Today’s podcast guest is Anna Bager, President and CEO of the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.  Anna talks about growing up with billboards, why out of home is a hot medium, why she joined the OAAA, where out of home is doing a good job and where it needs to improve.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:05 — 26.3MB)

Tell us about your father and billboards

My father has a farm in the very south of Sweden very close to the bridge that goes between Sweden and Denmark…for the most of the time he had 4 billboards on his land.  So I grew up with conversations at the dinner table.  Sometimes very positive.  Sometimes not so positive when they came in during harvest…It was a nice extra source of income to the farm.

On the strengths of out of home

What is interesting about out of home is that it is a hot medium right now, just like digital was and is.  There’s a lot of new direct consumer brands that prefer the platform.  Gen Z seems to like it a lot…It’s literally in your face in a captive environment where you can’t do much more than look at the ads.  It’s very much inserted in our daily lives.  When we’re driving, when we’re at the store, when we’re waiting for the bus, whatever it is that we’re doing, it’s an interesting media that touches everyone.

I see the power of the medium.  I also see that there is a lot of spending growth.  I just came from the ANA conference last week and every single presentation in the morning sessions during the first day had out of home in it.  And really great examples…

What are your top priorities during the year ahead?

As much of an expert as I may be in running a trade association and digital advertising I am not an expert in out of home.  I’m going to get to know all of our members very well.  So the first top priority for me is to listen, to learn and then to lead.  I want to hear all the perspectives…I am very mindful for us not being perceived as an association for one of the mediums in out of home…whether you are a billboard company, a large company, a small company, other parts of place based, transit, the more we can speak with one voice…the more money we can get…Please reach out to me at abager@oaaa.org with questions, comments and your vision for the industry.

On adding an OAAA office in New York.

I really want to get closer to the buy side…We are opening an office in New York. I will be spending a lot more time there…Efforts around raising the perception of out of home with buyers and advertisers will be a big priority with me. More events. More going to places where they are. Not just having them come to us.

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