Pat O’Donnell just retired as President of YESCO Outdoor Media after a 40 year career in out of home.  Today he talks about what the industry needs to do to nurture independent out of home companies, measurement, a mistake and gives his parting words.

What does the industry need to do to nurture independent out of home companies?

We’ve been active in OAAA since 1998. Independent companies need to muster their resources. We collectively should have a much larger voice in the out of home industry. I’m always encouraging independents to become a part of the OAAA because of the impact they can have on the regulatory environment. IBOUSA does a good job of providing revenue opportunities for small operators, but it does not work on local or national legislative issues. All politics are local. We need the independents to work together to create reasonable billboard law. If we have one thing we all need to work on it’s protecting our assets. Think of things like amortization, increased taxation, bad legislation – it’s the independents that have the opportunity to make a difference. Why wouldn’t you want to bring yourself to the table. OAAA has a great legislative arm, working to create reasonable and good legislation that works for us all. I get disappointed when it seems that we have guys who just want to make a buck and don’t care what happens.

We’re really talking about the fact that the independents have a lot more influence than many think. Collectively we’ve got every bit as much inventory as the Lamar, Clear Channel and OUTFRONT. We’re just disjointed. There is an opportunity for us to work together that could make a huge difference for our industry. Let’s talk about how we want our inventory to look. How do we engage the communities we operate in? What can we do in terms of making sure we are looked at as responsible businesses, contributing to the health of the cities and towns we serve.

Measurement

I’m a proponent of the Geopath model.  I don’t think advertisers have trust in the other alternatives at this point.  Ari is doing a great job at Place Exchange and is certainly providing some new ways of looking at impressions.  Here’s my deal.  We are always going to be looked at as a second-class media until we agree on a single currency. We still have industry people giving out AADT numbers and calling it DEC.  40 years ago, we were standing by the road with a clicker in our hand. That time has passed.  It concerns me that we have so many companies doing their own thing with “Flavor of the week” measurement systems. Collectively, there would be a huge increase in revenue if we could operate

YESCO’s long term outlook.

We primarily operate in small towns in the eight states we serve. We’re committed to adding inventory that will look good and be effective for local businesses.  We’re in it for the long run, interested in building and being part of the communities we operate in.

A mistake and what I learned.

I tell employees don’t be afraid to make a mistake.  I’d rather have them be creative and ambitious I want our people to know then can go out there and try stuff.  I want my people to be adventurous.   I think of a huge unit we built years and years ago.  It was 24′ by 50′ in a major market.  We built it too low and didn’t have the ability to raise it.  I was furious with myself for not double-checking engineering and sight-line data. Expensive mistake. One of many learning opportunities I’ve had over the years.

Parting words.

I have loved the out of home business. It’s hard to explain. Going back 25 years ago we were still a very small outdoor company when I met Nancy Fletcher. She encouraged us to become part of the bigger picture. It’s been such a fulfilling stretch and I’ve enjoyed building something. YESCO Outdoor Media is going to thrive for years to come.

To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title.  Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.

Paid Advertisement