Before the problems get too big.

This is a guest post from Jeff McQueen, Creative Director and Partner of Proscenium Pictures. As a creative director, he brings some interesting thoughts to the industry on how we can better position ourselves over the long run. You can learn more about Jeff and Proscenium Pictures here.

Are these High Relevance Issues for Today’s OOH Industry, or did I miss the memo?

As I try very hard to stay current and dare I say, even ahead of the curve, I have noticed several trends in OOH that I consider potentially problematic for the entire industry going forward.  At the risk of sounding uncharacteristically contrarian and curmudgeonly, I think a few things need to be said.

WE NEED A BETTER TERM THAN “CONTENT”
The industry needs to firmly acknowledge that we are ADVERTISING – albeit in a very special niche of the industry that requires a unique combination of understanding and ad-making sensibilities, but advertising nonetheless.   The more effective our advertising, the more effective the industry will be.  Let’s call it what it is and be proud that we work real hard to sell real stuff to real people for real companies.    And if we need a unifying differentiating phrase to be clever, what is it?  It definitely isn’t “content.” Whatever it might be, let’s coin an accurate phrase and rally behind it.

OOH TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS NEED TO SLOW DOWN
Big faster better technology companies that have the incredible skills to make placement deals everywhere need to slow down a bit or the bubble of OOH will soon be recognized as over-stated, over-promised and over-priced, despite the zillions of invested VC.  How many screens can viewers absorb until they completely lose their effectiveness?  The industry is already showing signs of oversaturation with big initial players going bankrupt, and in today’s world, there are many lessons that can be learned from unbridled and uncontrolled growth without internal industry monitoring.  This solution might be tricky and require cross-company coordination, but the future of OOH effectiveness and ultimate value may rest upon the collective decisions that are made.

METRIC TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT BE A PLUS FOR OOH
I’m concerned that when unbiased (or not too biased) metric technology can truly measure ROI, the industry is going to financially flat line.  If sponsors can’t realize measurable profits from OOH advertising, they will pull out of the game. Let’s make sure our advertising is generating additional profits for our paying sponsors, and that technological expansion is helping to achieve this goal, not dilute it.  Should we be doing internal tests as an industry to troubleshoot ROI related issues (not impression related issues) prior to Nielsen or another company publishing negative and potentially damning results?

IN-STORE ADVERTISING IS DIFFERENT THAN OOH ADVERTISING
In-Store is different than OOH, and an area that will have even more importance when sponsors realize that spending the money on a big interactive digital display somewhere near a bus stop rather than in a purchase-potential environment doesn’t necessarily generate dollars.  There is technology used in Europe via mobile phones that help make more places purchase-potential, but what do we do in the meantime to keep OOH effective – or should I say, effectively driving sales?

Jeff will be speaking at Digital Signage Expo on Content Day during the “Interpreting a Creative Brief: Many Views, Many Methods” panel on February 24th. I will also be speaking at DSE. You can learn more about our presentations and register here.