In Egypt, a billboard can produce 100 litres of drinking water a day out of thin air, while Nike has actually developed an outdoor media campaign in the form of a band and has got people to pay for the same – all examples of redefining OOH. “Creativity is the game-changer that will make the difference between a bland communication and one that’s breakthrough. Up-to-the-minute information and how you use it in outdoor can be leveraged in a big way. If we can be up to speed every minute with tweets, why can’t advertising be just as current and fresh?” said Farrokh Madon, CCO, Young & Rubicam, Singapore at the OOH Conference and Awards.



exchange4media’s fourth edition of OOH Conference and Awards wrapped up yesterday on the 20^th of March at Hotel Pullman, Gurgaon. The theme of the conference was ‘Redefining OOH’ and it was powered by NS Publicity in association with Laqshya Media and Global Advertisers, co-sponsors were Meru Cabs, CashurDrive and Mittle Sharma with outdoor speciality partners being Midas Group and Selvel Media Services.



The ceremony gave away 58 awards with Milestone Brandcom and Hindustan Unilever emerging as the major winners. This year, the ‘OOH Person of the Year’ honour went to Sunder Hemrajani, MD, Times OOH while Mr. Subhas Dey Niyogi, MD, Selvel was conferred with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.



The panel discussions at the event touched on a lot of major issues surrounding OOH such as ‘Can OOH create an iconic brand?’, ‘Does OOH have the ability to survive the test of time’, the various investments made in OOH media assets, and the return on innovation in OOH advertising and digital signage. Haresh Nayak, Regional Director, Posterscope Asia-Pacific said, “The OOH medium has evolved in malls and multiplexes, whether it is pure display, engagement, or events. We have also seen growth in niche ambient environments, for example, cinema has grown by over 200 per cent.” Says Rajneesh Bahl, CEO of Percept Out Of Home, “It is more about creative enhancement. Over the last few years, we have seen brands demanding creative ideas from outdoor agencies.”



When asked about the fine line dividing OOH and experiential marketing, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Mr. Subhas Dey Niyogi, MD, Selvel said, “Today all media needs to work hand in hand. There is no one without the other. Most people spend most of their time outside their homes, and there could be no better way than to grab their attention in a place they spend the most time. Therefore, there is OOH media. How it is related to experiential marketing is because of the changing times and the need of the hour for communication to become direct and the need for creating an experience that lives in the mind of the consumer. It is a community of sorts. They are all inter-related.”