Monday, 14 November 2011

Digital out-of-home in a world of convergence

Limited Space attended the “OMC Digital out-of-home in a world of convergence” seminar which took place on Wednesday 9th November 2011. The seminar included presentations from Mark Crammer, CEO Isobar; Rob McIntosh, Creative Director at Frog; Chris Cardew, Strategy Director at Mindshare; Kevin Brown, Digital Director at Brothers & Sisters; and Zandra Ives, Head of Advertising at Yell.

Mark Crammer gave an overview of the DOOH landscape and highlighted the fact that DOOH now accounts for a 14% market share. With the advancement in consumer technology led mainly by smart phones, the opportunity for engaging with consumers on the move via digital allows for opportunities that are not available through any other media channel. Crammer also stated that with the opportunities that DOOH now brings, outdoor advertising is now richer, more dynamic and more personal than it has ever been before, using the example of our Ad HD Interactive campaign for Cadburys’s - see the campaign here

Discussing the future benefit of digital technology within OOH, Crammer summarised technologies such as NFC as creating a "Fresh Flexible Ecosystem" for advertisers and suggested that with the dawn of new and immerging technologies and opportunities in OOH, the investment moving forward now needs to be on "imagination".

Rob McIntosh discussed that with the use of social networks and the information feedback from smart phones over various applications, the public and private are now converging. Touching on the potential of where these technologies could potentially go, he concluded that we as consumers combined are becoming a giant computer with a wealth of shared knowledge around us, summarising the convergence of us as consumers who are part of the technology and the world in which we use it.

A few key other key points taken from the seminar included the fact there needs to be faith in the technology from the client in which they are investing their budgets; Flexibility is key as there becomes a shift more toward real time planning and networks need to accommodate this as much as possible; Technology placement needs to be relevant to the space; and finally that the convergence within the DOOH arena sits between creativity, the technology, and the brand itself.