Screen Media Daily By Staff Writer December 22, 2016
Posterscope USA Shares Outlook and Predictions for Out-of-Home Industry in 2017
NEW YORK, NY – It’s that time of year again. Yes, it’s time for the annual onslaught of predictions and prognostications by industry pundits. Studies have shown that most predictions are often proven wrong over time, as the future is unknowable, but that has not stopped anyone from trying to make a few educated guesses about what might lay ahead.
Posterscope USA has taken a stab at it and published its key predictions for the year to come. The out-of-home agency believes that 2017 will be an evolutionary year for the medium that will lead to dramatic advancements in how OOH media is planned, purchased and consumed.
“The coming year will be defined by technology, availability of data and emphasis on digital,” said Jeff Tan, Vice President of Strategy for Posterscope, “We see OOH moving from the advertising medium it is today to a viable communications channel rivaling any other when it comes to connecting brands with audiences in an intimate and highly personalized and customized way.”
Here are Posterscope’s 2017 predictions for the OOH industry:
From Owned to Open Data:
The growing availability of data will continue to have a profound impact on how OOH campaigns are planned. But instead of being owned, data will become open and shareable, ultimately resulting in more effective and efficiently planned cross-channel campaigns. The evolution of data sharing will benefit all media types and allow OOH to move out of the silo and become more seamlessly integrated into broader digital strategies.
Location, Social and Live Data: Advancements in live behavioral data tracking will allow OOH to be more predictive and understand where a specific audience is likely to be and what type of messaging will inspire a favorable and memorable interaction. By using affinity modeling of locations along with social and mobile data, agencies can better understand real-time behavior and allow brands to deliver more targeted messaging on a mass scale.
Relevance Not Optional: Today’s consumer expects and demands to be fed content that has relevance and resonance. Serving the right content to the right audience is no longer optional. In the coming year, those in OOH who haven’t already will come on board to this reality. By leveraging geo-based social data and real-time platforms, the delivery of dynamic, contextual content will become the norm, not just the highlight of a few award-winning campaigns.
Programmatic – From Theory to Wider Practice: Automation is moving into OOH in a big way. In the coming year, programmatic platforms that enable brands to deliver optimized, creative media in real-time will become commonplace across the industry, allowing OOH to offer the flexibility and agility as rival media channels.
Keeping up with the Tech: In recent years, progressive brands and agencies have experimented with a range of cool technologies – facial recognition, augmented reality, etc. The melding of the digital and physical worlds will yield new opportunities for brands to use OOH to engage and interact with niche audiences using connected devices, beacons and the like. As confidence in technology strengthens and costs come down, look for OOH to expand technology integration in the coming year.
Give Something Back: Research suggests that consumers are more likely to support a brand when they know that buying their product will produce a positive societal impact in return. CSR will therefore become standard operating procedure as brands fight for consumer loyalty and attention in the hyper-crowded OOH landscape. Expect brands to embrace branded social OOH campaigns that provide a service to the consumer, not just a one-way conversation.
“The transformational combination of data, automation and technology will enable OOH to continue to emerge as a lead option in any brand marketer’s tool kit. It’s never been a more exciting time for the out-of-home industry,” added Tan.