• Bob Cilia, Chief Commercial Officer, JCDecaux
• Gary Greenstein, Chief Revenue Officer, Vector Media
• Victoria Mottesheard, Senior Marketing Director, NY/East Region, OUTFRONT Media
• Lonnie Passy, Director, Firefly

You can access the webinar recording of their perspectives and insights here.

Undisputedly, life has changed significantly the past 18 months for consumers who rely on transit and use OOH as an information resource. As the US economy continues to grow, part of the recovery is being fueled by consumers’ increasing comfort with airline travel and the use of public transportation. As reported last month, the OAAA/LoopMe survey showed consumers expressing a much higher level of comfort both with flying and using transit compared to last year:

• Almost sixty percent (57%) of US adults reported being more comfortable with air travel compared to last year, and over three-quarters (76%) were as comfortable or more comfortable flying than last year.
• About two in five (38%) of US adults said they were more comfortable using public transit compared to last year, and two-thirds were as comfortable or more comfortable using public transit than last year.

In a marketplace significantly impacted by the pandemic, but now in a strong recovery mode, the panelists focused on the key topics summarized below. Please listen to the webinar recording for their complete points of view.

Top Attributes of OOH Transit as an Advertising Channel

• Reach
• Dwell time
• Hyper-local penetration
• Measured audiences and measurable KPIs
• OOH, including Transit, offers the shared community environment most consumers are craving after 18 months of the pandemic

Measurement

• Has grown exponentially in response to the pandemic with new methods of measuring audiences showcasing current mobility patterns of consumers.
• Now delivers performance marketing capabilities with optimization in real-time,  and KPI analysis such as website visitation, foot fall impact, app downloads.
• Showcases the important role of various Transit formats in reaching consumers through a variety of touchpoints during their day.

Technology, Mobile and Social Media:

• Transit has leaned on technology advancements such as arrival/departure times, contactless payments, ticketless passes, and producing occupancy loads for consumer view.
• Transit audiences are active, engaged and very involved with their mobile devices, and OOH is there to spark engagement mobile engagement with brands, which drives social media engagement and amplification.
• QR code usage has increased significantly in transit ads, which not only activates connectivity between consumers and brands and drives path to purchase, but also underscores the value of OOH transit by providing metrics to clients.
• OOH is big screens driving consumers to small screens!

Innovation in Transit  

• Innovation is being driven by connectivity which leads to even greater consumer engagement and experiences with OOH Transit, which is driving expansion into digital media budgets. Flexible, dynamic creative has broadened the appeal for OOH Transit media.
• Emphasis on providing valuable content – weather, news, recipes, menus – as avenues for brands to connect with consumers, such as dynamic feeds that provide movie show times for nearby theaters.
• Immersive DOOH experiences in airports are being driven by dynamic content, and brand sponsorship of consumer services (Rolex watch providing real time of day). OOH Transit goes beyond simply delivering an impression by providing unique ways to engage consumers.
• Consumers are hungry for real-life experiences again. OOH transit offers an enhanced value proposition because of its real-world location, and ability to bring together the brand and consumer.

Sustainability

• Transit systems are built around city centers so they are naturally well-positioned to continue to help decrease carbon footprints.
• OOH Transit media investment helps fund transit systems.
• Many industry initiatives underway such as Dallas-Fort Worth’s position as the first airport with carbon-neutral energy consumption (through its use of solar, wind and purchase of carbon credits).
• Some OOH Transit companies are developing a carbon emissions calculator which allows brands to compare campaign options when making purchasing decisions, and this heightened accountability is beginning to appear on the dashboard of brands and some agency holding companies.
• There will be a growing focus on the carbon footprint of companies and what initiatives they have in place to reduce their impact.

State of the Business

• Balance of 2021 pacing looks robust for Transit.
• 2021 has already produced some periods of domestic airline traffic stronger than 2019.
• Considerable new business has been generated in 2021 as advertisers seek to acquire new consumers.
• Most consumers have acclimated to COVID protocols, and OOH will intercept the consumer no matter where they go.
• Cities continue to remove restrictions and open up more.

OOH Transit Creative Excellence

Our panelists shared a wide variety of campaign successes, from celebrities like JLo, to brands such as Jaguar, and entertainment offerings like Animaniacs. All of these examples highlighted OOH’s ability to generate huge earned social media impressions. Or as Gary Greenstein calls it, “social snowballing”.

You can review some of their excellent campaign examples here:

Firefly

• Animaniacs
• Alexander McQueen
• Nexo
• Verizon

JCDecaux

• Peacock Olympics Exhibit:
• Barclaycard Exhibit
• Watches of Switzerland at JRB
• Barclaycard Domination at DFW
• L’Oreal LAX & MIA

OUTFRONT Media

• Technology
• Innovation
• Social
• Sustainability

Vector Media

• Including Miller Lite, Door Dash, Disney, Boston Beer, Hustlers, Jaguar, VitaCoco, Milwaukee Bucks, Paw Patrol, Corona, Coors Seltzer and more….