Time for a new perspective on OOH, says Ashish Mishra, CMO – ACKO

Challenging conventional wisdom, Ashish built a strong case for relooking the whole approach to OOH so as to leverage its true power, when he addressed the theme: ‘Can OOH perform at every stage of the marketing funnel?’ at the 18th edition of Out of Home Advertising Convention (OAC) held in Hilton Garden Inn, Manyata Business Park, Bangalore, during July 26-27.

At the forefront of the debate on the evolving role of Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising, Ashish Mishra, Chief Marketing Officer of ACKO, delivered a thought-provoking keynote at the Out Of Home Advertising Convention (OAC) 2024. His session, tackling the question ‘Can OOH perform at every stage of the marketing funnel?’, began with an unequivocal “Yes,” and quickly transcended the simplicity of that answer.

Ashish began by challenging the conventional wisdom of the linear marketing funnel. He said, “You can disagree with me but in my personal opinion the linear funnel is dead”. He argued for a more holistic evaluation of a medium's true effectiveness, emphasizing the value of a campaign solely through the narrow lens of ROI and performance metrics is absurd.

“Most marketing plans fail,” Ashish stated, “Because they start with budget first, business second, and brand last. This approach solves for metrics but overlooks the brand’s true problem. Teams who are used to digital metrics sometimes try to put the same framework on other media channels and formats. That leads to a very myopic view, where the primary focus is on justifying spends rather than achieving meaningful brand outcomes.”

Ashish challenged the industry’s confirmation biases, particularly the undue pressure placed on media channels to conform to the rigid, data-driven standards set by digital platforms. He highlighted the risks of mismanaging campaigns due to inaccurate measurement practices, quoting Rory Sutherland, “What gets mis-measured also gets mismanaged.”

Quoting Farhan from global D&AD who says ‘Outdoor is the purest form of advertising’, Ashish showcased compelling examples of OOH campaigns that not only sparked conversations within society but also transcended their original medium to become events in their own right, i.e designed for OOH but lives on TV or the internet. “When done right,” he explained, “OOH has the power to inspire, to be inclusive, to engage —and most importantly, to be a catalyst for broader social and cultural conversations.” 

He stressed the importance of crafting campaigns that are specifically tailored to the unique strengths of the OOH medium, urging the industry to move beyond the outdated notion of treating OOH as merely a giant poster. “The impact of OOH is lost when it’s treated as an afterthought,” he warned, advocating instead for a strategic approach that unlocks the medium’s full potential. “Outdoor advertising is not on trial. The questions around ROI and funnels arise when marketing teams and agencies don’t do justice to it,” he said.

Ashish’s address was a clarion call to the marketing industry to rethink its approach, to embrace the true power of OOH, and to leverage it in ways that resonate far beyond conventional metrics. His insights were a highlight of the knowledge-sharing sessions at OAC 2024, leaving the audience with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.