How brands can take their OOH game to "Ooh!" levels

New Delhi: The recent hoarding crash incident in Ghatkopar has cast a stark spotlight on the critical need for accountability in Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising. 

This tragic event, which resulted in injuries and fatalities, underscores the potential dangers of improperly installed or maintained advertising structures. As urban spaces become increasingly saturated with billboards and other forms of OOH advertising, it is imperative that stringent safety standards and regular inspections are enforced to prevent such accidents. 

Following this train of thought, Goafest 2024 saw a panel discussion on "OOH - Adapting to be accountable."

During the session, Sam Balsara, moderator, Founder, Chairman and MD of Madison World and Madison Communications, posed the question: How can we grow the outdoor industry from the current 4% ad expenditure to a 10% OOH, 50-billion-dollar industry?

Darshana Shah, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Aditya Birla Capital commenced the discussion by drawing attention to how OOH has gone from being a secondary/repair medium to being an option for being the first go-to medium. 

This, she believes, is brought about by the ease of measurement of analytics and possibilities like multi-screen, geotagging, etc. 

Pawan Bansal - COO Jagran Engage and Chairman IOAA (Indian Outdoor Advertising Association), took over by apologising for the hoarding clash incident that took the internet by storm and emphasised how the safety of citizens is paramount. 

Bansal commented, "Measurability, adopting best practices and common standards, as well as sustainability, are things we're looking forward to implementing."

He also informed the pre-requisites for being an IOAA member and to buy only from IOAA strategic media owners to begin the wave of change in the OOH ecosystem. 

Jahan Mehta - Chief Growth Officer at Oap Mediatech, believes that the inclusion of OOH has taken the conversation away from that Excel sheet and rates to reach frequency and impressions.

He added, "Because each agency has their own proof of performance agency and an app that they click on. So, we would actually all save money."

He also furthered the idea of an automated sales platform, for brands and agencies to access information on the availability of the site and book online, reducing the time consumed. 

Noomi Mehta - Chairman of the Board Selvel One Group, concluded the discussion by emphasising that, like all other mediums, OOH too is adapting to changing circumstances.

Mehta also underscored how managing fringe players who circumvent regulations is crucial for outdoor advertising’s growth.