Posterscope CSO: OOH Measurement Still In Dark Ages

December 5, 2012 by Dave Haynes

One of the top thinkers, and one with particular clout, weighed in Wednesday about the necessary mash-up of mobile and Out Of Home.

James Davies, Posterscope’s U.S. and U.K. Chief Strategy Officer, reinforced his long-held assertion that mobile was the key to transforming OOH into two-way engagement.

Davies was speaking at an Advertising Club of New York event. As reported in Media Post:

Mobile wallets may have been “quite scary” to consumers a few years ago, Davies said, but that’s dissipating. The medium offers a behavioral change business should exploit. Helping that along is a gradual adoption of NFC (near field communication) technology, which can allow easier purchasing and other interaction with an OOH execution.

Still, that’s fledgling as various stakeholders are getting on board. “Clearly, there’s a huge education job for brands and media owners in this area,” Davies said.
 
In general, he thinks the OOH industry needs to upgrade its image, where there is a “modern, sophisticated, vital positioning for a medium.”
  
… Davies said OOH should be viewed as a “content channel, not necessarily a pure ad channel,” ading the OOH industry needs to make better use of real-time opportunities or digital billboards. He cited an example of Audi adjusting messaging in real time, based on factors such as weather, traffic patterns and Twitter activity.
 
Measurement is always discussed as a challenge in the OOH business, and Davies offered his take on its shortfalls. Compared to online measurement, it’s “like the Dark Ages.”