Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
“Outsmart wants to be known for Impact, Action, Relevance and Creativity,” Alan Brydon, CEO of Outsmart, the UK trade marketing association for the out-of-home industry, told the packed room of attendants at The DailyDOOH Media Summit during London Digital Signage Week last Tuesday (May 17, 2016).
Brydon, who took on the CEO role at Outsmart a year ago after 35 years in the media industry – mainly in such agencies as Abbott Mead Vickers, PHD, MEC and Havas Media Group – discussed the rebranding of Outsmart following a strategic review and more after exactly 365 days in the job!
“Digital out-of-home is an interesting, positive medium but it is not yet maxing out in a Golden Age of creativity,” said Brydon. “Our aim is to inform, educate and inspire people to do wonderful things in out-of-home and digital out-of-home. With our relaunch, our aim was to be bold and impactful, because everybody is interested in OOH and DOOH. We want the industry to be seen as a worthwhile investment. We want to see it win share of other media, and to derive a bigger share of the display revenue – and we wanted to be sure that we had a single narrative.
“What other media does, brings challenges. Everyone is competing, and there is a misconception out there that OOH doesn’t offer ROI.”
Outsmart is doing its part to change that, mainly through its various studies such as its recent OutPerform study. It also works closely with ROUTE, the measurement system that tells advertisers how many people see an outdoor ad, and how often.
Brydon gave some statistics from the recent OutPerform study that showed a 17% uplift in smart phone brand action across 35 campaigns.
“The study showed that one in 10 people take some kind of action in what they see,” said Brydon. “Furthermore, 57% of respondents that took action were new or lapsed customers, highlighting the power of OOH for brands seeking to grow by reaching a wider group of consumers beyond the core buyer.”
The study produced a huge amount of data from over 60,000 sites and more than 1,300 hours of OOH dwell time, 16,000 brand actions and over 150 hours of time with brands.
“SPACE, data automation, volume and experience all make it easer for customers to spend dollars in OOH,” said Brydon. “With more community engagement, great creative and more, we all have a wonderful opportunity. People love OOH. It works and we have proof of that. It drives action and sells products.
“With improvements in the quality of sites, improvements in technology and improvements in automation, if we work together, we will make it essential.”
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