exemplified how an OOH activation can capture attention and entertain while staying true to the brand’s identity. It was a proud moment for Grand Visual, and it showed just how impactful well-executed simplicity can be.”

“I think it has to be the brilliant Specsavers van campaign,” said Jamie. “This was a pure masterpiece from the fantastic team at Grand Visual to create such a notable stunt in the city centre of Edinburgh.  

It’s one of those rare campaigns that gathers global attention for being so simple but brilliant, and these don’t come around very often. For me this is an example of an OOH execution that will be heralded as the gold standard, with many other clients in years to come asking for a ‘Specsavers’ campaign.” 

“It has to be Specsavers,” Mike added. “The perfect example of using OOH as one big canvas to play with. A campaign that not only created a huge impact on the location itself, but through all of the PR and online buzz that came after.” 

PepsiCo: Quaker, Pepsi MAX & Rockstar

“PepsiCo’s immersive experiences stood out this year,” said Ben Gardiner, Head of Client Services at Grand Visual. “We’ve seen several of its brands – including Pepsi MAX, Quaker and Rockstar – push the boundaries of OOH to create long-lasting, memorable moments with real people.  

From thermal imaging and dynamic copy for Quaker Oats, a festival-touring glambot for Rockstar, and laser projected football pitches for Pepsi MAX – PepsiCo’s refreshing approach to getting hands on its brands is impressive and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the New Year.” 

Habitat: 60^th Anniversary

To celebrate 60 years of design, Habitat unveiled an exclusive collection inspired by its heritage with new, reimagined classics. Habitat would showcase the new range and make a bold statement with a series of elevated murals. 

Choosing this campaign as one of his standout’s in 2024, Luke Willbourn, Managing Director UK, said, “The Habitat campaign stood out to me the most this year. The creative was nostalgic yet modern, subtle yet incredibly impactful. OOH is unmatched when it comes to providing brands with a canvas, where any idea can become a reality. Shoutout to the PHD team for this one!”

Versace Icons: Times Square Takeover

Across the pond, Patrick Murray, VP Marketing at Talon US, chose this impressive takeover for Versace. “The Versace Icons Times Square takeover featuring Cillian Murphy and Anne Hathaway stands out,” said Patrick.  

“Any campaign that takes shape in the bright lights of Times Square is a showstopper, but dominating the iconic landmark with a full takeover is incredible. Kudos to the team for delivering a complex, but spectacular campaign.”

Unilever: Comfort Scent Boosters

“It has to be Comfort for me,” said Aoife Hudson, Deputy Managing Director at Talon Ireland. “To promote its new range of laundry scent boosters, Comfort launched a multi environment OOH campaign across various platforms to maximise audience engagement. The campaign featured two standout creative executions.

In one, a bus shelter was transformed with vibrant pink, yellow, and blue flowers, reflecting the available scents. This installation also included interactive buttons on the 6-sheet panel, allowing consumers to sample the fragrances directly. 

The second execution took a non-traditional approach by collaborating with the iconic flower vendors of Dublin’ Grafton Street. Their displays were reimagined with blooms in shades of blue, pink, and yellow, mirroring the product range. This campaign stands out to me as it demonstrates how OOH is pushing through the boundaries of the classic formats and proves that creativity is not just a ‘nice to have’, it delivers on driving engagement.” 

The Singleton: Gardens of Abundance Collection

Choosing this multi-format campaign for The Singleton as her standout of the year, Talon APAC’s Managing Director, Melanie Lindquist, said, “This was one of the first anamorphic campaigns at Singapore’s Changi Airport.” 

“The stunningly beautiful eye-catching creative with immersive 3D in proximity to Duty Free and interactive zones was incredibly impactful. The use of totems and larger format digital screens across multiple terminals created touchpoints for millions of Duty-Free buyers.”

Allwyn: Lotto Launch

“It has to be Allwyn for me,” said Dilki Weerakoon, Head of Client Strategy UK. “The launch campaign and work after that has been unmissable. The excitement of buying a lottery ticket is captured perfectly across each OOH creative, special build or experiential event. A great win for our friends at Hearts&Science.” 

PepsiCo: Havoc Launch

Over in Canada, the launch of PepsiCo’s new snack brand “Havoc” stood out to Managing Director, Daniel Mak, the most: “The campaign was massive in Canada and featured eye-catching creative that looked fantastic on every product. This big budget, mega launch blanketed the Canadian landscape and was such a success that a follow up campaign had to be delayed due to the product selling out.” 

British Heart Foundation: ‘Til I Died

Head of Effectiveness, Emily Alcorn, chose this moving campaign from the British Heart Foundation as her standout campaign. 

“The England ’til I Died campaign exemplified the power of OOH at its finest – delivering a thought-provoking and impactful message,” said Emily. “The BHF leveraged a trusted and impactful medium to raise awareness of a critical issue, strategically aligning with a major sporting event to resonate deeply within communities affected by loss. 

Thoughtfully planned and respectfully executed, this campaign is a shining example of how OOH can champion brand purpose and drive meaningful impact.”

To get the first look at part 2 of our series, in which our team reflect on new initiatives, launches and share advice, make sure that you are following us on LinkedIn. You can also keep up to date with the latest Talon news and views by signing up for our monthly newsletter. 

Along with our incredible agencies and partners, Talon has won 14 awards for Out of Home (OOH) at The Drum Awards Festival and Media Week Awards 2024.

A month the Talon team will never forget, let’s dive into the campaigns and what made them award-winning.

Media Week Awards

Gold 🥇

Econometrics: Location Matters for MMM

Our research, in partnership with JCDecaux UK and Nielsen, explored the role of econometrics and how we can make clients’ OOH measurement more effective. We found that utilising granular location data in MMM modelling can increase OOH ROI by up to 42%.

Media Innovation: Doritos Silent

Snacking and gaming are increasingly incompatible. But in 2023, Doritos wanted to change that with the launch of Doritos Silent, the world’s first AI-augmented snack. An idea like this needed a new approach – an OOH campaign to launch the impossible and drive the nation into a frenzy. ​

A Piccadilly Lights takeover, banners, murals and prOOH made Doritos Silent unmissable. Driving hype, the stop-and-stare OOH creative made people double-take, on the streets and online – placed at the heart of the campaign strategy.

Silver 🥈

Long-Term Media Strategy: Walkers #CrispIN or #CrispOUT

Lunch is a must-win battleground for Walkers. Once a staple of lunchboxes up and down the country, by 2020 they’d become a bit stale; over half the nation just weren’t thinking of Walkers at lunchtime.

Walkers would utilise its media to jolt a new behaviour. How could they get light buyers to crunch? With a peculiar British ritual; the crisp sandwich. 88% of Brits agreed crisps improve sandwiches. But they ferociously disagreed on whether they belong in or out of sandwiches. Could we marry Brits’ favourite lunchtime snack with their favourite lunchtime staple to successfully resolve a time-honoured British debate?

A once in a lunchtime idea; are you #CrispIN or #CrispOUT? Over 3 years, we used media to create a dividing line. In or out. Yes or no. Them or us. Pitting sides of the country against each other. A little levity, a lot of debate. With transformational results for Walker’s, we pulled it out of the bag.

Media Creativity: Under £250k: Channel 4 Partygate

Partygate. We sacrificed, they partied. The country was outraged. Meticulous research and new sources told the real untold stories of Partygate juxtaposing wild nights at Downing Street with the experiences of the general public.  ​Our task was simple but not easy, get people to watch.

With OOH being the backdrop to people’s lives, our strategy was based on being present on formats which fitted the style of urban and gritty media placements. We would hide in plain sight. Using legal national flyposting, we positioned Partygate alongside real event adverts, with beautifully designed posters inspired by the 90s rave scene.  ​

Media Idea: Launch: Don’t Gift – NOTHS

8 in 10 Brits reported receiving a “bad gift” for Christmas 2022. As a result, over 3.08 million bad gifts were thrown away. NOTHS’ aim was to encourage ‘wiser’, more sustainable gifting.​ Kicking off the campaign we launched three special builds in London’s Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and Vinegar Yard and in Manchester’s Salford Chapel Street. 

The final burst of OOH consisted of our fully optimised DOOH schedule consisting of Large Format Digital, D48s and D6s in motorway service areas, shopping centres, underground, roadside and rail environments.​

Media Creativity: Launch: Doritos Silent

Media Creativity: Over £1m:  Doritos Silent

Large Collaboration: Over £250k: Doritos Silent

The Drum Awards

Gold 🥇

Advertising: Dynamic and Interactive Digital Screens: Share the Warmth with Quaker Oats

Quaker shared the warmth by helping to ensure access to a warm and nutritious breakfast for families across the UK – in a way that is intrinsic to the brand itself. Quaker effectively used different OOH capabilities to drive awareness of the issue of child food insecurity and its charity partnerships; with attention grabbing 48s and interactive/dynamic capabilities to offer consumers real value through contextually relevant coupons based on UK weather average temperatures. 

Silver 🥈

Advertising: Creative Humour: This van driver Should’ve gone to Specsavers

Specsavers pushed the boundaries of OOH advertising by creating its very own parking fail – a Specsavers van parked on a rising bollard! The results were phenomenal with over 6 million social media views and almost 1 million likes, comments and shares. The stunt even had coverage on ITV, radio and in numerous news titles as well as industry wide recognition amongst our peers and other advertisers.

Advertising: Immersive Experience: Pepsi MAX X UEFA Champions League Final London 24

Pepsi MAX went all in for the UEFA Champions League this year. Bringing unexpected enjoyment to audiences across the UK, Pepsi MAX ran three activations for fans in football-focused cities of Liverpool, Manchester and London. Whether you were looking for a quick 2v2 game and a free football at their hidden pitches or wanted to watch the live game on the big screen, with a Pepsi MAX in hand, then they had you covered. Pepsi Hidden Pitches was born!

Bronze🥉

Advertising: Charity/Not for Profit/Social Purpose: British Heart Foundation ‘Til I died’

British Heart Foundation (BHF) set out with the goal to highlight a tragic reality – 12 people under the age of 35 are lost to sudden cardiac arrest in the UK each week. Using the stories of 12 young football fans who died too soon to highlight this tragic disease, we unveiled 12 powerful murals of football fans who lost their lives to sudden cardiac death, in time with the UEFA Euro 2024 kick-off for an extended audience reach. This campaign went viral across social media and outlets, it even had a slot on BBC Breakfast.

Advertising: Immersive Experience: Will you be next? Allwyn, Lotto

Will you be the next UK millionaire? We made the whole of Great Britain feel like they might be next, with an unmissable and inclusive launch that drove talk-ability, engagement and consideration to play. Anyone can be a millionaire with Lotto, you must be in it to win it!

Advertising: Use of Location: Big Little Welcomes, British Airways

Connecting loved ones for over 100 years, British Airways (BA) wanted to celebrate the warm, fuzzy feeling with the hundreds and thousands of people landing back in the UK to spend Christmas with their loved ones.  ​‘Big Little Welcomes’ made sure that BA was a part of these reunions, giving audiences the chance to write messages for their loved ones as they landed back in the UK.

As a result, the campaign saw strong customer engagement with BA receiving 200+ messages submitted in just the first day of the recruitment going live! These messages were displayed on OOH formats as the passengers landed back in the UK.​ Post campaign, BA saw positive movements in brand health during a period where category average was in decline.​

We’d like to thank everyone who made this possible, and congratulations. Roll on 2025…

View the full results for The Drum Awards and the Media Week Awards.

Tis the season to put programmatic OOH (PrOOH) to work for your brand.

Following on from our first programmatic piece, we discussed what programmatic OOH (PrOOH) is, the opportunities it unlocks for advertisers, and when is the right time to use it. This piece we’re turning our focus to the Winter months and why programmatic OOH is effective this Christmas.

With a renewed appreciation for the outdoors, people’s perception of outdoor spaces has shifted, leading many to actively seek out activities OUTSIDE of the home. The outdoors has become a favoured destination for socialising, even as winter settles in.

We know from previous consumer behaviour research that 81% of respondents claim Christmas if their favourite holiday – with this in mind what can programmatic OOH (PrOOH) do for your seasonal campaigns.

Well, not to mention the fact that Irish weather is the perfect trigger for PrOOH – where else can you experience all four seasons in one day? Triggered content can help brands break through the noise, just as everyone is competing for attention. Let’s dive into these in more detail:

1. Increased foot traffic

There’s no surprise that when Q4 comes along, people tend to spend more time in retail environments whether it’s the high street or different shopping malls, it all leads to an increase in foot traffic. With October and November accounting for the bulk of Christmas gift buying and Thursdays to Saturdays the preferred time to do shopping. PrOOH allows us to deliver targeted impressions to your core shopper group.

2. Higher levels of engagement

We know that during the festive season, time spent Christmas shopping varies based on demographic. With over ½ of 16-24’s spending an entire day doing their Christmas shopping. Not to mention, that consumers perception of retail hotspots has fundamentally changed, evolving beyond just a shopping destination into a hub for eating out (52%), entertainment (37%) and meeting friends (24%). This leads to higher engagement rates, with consumers having more time to stop and look at ads that are relevant to them.

3. Seasonal advertising opportunities

Q4 is when it all happens. Starting with Black Friday, advertisers have a unique opportunity to highlight everything from special offers and gift ideas to real-time stock updates. PrOOH can help brands quickly and easily target their ads to the right audience, at the right moment, with the right message – whether its weather-triggered, location based or tied to other data points this flexibility allows brands to convey whatever the message and maximise RoI throughout the winter months, right up to January sales.

4. Improved targeting & measurement

We’ve already spoken about real-time triggers, however, one of the main benefits of PrOOH is the ability to target specific audiences based on their behaviours. This can be especially useful during the winter season when brands are all competing for the attention of Christmas shoppers. For instance, a supermarket brand can use programmatic OOH to target individuals who have recently visited a competitor’s store, enticing them to switch for their Christmas shop.

In summary, programmatic OOH (PrOOH) offers brands unique ways to make their Christmas campaigns more dynamic, targeted and timely – especially during the high traffic winter season. While classic OOH remains optimal for brand awareness and recall, integrating PrOOH as part of a wider campaign adds the flexibility to reach a desired audience with data-driven, real-time messaging.

Talon’s DSP Optimise, can help you deliver on bottom-funnel metrics and truly connect with your audience this season. Why wait? Reach out to us today.

Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is typically seen as the B2C advertising medium.

This is perhaps because traditionally OOH was associated with increasing consumer awareness, with posters and billboards strategically placed to attract the attention of as many consumer eyes as possible. Because of this, many B2B businesses choose digital advertising as their preferred marketing stream. However, OOH is more than just a B2C advertising medium, with the right strategy OOH can be the perfect medium to ACE your B2B campaigns.

Did you know that Business decision makers are 20% more likely to discover new brands through OOH ads. Not to mention – they are constantly OOH – whether commuting by car, travelling to work via public transport, travelling internationally for a business trip or passing through major cities – OOH puts your brand right where they are, in the heart of the action.

REACH THE DECISION MAKER AUDIENCE WITH OOH

1. REACH THEM IN WORKPLACES

With 44% of employees now working full-time in the office, it’s clear that traditional office environments are far from obsolete. Tuesdays, in particular, stand out with 43% of employees choosing it as one of their days on-site. Plus, with 41% of business decision makers using ad blockers – giving OOH a unique advantage as the only unskippable medium.

2. REACHING THEM USING MODES OF TRANSPORT

According to a Talon UK benchmark study, transport advertising is great at building trust. On average, each campaign boosts brand trust by 8%, increases unaided awareness by 9%, and drives brand consideration up by 6%. Business decision makers, often on the move, are generally heavy commuters, spending on average 9+ hours on private transport and dart, and 5-8 hours on Train, Luas and private transport. With Dublin ranked as the second slowest city for drivers globally, and the Luas on track to hit 50 million passengers this year, there’s no shortage of opportunities to engage this highly mobile audience.

3. REACHING THEM IN AIRPORTS

Reaching business decision makers in airports helps build brand familiarity, enhance brand perception, and engage a highly qualified, captive audience. With 81% of business travellers mixing business with leisure (bleisure travel), airport environments offer prime opportunities to engage. According to GWI, 70%of business travellers are more likely to notice B2B advertising when travelling, and 60% perceive brands advertised in airports as market leaders.

USE CREATIVITY TO STAND OUT

As we know, incorporating some form of creativity is key to standing out. But cutting through doesn’t always mean big-budget specials. Talon benchmarks show that contextually relevant campaigns drive a +23% uplift across brand metrics, with consideration up by +63%, spontaneous ad awareness by +57%, and purchase intent by +50%. Dynamic creative then takes this one step further – boosting brain response by 32% when showing relevant content at the relevant moment. Adjusting for factors like weather, location or time of day, can increase brain response by 18%, making dynamic ads 48% more effective when comparing against classic OOH campaigns.

OOH IS EFFECTIVE AT REACHING KEY BUSINESS DECISION MAKERS

By now, we’ve all seen it, but Kantar’s recent Media Reactions report confirms that OOH and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) are preferred media channels by global consumers. While OOH continues to excel in its traditional role of building brand awareness and fame it also fulfils a much greater role – driving bottom funnel metrics and direct action amongst consumers. Metrics which have previously been associated with online performance channels.

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

There is currently a huge sustainability investment going on within the B2B space. In the public sphere OOH has an inherent responsibility to positively impact our local communities and environment. Did you know, per impression OOH emits less carbon than all other media measured?

According to an Outsmart/KPMG study it represents just 3.3% of the UK’s total advertising power consumption. The findings reveal that OOH makes up less than 3.5% of the total carbon footprint of the UK’s advertising activities. Why not invest in the channel that gives back?

When it comes to OOH advertising, there is a solution for every brand. At Talon, we believe OOH delivers across four main factors – we call these the ACES. We play these four ace cards to make sure your media plan succeeds: Audience, Creative, Effective & Sustainable. The potential of OOH as a tool to connect businesses to businesses should not be overlooked.

Reach out to us to learn more about how you can ACE your B2B campaigns with OOH.