Many predicted 2013 would be tough for OOH in the UK following London 2012, but 2013 has in fact been one that has seen exciting levels of creativity, growth and evolution across the whole industry.

1. Planning OOH will never be the same again after Route hit the market in February Route, with its 170 million data records, has given us some amazing anthropological insights. It delivers unprecedented information about how people move around Great Britain - where they go and what they see. While the industry is still grappling with all of the insights the data set provides, our clients are starting to see the benefits as their OOH plans are optimised using Route data against audience, time of day and locational targets. As the market continues to uncover and exploit the data set, the granular and cross-environment measurement ability of Route combined with the advances in mobile and social technology, and the vast amounts of behavioural data these produce mean the future of planning OOH is exciting indeed.

2. Digital OOH got bigger, better and began to march into the regions The roadsides of many towns and cities across the UK look quite a bit different than they did a year ago. While London has been home to quality large roadside format for years now, 2013 saw a raft of new digital sites go in the ground - at the end of 2012 there were 10 digital 96 sheets across the country, this count is now at 17 and we predict the number to rise to around 80 over the next three years - with the majority of the growth coming from outside of London.

It’s been a big year for OOH

It’s been a big year for OOH www.kineticww.com01

2013

kinetic view

2013 also saw digital OOH in the regions get smarter and more dynamic with the likes of Ocean Outdoor’s Grid, MediaCo’s CityLive and Signature Outdoor’s CityVision networks bringing full motion, interactivity and unique trading models to the market. The investment and innovation by media owners within the digital OOH market across 2013 has been wide-spread and welcomed and there is plenty more to come.

3. Premium OOH inventory took centre stage Alongside the expansion of DOOH outside of London, 2013 saw the industry focus more heavily on developing the premium end of the market and we expect this trend to continue into 2014. Media Owners have increasingly invested in architecturally designed, bespoke structures to ensure each new site works within the context of its individual location and enhances the environment it inhabits. Within enclosed environments such as airports and malls we saw OOH inventory revamped and evolve to complement the surroundings and enhance the consumer experience. Clear Channel’s launch of Storm is another example of changes in the premium market. The Storm network offers a unique trading model delivering exclusivity on the sites and also does not have any Clear Channel or Storm branding, allowing brands “full ownership” of the site for the duration of their campaign, with nothing at all to distract from their message. There are many more exciting premium developments to come early in 2014 including the re-launch of T2, JCDecaux’s Waterloo Motion and the expansion of the Storm network, to name a few.

It’s been a big year for OOH www.kineticww.com02

It’s been a big year for OOH

4. We saw brands begin to really harness the power of mobile and OOH working together Smartphone ownership became the norm in the UK at the end of 2012 and across 2013 we saw significant expansion of 4G and free wi-fi in public spaces. In turn, as the ability to download more content, at faster speeds and with more ease increased, we saw brands capitalise by augmenting the physical OOH space with digital content and consumers responded enthusiastically. From thousands of Doctor Who fans building a ‘Social Tardis’ out of tweets via transvision screens to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show, to One Direction turning 6 sheets into dedicated fan wi-fi hubs, the potential of mobile and OOH working together began to be realised. Using mobile in conjunction with OOH opens up vast micro-targeting possibilities and the industry as a whole continues to work hard to exploit the potential to maximum benefit for brands and consumers.

5. Out of Home achieved its goal of becoming a 10% medium A long held ambition was realised in 2013, with OOH increasing its share to 10% of above the line media spend in the UK. All the elements we covered here, combined with OOH retaining more of last year’s Olympic bonanza than predicted, have contributed to the growth of the medium. As the industry continues to deliver more robust accountability, improved technological capabilities and insightful use of the vast amounts of consumer behavioural data we now have, we are confident this number will continue to climb.

It’s been a big year for OOH www.kineticww.com03

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It’s been a big year for OOH