by Nick Coston
This past year we’ve seen some amazing new advertising products hit the industry. We welcomed the flying digital billboards (HELI-D Aerial Media), digital screen adjacent ad spaces that allows brands to use the static space around displays (Edge Media Systems), low-riding, automated and branded delivery robots (Serve Robotics), new viewing tech so you can visually see your OOH designs in a real world setting before they post (Drive Your Art), digital side-car looking advertising placements on indoor screens (AdSide by Media Mea), LED delivery boxes on the back of scooters, swarming around and lighting up the night around Miami Beach (Lumix Advertising), digital signage when and where you wash your hands (Sinkside) and last but not least, meet Oscar, the zero waste smart-recycling assistant with its own media exchange above zero-touch waste stations located in stadiums, airports and train stations, helping high traffic, indoor public areas use AI to reduce garbage waste (Intuitive.ca).
That’s just 2025.
Yep, that’s a lot of new advertising products, and still a few more not mentioned. This gives you a glimpse of what 2025 delivered. All backed by the idea of adding advertising revenue in places we hardly think about. Got a hard to reach but desirable demographic you need to target? Have no fear, there’s a new product to help you reach them.
I like all these, they’re clever, inventive, eye-catching and don’t duplicate other advertising platforms. Having faith that these will make it, brands love ways to introduce a product. Sadly, a few may disappear, though. History has shown those that don’t make the cut point to lack of enough funding, products not working as planned, lack of sales, or increased, better funded competition. Sometimes your new product is so good, well, you know how it goes. Duplication is the best form of flattery.
Just don’t make that your biggest downfall.
This is why traditional OOH, posters, bulletins shelters, buses, be them static or digital, will continue to be new advertising products biggest asset. Yes, you heard me, biggest asset. Not a competitor. Traditional OOH not only supports radio and online products, booooo, but have the ability, at very low cost, to bring increased eyeballs to not-seen-before OOH ad displays. Wisely used, any of the traditional assets above have the ability, if logistics match, to hit consumers a few times, not just once. Frequency in OOH, if the budget allows for it, brings measurable results.
One format supports the other, call it the OOH buddy system. Wisely planned, it will keep those hard to earn ad dollars where they belong, with us in the OOH world.
Insider’s Note: Nick Coston has been writing opinion pieces for the OOH industry for 10 years now. His weekly pieces also appear on Substack where you can view the last 2 years worth. Full-time, Nick is the VP, Sales and Sales Strategies for Moving Walls, the Singapore based media and ad tech giant, here in The America’s.
If you are interested, here is Nick’s Substack LINK
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