Indian OOH industry needs to unite and compete: Tom Goddard, President, WOO

New Delhi: Facing regulatory hurdles and ethical concerns, Tom Goddard, President of the World Out of Home Organisation, stressed the need for the OOH industry to address issues like illegal structures, clutter, and poor maintenance, which can harm the medium's reputation. He made these remarks at the recently held Pioneer-sponsored event, 'Dialogue with Tom Goddard'.

Tom Goddard highlighted the stark disparity within the Indian OOH sector, with the large-format billboard segment lagging in terms of investment and organisation, compared to the transit, airport, and other forms of OOH. As an example, he commended JCDecaux for its pioneering role in advocating for longer-term contracts with municipalities, a crucial step towards sustainable OOH growth.

While concerns about ad overload, especially DOOH (Digital out-of-home) persist across media platforms, Goddord asserted that OOH's unique characteristics, such as brevity and visual impact, make it resilient to such pressures. Moreover, he dismissed claims of OOH contributing to distracted driving, citing a lack of credible evidence. 

He further denied claims that OOH’s contribution to the Indian adex is as low as $0.5 billion, asserting that these figures are misrepresented as the sector is disorganised in India. 

Goddard urged the industry to foster competitiveness not among media owners but against other existing mediums. "There is a lack of appreciation for who the real competitor is," he said, emphasising that viewing individual growth as the sole path to success is misguided.

Instead, the industry needs to focus on sectoral growth to tap into opportunities when there is such a comparison with digital mediums and wastage taking place in terms of advertising content and consumption. “What online gets away with is certainly criminal!” he exclaimed in a pun-intended tone. 

The disproportionate nature of the Indian OOH advertising adex and revenue does not speak for the impact it has on a broader scale. Added to this, the fragmented nature of the market further creates a need for higher regulation. “We need to realise that CFOs have a greater role to play than CMOs in determining the growth potential of the OOH advertising sector,” he said.

IOAA recently drove pilot tests of its platform, Roadstar and Goddard seemed happy with the news, saying, “Globally, the advertising industry does lack any such tool or platform for measurability. The feedback being received in its test stages is rather a sign of ‘positive friction’, I feel. Every successful attempt does hit some road bumps before it makes it to the end goal,” he affirmed.

Goddard emphasised examples such as the consolidated OOH industry of Germany, France and Switzerland in driving sectoral growth. Thus, generating higher revenue and driving greater impact. This showcases the significant role that even brands and agencies play in fueling progress across the OOH advertising industry.

To unlock the full potential of OOH in India, industry stakeholders and policymakers must collaborate to create a conducive environment. Goddard proposed relaxing regulations for well-designed and scaled outdoor advertising in rural areas, a move that could significantly expand the OOH footprint.

In his entire findings, Goddard further added that it isn’t just profitable growth but sustainable growth that should be the focus of the industry. “And this can be combined with innovation too,” he said while giving acclaimed examples of efforts by Qantas America (Australia), Urban Vision (America) and Zest Communication (Mumbai) for remarkably innovative sustainable billboards.