By Jim Campbell, Executive Vice President, Circle Graphics

The answer to this question is hardly – traditional billboards remain as coveted today as the real estate they sit on. Just ask Outfront and Lamar who restructured their legal entities to tap into and extract additional value from their billboards and posters, 95% of them traditional. Digital conversion is a good thing, creating opportunities for programmatic buying, new creative applications and speed to market. However, conversion remains comparatively gradual and costly with permitting and variances not always a given.

For the foreseeable future traditional displays will make up the vast majority of the #OOH universe. However, with more than 30% of traditional campaigns being placed just days before the post date, advertisers are not taking advantage of all that traditional displays have to offer. In most cases creative is rushed – printed and shipped in hours. This can visually impact the installed appearance of copy and inevitably, adversely impact impressions – the driver of revenue and asset value. Buying agencies, OOH media operators and printers should reinforce at a minimum the art delivery and posting timelines established with the #OAAA to ensure the ultimate success of campaigns.

I was recently speaking with the Managing Director of a prominent OOH planning and buying agency and we discussed the topic of ongoing pressure on traditional posting timelines. Their comment to me was, “All other media forms stick to ad closing dates. We should too”. With TV, Radio, Print and Online, if you book it you bought it. OOH should demand the same.

Time allows us all to be better. With time, traditional campaigns can take advantage of the tactical strength of Outdoor Advertising – creative options like multiple copy changes, teasers, props, pop offs, reflective applications and lighting effects all increase visual and social impressions. This also helps OOH companies drive more revenue from traditional assets.

So let’s not forget to accessorize traditional billboards when we take them out on the town. Provocative. Exclusive. Uninterrupted. Head turning. There’s nothing static about that!

Jim Campbell is an OOH industry veteran and is Executive Vice President of Circle Graphics/iMagic, delivering visual brand experiences that engage consumers where they live, work, play and shop.

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