Why do you believe OOH is particularly well positioned in the current global media landscape?

OOH is one of the few channels gaining strength as the rest of the ecosystem gets more complicated. It operates outside cookies, walled gardens, and brand‑safety scandals, yet reaches people in the one environment they cannot mute or skip: the real world.

What excites me is how quickly the medium is evolving. We are moving from static posters to intelligent, connected screens that behave more like part of a city’s digital nervous system than traditional billboards. When you combine that with better data and automation, OOH starts to look less like a “support channel” and more like critical infrastructure for how brands show up in modern cities.

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What structural shifts are helping OOH gain greater relevance with advertisers?

The first big shift is a rethink of what “effective” really means. After a decade of chasing short‑term clicks, many brands have realised that you cannot performance‑optimise your way out of weak brand equity. OOH fits the renewed focus on mental availability and distinctiveness because it builds bold, public, and memorable statements at scale.

The second shift is audience behaviour. People are spending more time in shared, premium environments, transport hubs, entertainment districts, lifestyle destinations, where the expectation is for experiences, not just messages. High‑quality DOOH in these spaces is no longer just a media placement; it becomes part of the visual and cultural fabric of the city, which brands increasingly want to associate with.

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How do digitisation, measurability, and data change the investment case?

Digitisation has taken OOH from “fixed and inflexible” to “dynamic and responsive.” Campaigns can now change creative by time of day, weather, or audience profile, and can be bought programmatically with a level of control that mirrors other digital channels. That alone radically improves how OOH fits into modern media planning and optimisation.

Data and measurement have also moved on. By combining DOOH with mobility, location, and behavioural data, we can give advertisers a much clearer picture of who they reach, how often, and what happens next. We are seeing more work that links OOH exposure to footfall, app engagement, and brand‑lift studies, which shifts the conversation from “great visibility” to “proven incremental impact” in language CMOs and CFOs recognise.

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What do you think marketers still misunderstand about OOH’s role today?

A lot of marketers still see OOH as a one‑speed, top‑of‑funnel awareness tool. That view is out of date. Today OOH, and especially DOOH, can play different roles across the journey: setting the big brand idea in public, reinforcing it with contextual, data‑driven messaging, and supporting other channels with timely reminders and call‑to‑action bursts.

Another misconception is that OOH is “old media” and therefore less innovative. The reality is that some of the most interesting experiments in AI‑driven creative, dynamic content, and sustainable media are happening in OOH. From AI‑assisted creative optimisation, to real‑time content based on live data, to low‑energy, sustainable screen networks, the medium is moving faster than many people realise. The perception has not fully caught up with the reality yet.

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Where do you see the greatest growth opportunities globally?

Globally, DOOH and programmatic DOOH are where the real acceleration is happening, as more markets upgrade classic inventory to digital and plug it into automated buying platforms. The upside is particularly strong where cities are investing in premium infrastructure and "future city" visions rather than retrofitting legacy assets.

The Middle East is a great example.

Markets like Abu Dhabi and Dubai are not just adding more screens; they are designing cohesive, high-impact networks into the architecture of new districts, airports, and road systems. Couple that with a young, connected population and ambitious city-branding agendas, and you have an environment where OOH can be both commercially powerful and culturally influential. Looking ahead, I see OOH becoming one of the defining media platforms for how brands live in the physical world over the next decade.