Here is Anna Bager’s letter which begins the OAAA 2020 Annual report.  Looks like OAAA had a good year with 45 new members added during 2020. 

Dear members, colleagues, and friends,

The Association of National Advertisers announced recently that the 2020 marketing word of the year is “pivot,” followed by “resiliency” and “agility.”

To say that 2020 was the “year of the pivot” is an understatement. Our businesses have been severely impacted. We’ve lost colleagues, clients, friends, even family members. And yet, because the extraordinary people in the OOH industry are agile and entrepreneurial, we’ve been able to pivot, both at work and at home, to find a path forward. Through the worst of it, we have managed, we have survived, and we have risen to the occasion.

From the very first days of the pandemic in March to the approval of two promising vaccines in December, I’ve witnessed first-hand the resilience of OAAA members. When faced with adversity, our industry responded and delivered. OAAA members put the unmatched reach of their assets, the strength of their public-private partnerships, and their ubiquitous presence to work for the public good, and in so doing, the OOH industry became part of the solution. By stepping up, OOH has become an even more valued and essential medium. It has been truly inspiring to see.

Your trade association was forced to pivot as well. Coming off of a record year in 2019, OAAA was poised to build on the momentum with aggressive marketing, membership, and business development plans. But 2020 turned out to be a different kind of year, so we looked at how OAAA could be most helpful to our members and reprioritized our initiatives and spending. We decided the best way to support our industry was to double down on our core mission – protecting OAAA members and advancing OOH in the marketplace. Everything else came second.

Out of home media delivered essential public health messages for government (paid and unpaid). When the pandemic hit, OAAA immediately partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to communicate with the public in English and Spanish. OAAA educated the Administration and Congress about the capabilities of out of home media; the federal health agency (Health and Human Services) relied on OOH displays in a multi-million-dollar campaign launched in August. We also pushed Congress to expand and improve stimulus help for small business, and we helped guide member companies seeking forgivable loans. On behalf of the industry, OAAA supported legal challenges to targeted billboard taxes in Baltimore and Cincinnati. Throughout 2020, OAAA had our members’ backs.

Our focus on advancing OOH in the marketplace also yielded results. The pandemic forced us to take the initiative, think outside of the box, and find new ways to reach people. Early in March, we decided to immediately shift all of our live events, conferences, award shows, and educational programs to virtual forums. This allowed us to broaden our access and engage thousands more members and media professionals with virtual events than we ever could have reached with live events. We also hired a new Public Relations firm to increase our presence in the press and drive quantifiable increases in awareness of OOH. Ironically, OAAA stayed more connected and more in-touch in 2020 than ever before.

The pandemic has taught me a number of important lessons this year:

• OOH’s grit and can-do spirit is an important part of our industry DNA. We have a history of successfully responding to adversity.
• OOH is an even more ‘essential’ medium than anyone previously thought.
• OOH is a uniquely creative platform and has responded to unique public health challenges with even more unique advertising solutions.
• OOH’s role as a good corporate citizen and a partner in the public space will pay big dividends for years to come.

2020 will be remembered for a lot of things. I’d like to remember it as the year our industry was severely tested, pivoted to confront the challenge, and emerged stronger and more resilient than ever. As our industry always has. And always will.

Thank you for your friendship and support during this trying year. We have learned so much that will set us up well for next year and beyond. Good riddance 2020, and welcome 2021!

Sincerely, Anna Bager

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