The World Out of Home Organization is to hold its first in-person European Regional Forum in Milan from November 4-6.

This comes at a time when according to WOO’s latest Global Expenditure Survey, Europe has overtaken North America in terms of size of market by revenue, reflecting its position as the test bed for many of the most exciting developments and innovations in the industry, especially in rapidly-growing digital Out of Home (DOOH.)

This too, is reflected in the increasingly dynamic Italian OOH market making Milan the perfect venue for this Europe Forum.

WOO’s very first Regional Forum was online from London in 2021 and since then the Organization has held in-person Forums in South Africa, Bali, Dubai and Malaysia plus highly successful Annual Congresses in Toronto, Lisbon and Hong Kong.

WOO President Tom Goddard says: “It’s easy to take for granted,  the huge contribution Europe has made and is making to the strong growth of OOH in the global market as we also focus on Asia and regions further afield.

“The outlook for OOH in Europe is buoyant despite the various geopolitical issues and overtaking North America by value is a major achievement and step forward for the global industry as we clear the 5% of global ADEX hurdle and head towards an even brighter future. Milan will be an unmissable celebration of an industry in fine form.”

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Lay's entices snack lovers in Dubai with its all-new package redesign and irresistible flavors on our billboards! The brand has taken over our unipole with a campaign that reaches a new level of creativity. With a flavour explosion that jumps out of the billboard, this campaign is eye-catching and truly irresistible.

The campaign was executed in collaboration with OMD UAE and PepsiCo for the launch of the “Best Ever Lay’s” (truly is!)
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Thank you to Nour El Dakdouki and OMD MENA for their continued support and trust in our company, and we look forward to collaborating with you on many more creative campaigns.

Get ready to be wowed by Lay's delicious display as you drive down Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai!
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BackLite Media has shared the “strategy behind the story” of Jimmy Choo’s summer campaign, promoting its summer eyewear collection. The campaign, which ran for nearly a month from June to July 2024, leveraged high-impact advertising spaces within BackLite’s Digital Icons network. It explicitly targeted screens near Downtown Dubai en route to Dubai Mall and Umm Suqeim Road, making it an effective drive-to-store campaign for the brand.

“These locations were selected for their visibility, effectively capturing the attention of Jimmy Choo’s target demographic, affluent shoppers, and reaching millions of passersby,” James Bicknell, CEO of BackLite Media, told Campaign Middle East.

With the capability to deliver approximately 45 million impressions monthly, this campaign ensured widespread visibility for the brand.

Speaking about the strategy behind the campaign, BackLite revealed the transition from traditional static billboards to dynamic digital screens, marking a new era in content delivery that empowers advertisers with real-time updates, flexibility, and standout campaigns in the UAE.

James said, “Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) media is on the verge of transforming the OOH industry. As media moves toward a screen-based environment tied to data and technology, criteria like time, content, and contextual relevance have become the new pillars of OOH media placement.”
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“With web browsers and apps increasingly blocking cookies, ad spend is shifting to the DOOH sector more quickly than expected. Marketers now see DOOH as a more respected medium for engaging consumers in meaningful and conversational ways,” he added.

BackLite Media’s integration with cutting-edge technologies, such as live data feeds and location-based services, allows the company to target audiences and deliver contextually relevant content on the Digital Icons network.

In a market moving towards measurement and performance, BackLite has stayed ahead of the curve.

James said, “We recognise that more than digitisation is needed. To truly excel, we’ve incorporated data into our strategy, providing clients with comprehensive reports highlighting metrics such as playouts, impressions, reach, and frequency, enabling them to make informed decisions and maximise their impact.”

“We offer detailed reports encompassing these metrics by partnering with Seventh Decimal and Admobilize. Seventh, Decimal’s pre-campaign planning tool assesses location performance, allowing us to recommend specific sites based on campaign objectives. We close the loop by providing post-campaign reports to help clients understand their campaign performance,” he added.

BackLite also collaborated with Media Agency Group on the campaign.

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We have observed a digital trend worldwide, which is also unfolding here. Through a market assessment and a deep understanding of the environmental factors, we have successfully installed industry-leading Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) screens capable of withstanding even the harshest conditions.

However, we recognise that digitisation alone isn’t enough. Hence, we’ve embedded data into our strategy. By partnering with Seventh Decimal and Admobilize, we can provide our clients with detailed reports encompassing play outs, impressions, reach, and frequency metrics.

We believe in harnessing the power of technology and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising to create exceptional experiences. This approach is reflected in our recent campaign for Amazon Prime Video at Dubai Festival City Mall. The Prime Video and Amazon Studios’ campaign for ‘Citadel’ fascinated mall visitors with its innovative use of technology.

The campaign dynamically identified and tracked hand movements in real-time by leveraging advanced hand detection and gesture recognition technology. This feature transformed the campaign artwork seamlessly, resulting in an immersive and interactive experience that delighted visitors. And it took home the Silver at the recent MMA Global Smarties MENA Awards 2024 in the DOOH category.‍

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The evolving needs of our clients reflect a shift towards data-driven and results-oriented solutions. They seek improved audience targeting capabilities to ensure their messages resonate with the right individuals at the right moment.

This growing demand has spurred the emergence of Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (PrDOOH), offering efficiency and flexibility to optimise campaigns on the fly. In pursuing PrDOOH excellence, we’ve established an ecosystem, BackLite 360, that seamlessly integrates comprehensive data sources and solutions. This enables us to cater to our clients at every stage of the marketing funnel, delivering targeted content with precision.

When discussing technology in this context, it’s impossible to ignore the pivotal role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Its presence is not just a concept but a tangible reality within the OOH sector.

Through platforms like AdMobilize and Neurons, AI is revolutionising how we predict traffic flows, analyse content for enhanced creativity, and gauge real-time attention through eye tracking.

Integrating new technologies with OOH will propell the industry forward and revolutionise its landscape. The impact has been profound, from harnessing the power of data and AI to the advancements in LED screen technology.
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The 2025 World Out of Home Annual Congress will be held in Mexico City from June 4th to 6th. This is the first time the WOO Annual Congress has been held in Latin America and follows the highly successful WOO Annual Congress in Hong Kong, its first visit to Asia, earlier this year over 500 delegates attended.

Helping to host the 2025 event will be ALOOH, the trade body representing Out of Home in the region. ALOOH  was formed in 2018 and both Gabriel Cedrone (ALOOH President) and Guillermo de Lella (ALOOH General Manager) are Vice Presidents on the WOO Board.

WOO President Tom Goddard says: "WOO is the only global media organisation that represents equally all main markets and it's right that we should now go to Latin America, a dynamic, rapidly-growing market in every respect.

"Mexico City is a fantastic venue and our 2025 Annual Congress will be a major stepping stone as we reinforce Out of Home's status as the most progressive and effective non-online global medium."

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BackLite Media has announced the release of SpotLite 2.0, its annual publication created in collaboration with Campaign Middle East.

This edition of SpotLite focuses on the dynamic and ever-evolving Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising industry, particularly emphasising the transformative potential of Data, Measurement and Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (PrDOOH).

SpotLite 2.0 brings together insights from some of the industry’s most influential voices.

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Contributors include experts from the UAE Government Media Office, World Out of Home Organization, IAB MENA, The Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), Data Partners like Seventh Decimal and Admobilize, and Programmatic Platforms like The Trade Desk and Place Exchange. Each offers unique perspectives on the current state and future direction of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising.

James Bicknell, CEO of BackLite Media, said, “The publication delves into a wide range of topics, from integrating data-driven techniques to the creative opportunities offered by Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising.
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“These articles provide a comprehensive overview of the trends and innovations poised to shape the next chapter of OOH advertising.

“We thank Motivate Media Group for their invaluable assistance in agency distribution across the UAE, enabling SpotLite 2.0 to reach an even wider audience.

“This collaboration underscores our commitment to expanding its influence and fostering growth within the industry.”

SpotLite 2.0 is a crucial resource for marketers, brand managers, and out-of-home specialists. It provides valuable insights and strategies for navigating the rapidly changing landscape of OOH advertising. The contributions from esteemed authors reflect the industry’s current state and provide a forward-looking view of its promising future.

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Lindsay Rapacchi, Research and Insight Director at Clear Channel Outdoor, in his session on “Outdoor’s Secret Superpower” at the WOO Global Congress in Hong Kong emphasised OOH advertising's strongest attribute: broadcast reach. He observed that many media professionals don't fully understand why reach is crucial. Over the past year, he says that he conducted informal research with over 100 media professionals, including planners and clients, to discover their reasons for valuing reach. The top responses were identified to be priming people, increasing awareness, driving brand fame, and selling more advertising. However, Lindsay believes the most critical reason was missed: brands with smaller market shares have fewer, less loyal buyers.

Leveraging Light Category Buyers

Illustrating this with the UK washing powder industry, where Persil leads with a 22% market share, Lindsay emphasised that a brand's success, like Persil's in the washing powder industry, is primarily due to its high market penetration, not loyalty. Market penetration, attracting more buyers, is believed to drive growth, rather than solely focusing on loyalty.

Lindsay highlights the importance of understanding buyer distribution curves, where most buyers fall into the light category, purchasing infrequently. He argued for a strategy targeting this large segment of light buyers rather than solely focusing on heavy buyers, as traditional approaches tend to do.

He criticised the neglect of light category buyers in media plans, which often prioritise niche audiences. He suggested integrating light category buyers into media planning to unlock OOH advertising's full potential, as different channels reach varying numbers of these buyers. By prioritising reach to attract more light buyers, brands can achieve significant growth. Lindsay's call to focus on light category buyers offers a fresh perspective on brand growth strategies and the importance of understanding market dynamics beyond loyalty.

The winning duo

Discussing a UK study involving over 40,000 consumers and 250,000 brand interactions, he revealed that OOH and TV were found to be the most effective pairing, increasing productivity by a factor of four. However, he cautioned against relying solely on this combination, emphasising the importance of using a variety of media channels. He highlighted the need for brands to align their customer base with the broader market, using OOH to reach underrepresented demographics. For example, brands should not over-target older consumers at the expense of younger ones.

Refining the Recipe of Reach

In his strategy presentation, Lindsay outlined a holistic approach to media planning, emphasising the importance of reach in OOH advertising. He rejected a highly targeted approach, asserting that OOH's strength lies in its ability to reach a broad audience. Lindsay's strategy begins with a focus on programmatic digital OOH, leveraging mobile data to target specific audience segments that over-index for the brand. Integrating with other media channels, including radio and addressable TV, further expand reach and reinforce brand messaging.

Lindsay applied the "duplication of purchase" law, targeting competitors' customers who are more likely to overlap with the brand's customer base.

He advocated for a dynamic media plan that adapts to different consumer behaviours and contexts, exemplified by programmatic ads tailored to specific weather conditions and time slots.

Lindsay underscored the importance of balancing reach with targeted messaging, leveraging empirical evidence and consumer behaviour insights to optimise brand growth. He emphasised the foundational role of broadcast reach in OOH advertising while integrating insights from the duplication of purchase law and category entry points to refine and enhance media planning strategies.

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Annie Rickard, Manging Partner of OOH Capital, steered a panel discussion on "Why Automate and Why Now?", with Ben Milne, Global Head of OOH Business, dentsu, Emma Hegg, Group Director – Platform Strategy, oOh! and Gavin Lee, Sr Director – Product, Broadsign

Annie Rickard, Manging Partner of OOH Capital, steered a lively discussion with industry luminaries who shared their thoughts on why it's time to automate OOH advertising transactions. The Hong Kong WOO Global Congress session on "Why Automate and Why Now?", moderated by Annie Rickard, featured industry experts Ben Milne, Global Head of OOH Business, dentsu, Emma Hegg, Group Director – Platform Strategy, oOh! and Gavin Lee, Senior Director – Product, Broadsign. Their contributions shed light on the critical importance of automating OOH advertising transactions.

Ben Milne expressed concerns over the prevailing perception of OOH advertising. Despite his efforts to optimise client investments in OOH, he noted a growing pressure on marketing budgets, compelling advertisers to seek more measurable investments. Ben highlighted the disparity between programmatic digital OOH and traditional methods, emphasising the urgent need to remove barriers and simplify access to OOH. He advocated for automation to enhance measurability and accessibility, thereby allowing advertisers to focus on advocating for OOH inclusion in media plans.
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Gavin Lee echoed Milne's sentiments regarding the necessity of removing barriers hindering OOH advertising. He stressed upon the importance of collaboration in automating all OOH processes to simplify access and improve measurability. Gavin argued that by ensuring the benefits of OOH are easily measurable and accountable, the industry can bridge the growing divide between digital and non-digital OOH, capturing a larger share of the expanding advertising market.

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Highlighting the significant growth of Australia's OOH advertising sector, Emma Hegg revealed that OOH is currently constituting nearly 15% of the overall media spend according to the 2024 SMR figures. She emphasised the sustained growth of programmatic advertising since 2022, which now accounts for 11% of OOH media spend. However, Emma cautioned that not all programmatic growth is incremental, with some budgets shrinking. She stressed the need for industry-wide efforts to simplify and automate processes, reducing friction and cost.
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Highlighting the significant growth of Australia's OOH advertising sector, Emma Hegg revealed that OOH is currently constituting nearly 15% of the overall media spend according to the 2024 SMR figures. She emphasised the sustained growth of programmatic advertising since 2022, which now accounts for 11% of OOH media spend. However, Emma cautioned that not all programmatic growth is incremental, with some budgets shrinking. She stressed the need for industry-wide efforts to simplify and automate processes, reducing friction and cost.

Urging the importance of collaboration between media vendors, technology partners, and agencies, Emma said that stakeholders need to come together to address the unique challenges faced by OOH vendors. She underscored the lack of global standards and fragmented approaches to audience measurement as obstacles to automation. To realise the full potential of OOH advertising, she called for unified industry standards, collaboration with technology partners, and the development of platforms that add value across the value chain.

Reiterating the imperative for OOH advertising growth, Gavin stressed the need to attract more advertisers and boost their spending. He spotlighted the inefficiencies in managing numerous small campaigns compared to larger ones and pushed for a reassessment of minimum booking thresholds. Gavin also underscored the significance of industry collaboration, standardisation, and leveraging existing infrastructure to streamline processes and optimise OOH's role in omnichannel solutions.

Pushing for a re-evaluation of booking thresholds and emphasis on industry collaboration, Gavin highlight the need to adjust to shifting market dynamics. Rickard's closing remarks serve as a rallying cry for the industry to embrace automation and foster a collaborative culture to propel OOH advertising forward.

Also Ben's concerns regarding the perception of OOH advertising resonated with advertisers under mounting pressure to justify marketing expenditures. The industry's pivot towards programmatic digital OOH accentuated the necessity to adapt and modernise traditional practices. However, challenges persist, as underscored by Emma, particularly concerning standardisation and audience measurement. Collaboration emerges as a central theme, urging stakeholders to collaborate to drive innovation and overcome hurdles.

Annie wrapped up the session by underlining the critical role of collaboration and automation in the OOH advertising realm. She recognised the advanced tools and data in use but pointed out the lack of platform connectivity and continued dependence on manual labour. She emphasised the widening gap between digital and non-digital OOH, emphasising the urgency to unify and leverage technology for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.

In a captivating session at the WOO Global Congress in Hong Kong, Dino Burbidge, Innovation Consultant and CEO of Dinova, took the centre-stage to share his insights on the ever-evolving landscape of OOH advertising. Known for his unique approach to blending technology, creativity, and business acumen, Dino presented an engaging overview of the current state, upcoming trends, and futuristic possibilities in the OOH industry.

Setting the Scene: The Hype Curve

Dino kicked off his talk by introducing the concept of the Gartner Hype Curve, a model that maps out the journey of emerging technologies. The curve starts with an "innovation trigger," ascends to the "peak of inflated expectations," plunges into the "trough of disillusionment," rises up the "slope of enlightenment," and finally reaches the "plateau of productivity." He noted that many current technologies, such as generative AI and post-quantum cryptography, are riding high on this curve, while others like NFTs and Blockchain have experienced varying degrees of hype and disillusionment.

The Now: Technologies at the Plateau of Productivity

Focusing on technologies that have already reached the plateau of productivity, Dino highlighted four key examples:

1. Roblox: With 71 million daily users and six million active at any given moment, Roblox is a significant platform for brands targeting younger demographics. Dino emphasised its role as a quasi-metaverse where brands can create immersive experiences and even leverage programmatic video advertising through virtual billboards.
2. Sense of Smell in Gaming: Introducing a unique sensory dimension, technologies like the "Scent for Games" box can emit specific smells based on in-game events, enhancing the immersive experience for players. This innovation could be extended to various environments, including shopping malls and advertising spaces.
3. Runway ML's Motion Brush: This AI tool allows for subtle animation within static images, enabling advertisers to create dynamic yet refined visual campaigns. By highlighting and animating specific areas of an image, brands can add a layer of engagement to their otherwise static content.
4. Location-Based Loyalty Programmes: Technologies like FOBI enable brands to integrate loyalty programmes into digital wallets, triggering rewards based on proximity to certain locations. This creates opportunities for personalized and location-specific marketing campaigns, driving customer engagement and data collection.

The Next: Emerging Technologies and Trends

Looking ahead, Dino identified several technologies poised to impact the OOH industry:

1. Gaussian Splatting: A breakthrough in 3D rendering, Gaussian Splatting involves creating scenes using "splats" in the air, which are computationally efficient and enable real-time rendering on low-power devices. This could revolutionise how 3D content is displayed in advertising.
2. Apple Vision Pro: At $3,500, this augmented reality device demonstrates Apple's prowess in locking 3D scenes into real-world environments. Dino posed intriguing questions about the implications for advertising, where virtual billboards could compete with physical ones for viewer attention.
3. OpenAI's Multi-Modal Models: As AI models evolve to handle text, video, code, and music, the potential for AI-generated content in advertising grows. Dino advised caution, recommending human oversight to ensure quality and relevance in AI-generated campaigns.
4. Business Process Outsourcing via Video: Highlighting a novel approach, some companies are outsourcing customer service to remote operators via video calls. This could extend to personalised interactions in retail and advertising settings, offering 24/7 customer engagement.

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The Wondrous Future: Pioneering Innovations

Concluding his session, Burbidge delved into futuristic concepts that could redefine OOH advertising:

1. ChatDev: Utilising AI to autonomously develop software, this experiment demonstrates the potential for AI-driven project management and development. In the future, similar technologies could streamline the creation of advertising content and strategies.
2. Wearable Screens: Inspired by the BMW car with colour-changing paint, personal screens integrated into clothing or accessories could display dynamic content based on the wearer's location and context, turning individuals into mobile advertising platforms.
3. Adversarial Pixels: Addressing the ethical concerns of AI training, Dino discussed the idea of poisoning AI models with misleading data to protect proprietary content. This highlights the importance of safeguarding creative assets in an AI-dominated future.
4. Robot Snails: A quirky yet practical innovation, these soft robotics can clean and maintain advertising displays, ensuring they remain pristine and engaging.

Dino's presentation at the WOO Global Congress was a thought-provoking journey through the current realities, emerging trends, and speculative future of OOH advertising. His insights underscored the dynamic nature of the industry and the endless possibilities that lie ahead.

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