Ian Dallimore, Director of Digital Innovation + Sales Strategy | Lamar Advertising

As out-of-home continues to evolve, combining the art and science of technology, what is it that excites you most about out-of-home?

I think the potential of combining technology and relevant creative is the most exciting thing about OOH today. My team at Lamar is constantly playing the “I wonder if we could combine this to accomplish x”. Technology is the fun object that we can either accept or ignore. Our medium is seeing a renaissance because it’s big, bold and creative. By combining technology, it now allows us to live the medium in actual life in real time. Nothing is better than seeing strong bold creative that is relevant to a consumer. I think this has a lot to do with technology and social media companies wanting to play in our space. This year we utilized a VRT (vehicular recognition technology) that would trigger competitive conquesting creative messages for Chevy Malibu. We’ve worked with third party data companies to trigger fifteen plus creative possibilities for Google Play. We recently launched a Virtual Reality experience with Meta in the PHX airport. I think it’s extremely important to try everything and have a tech tool box for your clients to use with OOH. We are excited what the future holds and continue evolve with ten acceptance of technology and OOH.

Out-of-home is everywhere but a lot of consumers are focusing on something else – their phone, driving…what should marketers do to maximize out-of-home reach?

We as consumers are constantly bombarded with signs and ads throughout our daily lives (over 5,000 a day). It’s important for us to be a part of multi-platform buys. As consumers,  an ad is an ad but if done correctly with creative consistency they can seamlessly come together. From the smallest screen, your mobile device, to the largest screen, OOH billboards – campaigns can be amplified if combined. As an industry we’ve done a great job of pairing mobile and OOH with campaigns and are seeing CTR +56% above the industry average. It’s important that we are providing a robust experience and the consumer has a reason to click on that banner ad or tap/scan at the bus stop.  We are behavioral as humans and a positive experience and a useful use of an interaction is key. The recent SnapChat campaign that provided a geo-targeted filter is a great example that Girl on the Train provided for consumers. We need to continue to focus on how the most important device plays a role in all campaigns.

What do brands need to do to make sure they reach the right audience at the right time in the right place?

The use of data is key to this success, the industries introduction of GeoPath is proof of this. Other third party partners like INRIX and NOAA played a major role in the success of the All State OOH campaign. INRIX, the largest traffic data provider, allowed All State to trigger Digital OOH ads when traffic was heavy and different creative if a wreck occurred. NOAA, the largest weather data provider, allowed creative to trigger based on road conditions and offer driving suggestions based on weather conditions. The use of data will become a standard in the OOH industry and creative agencies should learn to utilize these triggers more often. Lastly, determining consumer life patterns throughout the day using third party data helps provide these more relevant OOH ads.

Imagine it is the year 2026; tell us how out-of-home is being used and what impact it is making?

My apologies as I geek out about this type of question. I think that the OOH industry plays an important role in providing connectivity of the driverless vehicle. I also believe that OOH will provide charging stations for the driverless cars while collecting data in exchange that will trigger relevant OOH ads. The connected home will not only connect to your vehicle but also allow suggestions of what type of restaurants you like that night based on what’s in your pantry. The refrigerator will know when you are out of milk, ketchup, ham as well as your pantry. This info will talk to your driverless vehicle and Digital OOH will trigger those items and provide the grocery store that has advertised on those billboards. The billboard would then trigger a message to the vehicle for not only a coupon offer but also driving directions and a scheduled time. The clothes you wear will tell a lot about you not only from appearance but also its activities. While you’re waiting for the subway the digital ad would trigger a message for muscle milk because you burnt 500+ calories this morning. What you’ve served to you smart home device (Google Home) would help trigger OOH vacation ads. Your smart TV will help trigger suggested shows on your ride home that could be connected with a trailer to the inside of your car. The future is going to be a fun place for the OOH industry!