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.”

OT360 Talon 2

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.” 

CMO Guide Image new

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

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the leading trade group representing the entire US out of home (OOH) advertising industry, today announced the winners of its annual OOH Media Plan Awards at the Ad Club’s 16th annual Out-of-Home: Now event in New York. This year’s OOH Media Plan of the Year went to MilkPEP for its “26.2” campaign.

MilkPEP created this powerful, interactive OOH campaign in partnership with GALE and Talon to reposition Milk as a performance drink while celebrating the power and perseverance of female and female-identifying athletes participating in the 2022 New York City Marathon. The four-pronged strategy launched on digital out of home (DOOH) units across NYC’s most popular running routes ahead of the NYC Marathon and featured a QR code that drove consumers to a customized website to learn about the health benefits of milk while also encouraging female runners to register as a Team Milk marathon runner.

In the three days leading up to the marathon, the campaign shifted to a geotargeted delivery at the NYC Marathon Expo to generate awareness and encourage runners to join Team Milk. The expo also featured a Milk photobooth, where runners were invited to snap a photo that would be dynamically inserted into DOOH creative throughout the city.  During the race, geotargeting was leveraged to serve ads to runners and spectators of the marathon on race day, and post-race, Milk ran congratulatory messaging along the marathon route.

MilkPEP’s ‘26.2’ Campaign Wins Top Honors

The OAAA’s OOH Media Plan Awards were created to recognize the essential role media planning plays in the development of successful OOH campaigns. This year’s winners exemplify how the elements of good creative design, thoughtful placement of messages, and proper allocation of budgets unite to produce an outstanding communications strategy.

“MilkPEP’s ‘26.2’ campaign showcased the full potential and effectiveness of OOH advertising,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Talon America. “The campaign demonstrated meaningful brand impact through powerful storytelling, dynamic digital creative, and innovative experiential elements. Talon is proud to have partnered with GALE and MilkPEP to deliver an inclusive message at the right time and place to drive measurable results among the target audience of female marathoners.”

Other winners include:

GOLD WINNERS
MilkPEP – GALE | Talon
Plenty of Fish– OMD Vancouver | 123W | Talon
General Motors Chevrolet – Dentsu & Commonwealth | McCann
Williamsburg Tourism Council – NPRP Media
Zola– PJX Media

SILVER WINNERS
FBI– Clear Channel Outdoor
Glossier – PJX Media
Match.com – NPRP Media
Nissan Ariya – Omnicom Media Group
Q Mixers – PJX Media

“Our industry continues to expand and innovate, and this year’s winners prove just how efficient, effective, and engaging OOH can be when strategically leveraged,” said Anna Bager, President & CEO, OAAA. “My congratulations to all of the award winners this year for pushing the boundaries, thinking outside the box, and elevating the entire industry.”

View a roundup of the winning submissions here.

AWNY Recap Blog

OOH at Advertising Week New York: Perspectives on a Transformed Medium

Advertising Week New York was an action-packed week of IRL experiences that generated plenty of thought-provoking ideas, predictions, and a strong representation of the OOH medium. Among the prevalent topics were how omnichannel brands and agencies are increasingly harnessing the power of OOH to unlock brand reach and impact that drive results across the entire sales funnel.

The Rise of Retail Media on the Path to Purchase

Reaching consumers on the path to purchase has become critical to influencing mindsets and achieving measurable outcomes. Marlow Nickell, CEO of Grocery TV highlighted the advantage of brands who leverage growing in-store retail media networks.

“We’re super excited about the brand reach achievable through in-store retail. The frequency and the environment are unparalleled. The contextual relevance within the trusted community you’re in is unmatched. We’re just getting started with in-store activation and there’s immense untapped potential.”

Equally important to the scale and quality of screens is the use of data to enhance the customer journey with retail media. Aracely Moreno-Mosier, Senior Director, Omnichannel Marketing Head at PepsiCo offered advice to brands who utilize first-party data.

“The path to purchase has evolved, and to navigate it effectively, we should utilize the tools at our disposal today, including first-party data, available communication channels, and other insights to create a win-win for all. If we do this right, I believe it’s a strategy we can carry into the future.”

Marketers are embracing the growing array of DOOH screens to reach consumers throughout daily journeys, while enroute to retailers, and within physical stores. This full-funnel shopper marketing strategy plays a pivotal role on consumer decision making throughout the path to purchase – reaching highly engaged, targetable audiences at scale and delivering tangible business outcomes.

The Role of OOH on the Full Media Mix

In an era of ongoing media fragmentation where fewer individuals engage with local radio or TV, it’s OOH that stands out as an impactful, broadcast medium. As Outfront’s VP of Marketing, Liz Rave explained how OOH distinctively ingrains itself in communities.

“Integrating OOH into neighborhoods creates a truly unique real-life medium that seamlessly becomes a part of the community, almost like a neighbor,” said Rave. “OOH builds trust for digital brands and when you execute it effectively, by getting the creative and location right, it sparks conversations — and what’s better than people talking about your brand.”

OAAA President & CEO, Anna Bager challenged marketers to improve overall performance and effectiveness by embracing the evolution of OOH from a proven brand builder to a full-funnel marketing channel.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about OOH that I hear almost every day,” said Bager. “It’s a great medium for brand building, it’s great for spectacle, but it’s a little siloed…OOH is much easier to transact these days. It’s definitely more measurable and you can use data in very smart ways.”

Dan Levi, CMO of Clear Channel echoed the importance of rethinking the role of OOH and how marketers are approaching the medium as part of the larger media mix.

“The question revolves around the role that OOH plays and can it perform effectively with other digital channels and social influencers,” said Levi. “How do we make that overall mix work more effectively? Our collaboration is a prime example of how we can not only gauge the impact of exposure to a billboard but also measure its incremental contribution to your business.”

It is increasingly important for marketers to look at the holistic impact of media channels from the lens of a consumer to truly understand what’s shaping a brand’s success. Levi added:  

“Don’t think of OOH or measure it in a silo. There’s not a single consumer on this planet who thinks about media channels – that’s something we, as marketers, do. Think about your consumers holistically and the essential role that OOH plays in driving performance.”

Advanced measurement capabilities have elevated OOH’s role in the omnichannel media mix. No longer a strictly upper-funnel medium, OOH has proven effective at delivering outcomes that include increased levels of awareness, consumer footfall to brick and mortar locations, and both online and offline sales lift. When integrated with 360-degree marketing strategies, OOH has produced a halo effect, positively impacting brand performance by reinforcing a consistent brand message across channels.

Programmatic DOOH Advantage

The growth of DOOH and the ability to transact programmatically will continue to play a role in the advancement and adoption of the medium. During a session that offered an insider perspective on the state of programmatic DOOH, Wade Rifkin, EVP/GM Programmatic at Clear Channel shed light on the convergence trend and the growth occurring.

“The flexibility of programmatic buying, the auction-based model, granular media decisioning, and optimization – these things are not coming down the pike,” explained Rifkin. They’re available today, and they’re doable. This has really cemented the use case for programmatic OOH, particularly when combined with audience data targeting and measurement capabilities that are now table stakes across all channels. These two elements coming together have really accelerated the adoption of programmatic OOH.”

The integration of DOOH inventory within omnichannel DSPs is a crucial step in un-siloing the medium by making it more easily transactable for buyers. Whether tapping into curated inventory packages in a self-serve environment or utilizing a managed service to plan and buy programmatic campaigns, flexible execution paths are increasing the adoption of DOOH.

Natrian Maxwell, GM of Emerging Channels, The Trade Desk shared similar views on the role programmatic DOOH within the omnichannel media mix and the importance of measurement.

“What started off as a silo channel has now become part of a marketing flywheel. It’s a touchpoint for folks who are not watching CTV, aren’t at their computers, or aren’t using mobile devices, but are simply living their lives. In these moments of living life, brands have a unique opportunity to connect with their customers naturally and organically, without being intrusive or disruptive. This is where much of the value of the OOH channel lies, and it’s resonating with brands, advertisers and consumers.” 

“I believe OOH has reached a point where, over the last few years, we’ve made significant strides in achieving parity with other channels like CTV. Now, our focus is on bringing attribution and measurement to the space that aligns with our customers’ requirements and in terms of what they’re doing across their omnichannel campaigns as well.”

Prime Big Deals Day kickstarted the holiday shopping season with enticing online offers. Yet, nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers still favor in-store shopping. A staggering 85% of all retail sales continue to occur in brick and mortar locations, where digital out of home (DOOH) and retail media networks are front and center. Underscoring the imperative to reach consumers along their path to purchase, marketers cannot afford to ignore the opportunities in out of home (OOH) for influencing consumer purchasing decisions. So the question remains: Are marketers missing a vital opportunity to bridge the gap between in-home and in-store by reaching consumers on the go?

New innovations in OOH and the expansion of DOOH inventory offer marketers untapped opportunities for capturing consumer attention throughout their daily journeys with full motion, digital video content across more screens and formats — from street furniture and transit shelters to restaurants and retail destinations. According to Insider Intelligence, U.S. DOOH will make up 31.4% of OOH ad spend this year and is projected to reach $2.87 billion, with double-digit growth expected through the end of 2027.

In parallel, we’re seeing a boom in retail media networks with ad spending more than tripling since 2019. U.S. retail media ad spending is projected to reach $45 billion this year, according to Insider Intelligence. This influx in ad spending has increased the investment in inventory of physical screens at retailers, up 60% year over year, according to Place Exchange.

To engage and convert shoppers at point-of-sale destinations, brands are beginning to recognize the value of OOH as the final touchpoint in the consumer’s path to purchase to drive full-funnel outcomes. With the integration of DOOH and rapid expansion of retail media networks, marketers can supercharge their shopper marketing with advanced measurement and attribution solutions, linking OOH ad exposure to critical business outcomes.

Consider this: 68% of consumers recall OOH ad messaging during their daily journeys, often while enroute to retail destinations. This creates a prime opportunity to raise awareness and drive in-store visits. What’s more, the effectiveness of these ads soars to a 71% ad recall rate when strategically positioned directly outside of stores, according to an OAAA & Morning Consult study. The report also found that once inside a store, three-fourths of adults (75%) notice OOH ads, with higher rates among adults aged 30-44 (81%) and those earning over $100K (81%). Most importantly, these in-store ads drive action, with 42% of consumers reporting that in-store ads directly influence their purchase decisions — delivering an incremental lift of in-store sales.

Increasingly, marketers are now able to leverage a growing array of digital screens to unlock the full potential of their omnichannel marketing strategies. The integration of DOOH and retail media enables brands to take advantage of advanced targeting, premium inventory, and outcomes-based measurement to effectively engage and influence consumers across the shopping journey. Moreover, advertisers have the flexibility to execute DOOH campaigns — either through a Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), or via an expert-led managed service.

Consider the role DOOH plays as part of brands’ shopper marketing strategy

Reach Highly Engaged Audiences at Scale: Already, DOOH is being embraced by a diverse range of retail locations, including big-box stores, department stores, grocers, pharmacies, and convenience stores. According to Place Exchange, there are now more than 850,000 screens across the U.S., collectively generating over 100 billion monthly impressions. This scale offers an expansive and unmissable creative canvas for brands to engage with diverse audiences in their surroundings for maximum reach and impact.

Intelligent, Sophisticated Data & Targeting: The evolution of data-driven OOH provides advertisers with precise targeting capabilities. With DOOH, advertisers can tap into both first-party and third-party data, enabling precise and effective audience reach. Armed with this intelligence, advertisers have access to shopper loyalty information and real-time consumer behavior data to ensure that their ads reach the intended audience — delivering highly relevant and impactful campaigns.

High Quality, Premium Inventory: DOOH screens are inherently premium digital assets, designed to be video-enabled and dynamic to ensure contextual relevance in ad messaging. The availability of premium quality screens at meaningful scale enables brands to bring their stories to life in the real world in more creative and captivating ways, ensuring that their messaging aligns seamlessly with the environments where their ads are seen.

Achieve Measurable Outcomes: OOH has evolved from a traditional brand-building channel to a medium that delivers full-funnel outcomes. No other media matches its effectiveness in engaging on-the-go consumers and delivering timely deals and promotions to nearby shoppers, as well as influencing in-store consumers at the most relevant moments during the purchase process. Furthermore, brands can now measure how many consumers visited their stores through footfall studies and quantify incremental in-store purchases resulting from OOH ad exposure. These tangible results highlight the value of integrating DOOH into an effective shopper marketing strategy.

Out of Home has evolved to become an even more effective and valuable brand building and performance marketing channel. As marketers prioritize efficiencies and outcomes to make ad dollars work harder, Talon’s Senior Vice President of Client Strategy, Enza Chiodi joined Dhomonique Murphy at Advertising Week New York for a conversation on how brands are leaning into OOH to achieve success.

Continued Evolution of OOH

Data, digitization, and automation is playing a leading role in the evolution of OOH as an advanced ad medium. Chiodi points to a data-led approach to planning and buying for a more effective media strategy.

“DOOH is where we see the most growth in the marketplace; the technological advances, the data that we have, the flexibility it offers advertisers to be able to change creative really easily,” said Chiodi. “But the data piece of it, bringing in audience technology and audience elements is making OOH so much more targeted than it used to be. Now we can actually look at the audience, figure out what their habits are, and target screens that make the most sense for them.”

Another factor is automation to make planning and buying OOH simpler and more intuitive. The advent of automation solves for inertia that exists due to the manual nature of execution.

“Automation is going to make things so much more simple and smarter in the way we put plans together,” said Chiodi. “It frees us up to think more strategically.”

Reaching Audiences and Driving Outcomes

The ability to precisely target audiences and deliver relevant creative and ad messaging means reaching and engaging consumers in the right mindset. OOH is no longer a purely brand-building medium. It is addressable with the ability to measure full-funnel outcomes.

“Data is allowing us to be so much more sophisticated in the way that we’re targeting audiences for our clients,” said Chiodi. “On top of that, instead of it just saying, hey, here is how many people that have seen your ad, it’s really more about what did we accomplish in the marketplace. Did we see a brand lift? Did we see awareness generation happening? Did we drive people into the store to actually purchase a product? We’re able to prove out the value so marketers are more into testing and expanding on their budgets.”

Key Factors for Success

The ability to extend the efforts of other media channels – whether digital, social, or CTV – and reach the same audiences in and out of their homes is critical to influencing consumer purchase decisions. Utilization of data for connecting consumers across channels is a major opportunity for marketers.

Creative advancements to create impactful, unmissable moments are also important. As a primarily visual medium, creative innovation is making it easier for marketers to engage consumers.

“The technological advances in the screens that are out in the marketplace allow us to do fun things – 3D, AR, virtual reality. Clients get excited about it and then use those on social channels,” said Chiodi.  “For us at Talon, it’s creativity, data, technology. We have to hit those three points, and as the clients are picking up on that, we’re seeing more spend.”

OOH as part of an Omnichannel Approach

“The audience profile that brands spend quite a bit of money and time developing is something that we can now bring into the offline space and into the OOH world,” said Chiodi. “When you think about your journeys and how you’re shopping, what are your final touchpoints? It’s OOH.”

While investment in OOH is growing, it is still underrepresented in terms of share of wallet in the overall advertising ecosystem. So what can drive further adoption of the medium among marketers? According to Chiodi, test and learn.

“We talk a lot about the success of OOH, we talk about how we can make it much more effective. Let’s test. Let’s work with (marketers) to educate them on what the value is of OOH, how we can fit into omnichannel marketing, and let’s test.”


Watch the Full Session

OOH is reaching consumers throughout daily journeys — whether they’re driving, walking or commuting on mass transit. The expansion of digital OOH inventory is giving marketers more opportunities to capture consumer attention with full motion, digital video content across more screen formats than ever before.  

At Advertising Week New York, Talon US CEO, Jim Wilson led a discussion with industry experts Maria Colon, De’Longhi North America’s Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience and Tamara Alesi, Mediaplus North America CEO for a lively conversation on how omnichannel brands and agencies are harnessing the power of out of home (OOH) to unlock brand reach and impact that drives both brand awareness and performance marketing goals. 

The session delved into the learnings and insights gained from De’Longhi North America’s impressive and highly impactful digital out of home (DOOH) campaign and the significance of OOH in engaging and converting consumers along their path to purchase. Additionally, the experts shared their views on the rise of retail media networks and why OOH is an essential medium for brands and agencies to establish real-world, human connections with their audiences to drive full-funnel outcomes. 

What we heard…

Insights from Industry Leaders on the Future of OOH Advertising

A Data-led Approach to OOH 

“Just as our business saw an amazing surge during the pandemic as more people sought great coffee in the comfort of their homes, OOH also saw a surge. This industry has always been designed to be bold and attention grabbing. Living in New York, we’re fortunate to witness the excitement of Times Square. But it’s not just about raising awareness. We’re able to capture intent and actual retail footfall. Taking a data-led approach to OOH allows us to win consumer mind share and their share of wallet.” – Mediaplus’ Tamara Alesi 

“Our retail partners have significant physical store presence that are looking to drive footfall traffic and they’re seeing the benefit of OOH. We leverage data insights from our partners, such as sales and customer interests, to design a campaign that makes sense for the brand. We’re not just putting up these beautiful images; the campaigns are really purposeful. We want to make sure that our retailers feel good about what we’re doing and that our consumers are excited about what we put out there to seize those moments.” – De’Longhi’s Maria Colon 

Reaching Consumers Throughout the Entire Customer Journey 

“We take a holistic approach — whether it’s from a PR perspective, customer reviews or event activations and content performance plays a crucial role. Having all these elements aligned with consistent messaging that feels authentic to the brand is key to our success. Our customers may be interacting with us across nine different touchpoints before converting, so it’s really important for us to be part of their full day.” – De’Longhi’s Maria Colon 

“While we’ve had great success with Brad Pitt as De’Longhi’s brand ambassador, our products are also visually gorgeous. We’re able to do really creative OOH placements with video to truly bring them to life. Through innovation, we’re capturing consumer intent in the morning and on the fringe, when people crave their caffeine fix. So it’s about having creative placements that matter for them in those moments.” – Mediaplus’ Tamara Alesi 

The Integration of OOH and Retail Media Networks 

“Retail media is super important in our business. We work with the biggest networks like Target, Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and Canadian Tire in Canada. Whether consumers buy from Delonghi.com or BestBuy.com, the key point is that they are purchasing a De’Longhi product. Across TV, OOH, digital, and social channels, we make sure to include our retail partners to enhance our overall retail spend. It’s an important component for our brand and we try not to separate.” – De’Longhi’s Maria Colon 

How Digital is Transforming OOH Creativity  

“Digital technology has transformed creativity in OOH because we don’t just need to put up a static 30-sheet billboard and leave it there for a month. We can be truly innovative and focus on what’s going to excite the consumer and get them to come to Delonghi.com and get their new favorite machine.” – Mediaplus’ Tamara Alesi 

Advancements in OOH Measurement  

 “We often talk about the importance of triangulating the truth. There’s a lot of data sources out there and no one data source can deliver what we need. In triangulating this truth, we incorporate traditional OOH metrics, such as footfall and traffic counts, but we also use AI to help us get smarter with programmatic OOH. We’ve gained insights from our on-air and digital buys to identify optimal day parts and consumer behavior patterns, especially for big purchases. By leveraging time-of-day and day-of-week triggers, we make our programmatic OOH campaigns and other media more effective and accountable.” – Mediaplus’ Tamara Alesi 

Learnings and the Future of OOH 

“From a brand standpoint, do not be afraid to test. We test a lot and that’s actually how we learn. When it comes to OOH, we identified two distinct roles: impact and frequency. One medium can serve multiple roles within a campaign, and this is all part of our testing and learning to understand what works. This applies from a creative, media, and channel standpoint — and you have to learn fast.” – De’Longhi’s Maria Colon 

“From a creative perspective, the emergence of 3D placements is bringing brands to life in exciting ways. In our campaign at the Oculus, we timed all 24 boards in a different way to create different brand moments and frequency plays. Everything was purposeful and told an engaging story. It was a truly immersive experience that allowed consumers to experience the brand without having to make the coffee themselves — and it got people talking about it.” – Mediaplus’ Tamara Alesi 

Alice Date

Supports Agency’s Ambition Toward Becoming B Corp Organization

London – August 24, 2023 – Today, the global independent Out of Home (OOH) media agency, Talon announced the appointment of its first Group Sustainability Manager, Alice Date. The appointment coincides with Talon joining Ad Net Zero, the global advertising industry’s drive to decarbonize the production, distribution, and publications of advertising, signifying Talon Group’s commitment to driving sustainable practices throughout its business and the wider advertising ecosystem.

“At Talon, we take our role in setting industry standards in environmental, social, and corporate practices incredibly seriously,” said Barry Cupples, Group CEO, Talon. “Alice is joining as we actively ramp up our efforts and commitments to this cause; she brings a fresh burst of energy and new perspective of the challenge we face within the advertising industry and we’re all looking forward to supporting her as she implements important changes across our organization’s operations.”

Alice Date joins Talon following four years in Australia at the transformation consultancy firm, EY, where she supported the implementation of sustainable practices through strategy development and reporting. Additionally, she has strong experience in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) data interpretation and developing effective roadmaps toward net zero and wider bespoke sustainability strategies.

Alice’s impressive skill sets arrive at a pivotal point in the organization’s sustainability journey. Effective immediately, she will be responsible for developing Talon’s global sustainability strategy and driving its ambition towards becoming a B Corp organization.

“I’m incredibly excited to be leading and continuing Talon’s sustainability program,” said Date. “There is a clear enthusiasm across the organization for being a driving force in creating a more sustainable industry – and I’m looking forward to channelling this enthusiasm into clear, practical, and impactful initiatives.”

As part of Talon’s commitment to Ad Net Zero, Alice will spearhead the efforts in reducing emissions from advertising business operations and production, media planning and buying, and awards and events programs, as well as harnessing the power of advertising to supercharge behavioural change.

Alice will also oversee the carbon reduction program, developing a strategy to ensure Talon can reduce emissions and contribute to the collective goal of the industry to allow for more robust and transparent reporting.

Alice will be based in Talon’s London office and report into Group Chief Strategy Officer, Sophie Pemberton.