Meeting expectations in OOH

Opinion

A lack of optionality in verification has been a recurring theme in ISBA Media Leaders discussions, particularly in out-of-home, writes Allwyn’s media director.

Outdoor advertising is the original media channel. From the walls of Pompeii to today’s digital screens, it has always connected brands with people in the physical world.

Even as new channels have emerged, OOH has retained a distinctive role. Its combination of scale, creativity and proximity makes it a powerful brand-building medium. At Allwyn, it plays a central role in our plans, not just for its standalone impact, but for how it amplifies other channels within integrated campaigns.

OOH is now at an inflexion point.

The rapid digitisation of the estate has unlocked greater flexibility, creativity and efficiency for advertisers. Yet, as the channel evolves, expectations around measurement, accountability and verification are evolving too.

The lack of optionality around verification has been a consistent theme raised in ISBA Media Leaders discussions, driven by advertiser demand for greater confidence, accountability and auditability as demands from the board and senior management increase.

Earlier this year, a group of us met with Outsmart and a representative from the OOH industry to understand the capabilities of Playout, a great industry reporting solution. Playout is a very welcome step forward and reflects genuine progress from the industry.

However, alongside this, advertisers are increasingly clear on one point: they want the option to use independent third-party verification if they choose.

From an advertiser perspective, the need for this kind of independent verification is not about mistrust; it’s about meeting internal requirements.

Increasingly, audit, compliance and governance frameworks expect independent validation of media delivery. Many channels already accommodate this; OOH is currently the exception.

For regulated categories in particular, this creates a challenge. Where misdelivery carries legal or compliance risk, the ability to identify and act quickly is critical.

So this raises two important questions for marketers:

1) In digital, we rely on a range of independent signals to validate delivery and inform decisions. Why wouldn’t we want the same optionality in OOH as the channel becomes increasingly digital?

2) Would we be comfortable relying solely on platform-reported delivery in other channels today? If not, how should we think about this in OOH going forward?

To be clear, this is not about replacing existing systems. Industry solutions like Playout represent positive progress, and media owners have indicated plans to continue strengthening verification within their platforms.

But for many advertisers, this does not fully meet the need for independent, real-time verification options.

The opportunity now is to move forward collaboratively. OOH has always evolved, and this is its next step.

If the right decisions are made now, OOH can fully realise its potential as a truly digital-first channel, combining its unique real-world impact with the transparency and accountability that modern media investment demands.

Ben Brown is the media director at Allwyn