OOH Uncut Podcast: Dean Stallone
Dean Stallone, CEO, WNDW, joins host Rick Robinson, CEO, PJX Media, on OOH Uncut, the podcast featuring leaders in the Out of Home media world.
June 6, 2023
Dean Stallone Discussion on OOH Uncut Podcast with Rick Robinson
Rick Robinson: Hello everybody. Rick Robinson here with PJX, media. And today we have a very special guest. We have Dean Stallone, founder and CEO of WNDW, which was formerly PMD Media. Dean say hello and say hi to everybody.
Dean Stallone: Hello everybody. Hello Rick Robinson, thank you for having me on.
Rick Robinson: All right, super, glad to have you. We're gonna start with this question. When do you know you nailed an out of home campaign for a client?
Dean Stallone: Oh, that's a good question. I guess, the moment the client comes back with a second initiative. I…
Rick Robinson: The renewal right?
Dean Stallone: ends up period and stop. Right. I mean that's, you know, the real time when you know, you've nailed the previous campaign is only coming up with a second one, you know. I mean that's the best indicator but and I never really am too sure. And I always try to stay on my heels and and be fresh and try and do the best for our clients and sometimes it's just, you know, I won't know until they actually come back.
Rick Robinson: So, why do you think they come back?
Dean Stallone: I I think the one, the one thing that we do and I think that that gives me the best feeling of of having accomplished something for our clients is when we're able to reach people, where there's no other options in the out of home industry. And other operators, aren't able to reach them where they need to be. You know, The brief says we need to be in this particular zip. This particular neighborhood and no one else can be there. But we have an initiative and we nail it and we're able to deliver for a clients that's really when we know that we've done what we need to do.
Rick Robinson: It's what out of home can do sometimes, right, show up unexpectedly. And what it does that.
Dean Stallone: That's exactly. It's IRL like my 11 year old daughter would say in real life you're literally seeing out of home in real life, it's not on your screen, it's not delivered to one person. You can experience it with everybody else as you're walking down the street, which is exactly what our medium does in, whether it's a billboard in front of a, you know, in Times Square or on Sunset Strip or It's a, you know, in your local storefront as you're getting food for your family, that night, or you're, you know, picking up some whatever you're shopping for in your local area. You know, that's literally when your out of home. Does it reaches you when you're not expecting it, right? You're expecting an ad. When you're on your phone, right? You're expecting an ad when you're reading the paper on, on the computer, right? So it's, it's the unexpected. Yeah, I agree.
Rick Robinson: So I was just interviewing Anna Bager and she used the word serendipity. Out of home has this moment of serendipity,…
Dean Stallone: Yeah. I got.
Rick Robinson: right? It's just what you described, you know.
Dean Stallone: So yeah, Anna puts things in the best way. I I love I love how she puts things. Yeah, I totally agree with that. Yes serendipity is the perfect word for it. So much more articulate than me.
Dean Stallone: I can't possibly imagine. This is like you know the perfect conjunction position.
Rick Robinson: years that I've been waxing poetic about out of home media which goes back to the 80s. I never used the word serendipity either and…
Dean Stallone: oh, I find that unbelievable.
Rick Robinson: I think it's to describe what we do, right?
Dean Stallone: A man of 1000 words for out of home doesn't know the word serendipity. Yeah.
Rick Robinson: I know, right? I can't recall, I can't recall ever doing it. The point being that when we reach people in a fresh way, That becomes exciting and I talked to somebody else and we I can't remember exactly how it went, but, you know, When you see average, I think it was Amanda In any case when you see a message like on your TV screen or on your phone, on your laptop generally, it's in the way. Right. Generally it's in the…
Dean Stallone: Yes, Amanda Dorenberg.
Dean Stallone: Yeah, I listen to the interview. That was, that was amazing. Yes,
Rick Robinson: Yes, in the…
Rick Robinson: Yeah. And out of home it's been called by others a way in, right? It's a way to get into our brain, to get into our consciousness, to create a connection. Do you see that?
Dean Stallone: Mm-hmm. Totally. Yeah. Totally it's not in the way it's part of your life. That's the thing. It's it's integrated with your everyday, you know. It's not like it's jumping out at you. It's flashing at you when you're trying to watch Netflix or you're trying to you know,…you're trying to watch the news or you're just trying to do something else, just leave me alone. I don't want to be bothered, you know, I read the paper and I'm seeing pop-ups for new subscription models here. And there, you know, don't serve me in it. I'm paying you to give me information. I don't want to see an ad, but when I'm walking down the street, or I'm driving my car, and you're showing me an ad Okay, it's there. It's part of life. You know, it's not like an intrusion. I think that's that's the real secret to out of home. It's part of what we live and breathe. I think it's an amazing medium.
Rick Robinson: And then when it's in the right place, right? When it's relevant, when it creates intrigue humor or delivers some utility of time, fun or money, That then we're happy about it, right? Then we're like,…
Dean Stallone: yeah, I mean Contextual,…
Rick Robinson: Well, thank you. You just added to my game.
Dean Stallone: you know? That's that's the that's the huge thing, right? You know if you're seeing an ad for a burger joint, that's around the corner and says, Go around the corner for a burger, if you're hungry. I mean, that's the perfect reach. You know, you're reaching people when they need to be reached and where they need to be reached, it's the, you know, the contextual nature of out of home, too is amazing.
Rick Robinson: So how do we, how do we sell this? How do we sell, what we've been talking about? The last two or three minutes? How do we make this point brands?
Dean Stallone: Doing what we're doing right now. I mean, I think this is a terrific way to do it. I love the, I love the brief nature, I made fun of it on LinkedIn just earlier I was like, You know, this is I feel like I'm back in my second grade teachers, English lit club course at the top of the class you know having a regurgitate, some some information…but honestly this is like This is the best way to do it. Like Have these have these kind of forums and have an evangelist? Like you pushing this out with with formats like this? I think it's it's great and having a lot of people on up, I'm truly honored to be on here because I think it's a it's I mean, I'm in pretty good company already. So.
Rick Robinson: What we're thrilled to have you, we're going to call it a wrap because we just hit the five minute mark. But everybody you've heard it here out of home is in real life. It's in places where it's unexpected and when it does that it adds to our game. It's just part of being out on the street, it's part of daily life. as you put it. And so we're going to build on it. We'll have you back to talk about this one again because I can tell you there's more you want to say. So thank you for your time. Dean have an awesome day.
Dean Stallone: Thank you Rick, you too.
