Media’s unicorn: The year that was for out-of-home

Despite tough economic conditions, weakened consumer spending and flexible advertising markets, the out-of-home industry (OOH) didn’t slow down this year.

Instead, it sped up by offering something few others can: the optimal blend of digital innovation, consolidated and scaled audience reach and measurable campaign outcomes to prove the channel’s effectiveness and ROI to advertisers. 

It was also a year that saw the fusion of technology and digital capability supercharge campaign creativity. There was an inherent uptick in creative innovation, from 3DOOH and full motion activations that captured the public’s imagination, to campaigns that leveraged real-time data for dynamic storytelling such as the QMS digital screen network for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics – with brands that intelligently utilised these dimensions of DOOH, seeing some Olympic sized wins.  

In 2024, out of home was finally welcomed into the attention economy, with attention cementing itself as a key metric for planning and buying as the industry looks beyond legacy metrics that focus too much on eyeballs alone.

Global first research in partnership with Amplified Intelligence now provides clients with attention data for OOH, allowing for a truly holistic view of the attention landscape. Proven to correlate strongly with mental availability, advertising effectiveness and driving brand growth – outcomes that all brands should be striving for – this new research proves that out of home can capture, on average, 12 seconds of human attention, and that OOH can no longer be considered only a fast-glance medium – but instead should play an expanded role in communication strategies. 

QMS and Amplified Intelligence unveiled the research at SXSW Sydney

As the need for responsible innovation in media and brand protection grows, OOH is leveraging its inherent characteristics and adaptability. OOH campaigns are displayed in well-regulated, public spaces, ensuring brand messages are showcased in safe, trusted environments.

By leveraging OOH as part of a broader media strategy, brands are maximising safe, ethical, and responsible media practices while achieving high-impact campaigns that foster trust and long-term relationships with audiences.  

Then there’s sustainability to consider, which should and will remain a core priority. As brands become obliged to place greater emphasis on their environmental responsibility, it’s up to the media industry to support these efforts and make our industry more united and effective in addressing the climate crisis.

The OOH industry has been united in our approach as evidenced at a recent ‘Advancing Sustainability in OOH’ event where our plans to take industry-level action were shared.

All major OOH players and our industry body, the OMA, have also become foundation partners of AdNetZero ANZ as we seek to develop solutions to help businesses transition to a more sustainable future. 

One of the most significant milestones for the OOH industry next year will be the launch of MOVE 2.0, marking a new era of measurement precision and accountability.

By delivering enhanced, granular audience insights, MOVE 2.0 will provide brands with the confidence to invest further into the channel, ensuring their campaigns deliver transparent, effective and measurable results.  

The trends shaping out of home in 2025 – enhanced measurement, sustainability, and creative innovation – are perfectly aligned with our strategic focus. The shift towards data-driven decision-making will benefit most of the major players as they leverage MOVE 2.0 to deliver actionable insights.

Meanwhile, the increasing demand for flexible, high-impact campaigns will be met by the growing number of digital assets and out of home’s ability to execute dynamic, responsive creative at scale. 

The rise of collaborative client relationships will also play a crucial role. As clients turn to media owners for strategic guidance, OOH companies will need to position themselves as partners rather than just providers – territory QMS has always seen ourselves as leading.

Investing in strategic thinkers, ex-agency and client-side talent is a sure-fire way to help clients navigate the complexities of the media landscape – including OOH – with confidence. 

So, as we close the book on 2024, it’s clear that out of home is having its time in the sun and leading the way in many areas of media innovation.

The developments in digital, 3D, data and insights this year are a foundation for even greater success in 2025. The coming year promises new opportunities, challenges and milestones, and we all need to be ready to meet them with the same ingenuity, drive and magic that defined 2024. 

Sara Lappage is chief operating officer at QMS.