OOH Uncut Podcast: Anna Bager
Anna Bager, President & CEO, OAAA, joins host Rick Robinson, CEO, PJX Media, on OOH Uncut, the 5-minute podcast featuring leaders in the Out of Home media world discussing the topics that matter.
October 23, 2023
The out-of-home advertising industry needs to refine its pitch, particularly in terms of how it fits into the Omni-channel mix and how it's measured, while also being more proactive and bullish in promoting its strengths and advantages compared to other media formats.
The industry should not be bashful and should confidently present its story, highlighting the diverse levers it offers to reach consumers throughout the day. With strong alignment and growing interest, there's a significant opportunity for the out-of-home advertising sector to expand its market share.
Anna Bager Discussion on OOH Uncut Podcast with Rick Robinson
Rick Robinson: Hello everybody. This is Rick Robinson here with Pjx media. And today, I'm with the President and CEO of the OAAA, The Out-of-home Advertising Association of America, Anna Bager say Hello, Anna.
Anna: Hello to everyone. Hello to you, Rick. It's good to be back.
Rick Robinson: Glad to have you back. This is season 2 and we ask a different question. First season, we asked you, what can out of home, do that no other medium can do and everybody loved that question and they had a lot of very enthusiastic responses about all the great things we do. So I thought it would be helpful to continue the dydactic we’ll call it, if we answered Season 1 with the Season 2 question that says If we're also great, and if everythings so good about us, why are we kind of stalled out? Why are we stuck at 5% market share?
Anna: That's a very good question and I wonder that too. I mean, we should really be a lot more, that's just since I kind of knew this question was coming. I did a little bit of digging and not to ruin the party in any sense, but we could do even better than what we're doing with your measurement because were actually not five, we're more like three percent according to Magna. So,
Rick Robinson: Wow.
Anna: Yeah, we were close to five or we've been way over five in the past, but with digital increasing its growth and us growing at a slower pace we're actually not quite there. And with what we talked about, I believe I talked about how our medium is unique because they're serendipity to it. We should push on all levers, alright, serendipity, the fact that we're one too many medium, the fact that we're contextual, the fact that we're location-based, the fact that we can reach consumers in a better way than any other media can do, and I think we can get there. But we need to position ourselves a little bit harder, I think against other media formats. that we're not ever going to grow our share unless we're sadly stealing it from someone else. So We can be collaborative and complementary, and yet grow our sharing comparison to other media, that's what we're gonna have to do.
Rick Robinson: look, so we have less than five. We have three. So that means the whole pie is growing. And while we're growing a little bit slower than the rest of the pie. And agreed. Everyone has timed in and talked about all the wonderful things we've done as a medium. That the conversions to digital the better use of data, the better improving measurement. More capabilities that lead to speed and precision, the gravitas, which is uniquely ours and no other medium has which you refer to as serendipity. Which by the way, I've used that line a bunch of times and I haven't giving you credit, but I will now in front of everybody.
Anna: Thank I don't know if I came up with it, but thanks.
Rick Robinson: you have. The polls. Of so many people who are leading investment in media overall, through the brand council. And all the things you do with the O Triple A like, what is the message to our media in terms of what we can do to break out?
Anna: Yeah, it's interesting because I haven't been there as many certainly not as long as you have Rick. But I've been here four years now and The message. And remember, I started in 2019 when the media was hotter than ever, the message around out of home. The way it be and…
Rick Robinson: Open.
Anna: perceived the questions that I'm getting the interest in our media has never been higher than I feel like it is now we've had our brand council up and running for about two years. We're continuously out there talking to agencies and other buyers, in the market from well, but both specialists and more traditional kind of holding company agencies and dsps and others. And there's a lot of interest out of home. I think it's just that we need to maybe refine our pitch a little better. we are easier to measure now. We've been in the past, we have better tools, we need to talk more about that.
Rick Robinson: Mm-hmm
Anna: I think it will help getting an MRC standard which I hope we are getting soon. So we're more comparable to other media formats, still why is that important? It's going to help us get into the planning tools. It's going to help us get to
Anna: our side media, but where we're in the broader, There. And How do we do that? Takes working together. Getting, our talking points, Singing with the same tune and continuously improving through case studies and research that out of homeworks and out of home, doesn't just work. It's a standalone out of homework than something in a bigger format. I think if we can do that, I think we can guys,…
Rick Robinson: Refine,…
Anna: guys, not the limit that we can certainly grow well past five.
Rick Robinson: our pitch lean into how we measure Lean in how we fit into the Omni channel mix. If there was one thing you could say, and I'm gonna put you on the spot a little bit. If there's one thing you can say to defend our medium or to advocate as to, what would it if we need to refine our pitch? Maybe you from the outside, you're inside. You've been here for five years What are we as the out of home industry which is so legacy. and so cloistered in a way, What are we missing What are we not saying about ourselves?
Anna: I don't think we're missing anything. I think we should just be a little bit more bullish. I mean, we need to decide. What dollars are we going after, that's like, Are we going for TV dollars? Are we going for a local print dollars? Are we going for digital dollars? Which we actually have a pretty good shot at now with all the issues around privacy? that's really becoming a reality. We need to kind of say Look if you don't buy that but you buy it up home. Here's what you're getting. And by the way, if you buy out of home, you might get at some of that for free and I just don't think that we're doing that. or not at least that's the feedback from some of the agency. Folks, I'm talking to we come in and we talk a great game about out of home and how great it is, but we're not putting it in context of other media formats. And we're not showing the way they are doing. So, I think it's more listening to other channels, and figuring out how we can do better again.
Rick Robinson: You've heard it here everybody.
Anna: It's in the end.
Rick Robinson: We have every reason in the book to break out of our actually 3%.
Anna: It's a competition.
Rick Robinson: Every reason to do that we have a heck of a story to tell what I'm hearing from you Anna. Is that we need to stand tall and tell it. We need to not be bashful, not hold back and bring it.
Anna: No, we need to bring it and what we're gonna win Stars have never been better. Aligned, there's a lot of interest. In what we're doing, we come so far. We have an incredible platform that consists of so many different types of levers to reach a consumer throughout the day.
Rick Robinson: All right, thank you very much for the point of view the inspiration.
Anna: And we should just talk about that more.
Rick Robinson: Everyone go out there and stand tall and tell our story. Thank you, Anna. Lovely to have you.
Anna: Thank you, Rick.
