The recent TAB Out of Home Media Conference provided a refreshing reminder that the outdoor advertising industry is more vibrant than ever, with possibilities before us that were inconceivable just a decade ago. In addition to impressive new out of home formats and applications, the billboard is being updated both strategically and creatively through the embrace of new technologies. What’s more, the industry is rapidly approaching the day when outdoor media measurement, through TAB’s Eyes On Ratings, will not just match – but surpass – what other media provide.
In the midst of such momentous change, it is important to proceed with vision, clarity, and unity. With an industry as diverse as outdoor advertising has become, it’s critical we work collectively and focus on the big picture or run the risk of splintering into satellite nations, lacking focus and losing the momentum necessary to bring home the big wins such as greater advertiser and regulatory support.
In the first quarter, OAAA has been hard at it providing education, guidance, and support for important issues that will advance the industry’s long-term goals:
- We have worked with local and state organizations to effect laws and regulations favorable to the outdoor industry (digital billboard approvals, lighting standards, and economic impact studies.)
- We have delivered numerous webinars and presentations on timely issues such as Posting Presidential Primary Results, Single-Sheet Poster Installation Systems, Positive Consumer Attitudes toward Digital Billboards, and Strategies for Dealing with the Press.
- We have developed a comprehensive Corporate Environmental Responsibility Plan which includes a pending RFP for recycling of new PE poster substrates, a carbon footprint analysis, and changes to the Code of Industry Principles to include environmental concepts.
- We have launched a Multicultural Committee to set goals and establish an action plan to serve this vital and emerging advertising category.
- We have numerous analyses underway: a new digital traffic safety study, STAR awareness research, a Hispanic consumer study, and a copy wear-out white paper…to name just a few.
And the work continues. In the upcoming months, OAAA’s website will undergo a major web 2.0 upgrade, 2007 iMap data will become available, and the lobbying team retained for reauthorization of the highway bill in 2009 will make key Hill visits.
As always, we invite your involvement and have numerous events scheduled this fall which will undoubtedly be ideal for you:
· OAAA STAR Showcase & Out of Home Media Plan Awards: September 25, New York, NY. A growing and vibrant part of Advertising Week, OAAA hosts a vast expo and forum for advertisers and their agencies to experience first hand the options available in the new out of home arena. Capping off this year’s event will be the presentation of the 2008 Out of Home Media Plan Awards to both reward and inspire strategic and effective use of the medium.
· OAAA Operations Conference & Trade Show: October 16-18, Orlando, FL. Two full days of sessions and workshops will highlight the operational topics most important to the outdoor industry. Structure upgrades and inspections, safety, DOT compliance, and environmental impact are a few of the key topics that will be addressed. Doubtlessly, technology has enabled unprecedented improvements in operations and will be a major part of the program. Outdoor advertising has become better, faster, and greener; and we urge you to keep abreast of the latest operations improvements this meeting will showcase.
· OAAA Account Executives Training Course: November 4-5, Los Angeles, CA. Sales teams will have the opportunity to hone negotiation skills and develop strong selling habits at this high intensity course designed for both new and veteran account executives. The course will include inaugural training on the new TAB Eyes On Ratings methodology.
· OAAA Creative Seminar: November 6, Los Angeles, CA. Creating for the outdoor space has always been challenging, but today it’s more complex than ever because of the variety of new formats available to advertisers. Effective design requires a new set of considerations about how each venue is used creatively and also how these diverse parts can best be integrated as an outdoor campaign. If you’ve never attended an OAAA Creative Seminar, this may be the year to make the journey. It’s a power-packed day of learning from some of the most creative minds in the ad business.
Ultimately, long-term industry growth is about balancing exuberance with temperance and approaching action with restraint, so the best practices emerge to serve the needs of advertisers, consumers, and communities. Together we have come so far, and together we will achieve so much more.
As an old African proverb states, “If you want to go quickly, go alone…if you want to go far, go together.”
