Welcome to the Grand Visual Out of Home (OOH) Glossary, a comprehensive guide designed to familiarise you with the key terms and concepts within the dynamic world of OOH advertising. Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, this glossary offers clear definitions of commonly used words, technical jargon, and GV-specific phrases. Covering everything from digital billboards to transit advertising, it’s a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of OOH media and its evolving role in today’s advertising landscape.

A


Ad Recall
A metric that measures how well an audience remembers an ad they have seen. It’s a crucial indicator of an OOH campaign’s effectiveness.


Airport Advertising
Includes internal and external displays of various sizes.


Ambient Media
Unconventional or non-traditional media that integrates advertising into the surrounding environment, often blending seamlessly into urban spaces (e.g., branded street furniture, bus stops).


Animation
Animation involves special treatment such as moving units, flashing lights, etc, used to gain added attention and awareness. It is more commonly used in rotating, permanent or spectacular sites.


Anamorphic DOOH
DOOH creative with 3D illusionary effects to make content appear as if it’s leaping out from the screen. These designs often leverage forced perspective and are typically displayed on large curved or angled digital screens, creating a highly engaging and immersive visual experience for viewers.


Asset
An individual site of any particular OOH format.


Audience
A group of people that an advertising message is aimed towards. This group can be defined by age, gender or any other grouping specified by the advertiser.


Audience Impressions
Audience Impressions are calculated by taking the won impression and multiplying it by the impression multiplier passed by the exchange. This allows advertisers to understand the potential number of viewers of our OOH campaign and not just the number of times the ad was shown.


Audience Reach
A term that provides a count of the total number of people who were likely to be exposed to the message.


Augmented Reality (AR)
A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.


Augmented Reality OOH (AR OOH)
A blend of digital and physical environments, where OOH ads use augmented reality to create interactive and immersive experiences. Often involves mobile apps or digital screens to bring the creative to life in a new dimension.

B


Backlit Billboard
A billboard illuminated from behind by lights, ensuring visibility in low-light conditions, such as at night.


Beacon Technology
Small wireless devices that use Bluetooth to communicate with nearby smartphones and deliver personalized messages or ads, used in proximity-based OOH campaigns.


Billboard
Large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances, generally more than 50 feet. Billboard displays include, but not limited to: bulletins, junior posters, posters, and spectaculars.


Brand Awareness
The extent to which a brand is recognized by potential customers, often a key objective in OOH campaigns.


Bulletin
The largest standardized OOH format; typically measuring 14’ x 48’ in overall size. Sold either as permanent displays or in rotary packages.


Bus Shelter
A curbside structure located at regular stopping points along urban bus routes.


Bus Wrap
An advertisement site which covers the whole of a single or double deck bus. Effectively ‘wrapping’ the entire bus.

C


Campaign
The interval of time when an OOH advertising campaign is run.


Campaign Amplification
Strategies used to increase the impact of OOH campaigns, such as integrating social media, PR stunts, or experiential elements to extend the campaign’s reach beyond traditional OOH placements.


Campaign Flight
The duration or scheduled period in which an OOH ad runs.


Client Services
Our client services team are responsible for bringing your campaign to life. They are your point of contact, overseeing the campaign’s progress from start to finish.


Contextual Advertising
OOH campaigns that are tailored to the specific environment or moment in which they appear, enhancing relevance and impact. Based on audience demographics, location, or behavioural data.


Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
The cost of reaching one thousand viewers or impressions of an OOH ad. It’s a common pricing model for buying media space.


Creative Development
The process of conceptualising and producing creative assets specifically tailored for OOH campaigns. This includes everything from artwork to motion design, ensuring the visuals align with the brand message and the environment.


Creative
The design and content of an advertisement, which could include images, graphics, or text.


Custom Builds
Unique OOH installations created specifically for a campaign, often incorporating physical structures, interactive elements, or bespoke designs to enhance engagement and visibility.

D


Dayparting
The practice of scheduling OOH ad displays to run at specific times of day when the target audience is most likely to be present, commonly used in digital OOH.


Digital Billboard
Billboards that can change advertising content using digital technology. Content is static with multiple advertising message presented in rotation every few seconds.


Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)
OOH ads that are displayed on digital screens, often allowing for dynamic and real-time updates of content.


Domination
When a campaign has a domination of an OOH format, it means that a single advertiser occupies or controls the majority, if not all, of the available advertising space in a particular OOH location or platform. This strategy is designed to create a powerful, high-impact presence by overwhelming the environment with the brand’s message, making it impossible for consumers to miss.


Dwell Time
The interval of time when a consumer is in close proximity to an OOH ad.


Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO)
The use of technology in digital OOH to change and optimize creative content in real-time based on variables like weather, time of day, or audience demographics. This allows for personalized and responsive advertising.

E


Effective Reach
The number of persons within the target audience exposed to the advertising schedule an average of three or more times.


Engagement Rate
A measure of how much an audience interacts with or responds to an OOH advertisement. This can include direct actions like scanning a QR code or engaging in social media.


Experiential OOH
A form of advertising that focuses on creating an interactive, immersive experience for the audience. This can include live events, pop-up installations, or digital interactions that engage passersby in a memorable and meaningful way.


Exposure
As derived from TAB’s visibility research, a physiological or behavioural measure of actual eye contact with an OOH media unit and its advertising. TAB OOH Ratings are derived from the adjustment of circulation or passing to those who notice the advertising.


Eye Tracking
A survey methodology that records the movement of the eye and its fixations in relation to what an individual is looking at. The fixations are used to determine the factors that influence a person’s Likelihood To See (LTS) an advertising face.

F


Footfall Tracking
The process of monitoring the number of people who pass by or engage with a specific OOH ad location. Often used to evaluate effectiveness.


Format
Refers to the type of OOH media: Billboards 25sqm+, Bus/Tram/Kiosk, Retail, Airport, etc.


Frequency
The average number of times an individual notices an OOH advertising message during a defined period of time. Frequency in OOH advertising is typically measured over a four week period, but can be reported for any campaign length.


G


Geographic Targeting/ Geofencing
Targeting audiences defined by their location in the real-world. Location attributes can vary from granular attributes such as mobile/GPS-enabled latitude/ longitude data to broader attributes as post code or state/province. In technical specifications, targets may simply be referred to as “geo”, “user”, “audience” without spelling out the full term.

H


High-Impact Site
A premium OOH location with high visibility and foot traffic, often commanding higher advertising rates.


Hyperlocal Targeting
The use of specific geographic targeting to reach audiences within a narrowly defined area. This is particularly effective in DOOH, where content can be customized for different locations in real-time.

I


Immersive Installations
Large-scale OOH setups designed to fully engage the senses of the audience, often incorporating visual, auditory, and sometimes tactile elements. These installations can include projection mapping, 3D builds, or other interactive features.


Impact
A unit of measure with one impact being equal to one person’s viewing of a single face. Impacts also referred to as gross impressions or contacts.


Impressions
The total number of times people are likely to notice an ad on an OOH display. Gross impressions are those delivered against a demographic audience for an advertising schedule.


Interactive OOH
These are campaigns designed to engage the audience actively, often through technology such as touchscreens, mobile integration, or augmented reality.


Interactive Kiosks
Freestanding, digital, touch-screen displays found in high-traffic areas, allowing passersby to engage directly with content or retrieve information.

J

K

L


Large-Format Digital Screens
Digital displays used in high-traffic areas like city centres or major transit hubs. Grand Visual may work with animation and motion graphics to create dynamic content that leverages the large digital format.


LED
LED’s or Light Emitting Diodes, are the lamps used in Electronic Messaging Centres (EMCs) and colour screens.


Line of Sight
Refers to the visibility of an OOH ad, meaning it is within clear view of potential viewers, unobstructed by trees, buildings, or other structures.


Location-Based Advertising
Targeting OOH ads in specific locations based on the proximity of the target audience.


Digital Creative

M


Market
Geographically defined areas used to buy and sell media. Standard markets definitions are DMAs and CBSAs.


Measurement Metrics
Data used to assess the performance of OOH campaigns. Common metrics include impressions, engagement rates, and ad recall.


Media Owner
A media owner is a company or individual who has the right to sell outdoor advertising space.


Media Plan
A plan for an advertising campaign that specifies details of the selected media, advertising content, dates and delivery goals such as reach and frequency.


Mobile Billboard
A truck equipped with one or more poster panel units. The truck can either be parked at specified venues or driven around designated localities.


Motion Graphics
Animated visual elements used in digital OOH ads to grab attention and enhance creativity.


Mural
Murals painted or attached directly onto the exterior surface of a building.

N

O


Omnichannel
This refers to the integration of OOH media with other digital and physical channels to create a seamless, consistent, and unified advertising experience for consumers. It combines traditional outdoor formats (e.g., billboards, transit ads, digital displays) with online, mobile, and in-store engagement, ensuring that the messaging across all these platforms is cohesive and enhances the consumer journey.


Out of Home Advertising (OOH)
Advertising that reaches consumers while they are outside their homes, including formats like billboards, street furniture, transit ads, and place-based ads.


OOH Tech
OOH technology refers to the application of innovative techniques, methods, and processes used to develop and advance the product offerings of the OOH advertising industry.

P


Panels
An OOH unit can also be referred to and/or divided up into panels for ease of selling/buying.


Poster
A standardized poster format, typically measuring 12’3” x 24’6”; formally known as a 30-Sheet Poster.


Posting Date
The date when a poster program is scheduled to commence. A five day leeway is customary.


Posting Instructions
Detailed directions provided to an OOH company by an advertiser or agency assigning specific copy to specific locations.


Place-Based Advertising
OOH ads that are strategically placed in specific venues or environments, such as malls, airports, or gyms, where the target audience is most likely to be.


Play Length
The interval of time when a DOOH message is viewable. Also as message duration in other markets.


Point of Sale (POS)
An OOH advertising format located near retail outlets, encouraging immediate purchases.


Printed OOH Media
Any OOH display that uses a printed substrate to display advertising content.


Programmatic DOOH
The automated buying and selling of digital OOH ads using data and algorithms to deliver ads at optimal times for the target audience.


Production
The production department is responsible for the physical creation and delivery of advertising materials across various OOH media formats, such as billboards, digital signage, transit ads, and street furniture. This department ensures that the creative assets are produced to the right specifications, installed correctly, and meet the required quality standards for the chosen advertising platforms.


Projection Mapping
A technique that uses light and motion to project dynamic images onto surfaces like buildings, creating the illusion of movement and transforming structures into vibrant canvases for creative OOH executions.

Q


QR Code
Quick Response Code – a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.


R


Rapid Versioning
The process of quickly creating multiple variations of OOH creative content to cater to different audiences, locations, or contexts. This method allows for fast and efficient updates across campaigns, often used in dynamic or digital OOH to ensure the messaging is relevant and timely.


Reach
The approximate percentage of a target audience’s population who notice an advertising message at least once during an OOH campaign.


Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
A digital advertising model where ad space is sold in real-time through an auction-based system, commonly used in programmatic DOOH.


Real-Time Content
Digital OOH creative that updates in real-time based on external factors such as social media trends, news updates, or live event feeds, ensuring the content is fresh and contextually relevant.


Retargeting
Targeting audiences that are defined by having recently shown interest in said advertiser, interest most often being defined as visiting the advertiser’s website or store location.


Rotation
The process of moving the advertiser’s message from one location to another at stated intervals to achieve a more balanced coverage of a market.

S


Sampling
Sampling refers to the practice of distributing free product samples or trial-size versions of a product to consumers. This technique allows advertisers to directly engage with potential customers while reinforcing the messaging seen on billboards, transit ads, or digital displays.


Share of Voice (SOV)
Amount of ad display time received out of the total display time of call advertisers and content displayed. Usually calculated over a 24 hour period or operating hours, whichever is shorter.


Sites
The exact location of the infrastructure on which the individual outdoor advertising faces are exhibited. For example, a site may represent one internal bus panel, a double-faced supersite or a scrolling bus shelter with three advertising faces.


Social Amplification
Integrating social media with OOH campaigns to encourage interaction and sharing. This may include hashtags, user-generated content, or interactive features that link the OOH experience to digital platforms.


Solutions

Special Builds
Custom OOH installations that go beyond standard billboard formats, often involving physical structures or kinetic elements to create an impactful presence in the environment. These may involve sculptures, interactive digital components, or larger-than-life installations.


Spectacular
A large-scale, often custom-built OOH installation in high-traffic locations. These are high-impact ads with a strong visual presence, often used in places like Times Square or Piccadilly Circus.


Street Furniture
Advertising displays, many that provide a public amenity, positioned at close proximity to pedestrians. Street furniture displays include, but are not limited to: transport shelters, newsstands, shopping center panels, convenience store panels and in-store signage.

T


Target Audience
Any audience reflecting the most desired consumer prospects for a product or service, defined by age, sex, race, ethnicity or income; or their combinations for any geographic definition.


U


V


Vinyl
A single-sheet substrate on which an advertising message is rendered by either computer production or hand painting. Vinyl is primarily used on the face of Bulletins and premiere products.

Grand Visual was pleased to work with Havas Media and Talon on the Creative Out of Home element of the campaign which received Campaign’s Ad of the Day.

With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games just under two weeks away, John West – the UK’s leading tinned fish brand and trusted household name- has launched a new campaign to celebrate the strength of ParalympicsGB athletes, and their role as proud protein partners of ParalympicsGB.

Building on John West’s brand positioning ‘EAT STRONG, GO STRONG’, the campaign showcases the power of natural protein, and how it fuels you to be strong, in whatever you do.

To relay this message, the campaign humorously dramatises the effects of John West’s natural protein on ParalympicsGB athletes via a bespoke special build with a life-sized javelin peeking out, with supporting copy ‘’warning, protein-fuelled javelin throwers are getting serious air miles’’. The special build sits alongside a number of DOOH, which feature other sports, including cycling and shotput – further playing on the effects of John West’s natural protein.

The media plan, developed by Havas Media UK, strategically positions the special build across three screens in major UK cities to ensure nationwide visibility. Key commuter spots have been selected to maximise exposure, including The Pump Station by Westfield London, Pin Mill Brow in Manchester and New Moseley Road in Birmingham.

The campaign also includes a series of humorous TikTok videos, which sees three ParalympicsGB athletes; Kadeena Cox, Para Cycling and John West protein Ambassador, Nathan MacQueen, Para Archery and Hollie Arnold , Para Athletics, not realising their own strength – lifting up cars and retrieving their equipment from people’s gardens. Filmed in an undercover style way, the videos utilise the popular doorbell footage TikTok trend and showcase a range of Paralympic sports.

In February 2023, John West Foods was announced as an Official protein partner of ParalympicsGB. The four-year partnership with ParalympicsGB, covers the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics and the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, as well as activities outside of the Games period. This long-term partnership will bring to life the brand’s ‘Eat Strong, Go Strong’ message and further amplify John West’s protein credentials.

Vicki Maguire, chief creative officer Havas London said: “This campaign is fuelled by natural protein…bringing a touch of humour, while getting behind our ParalympicsGB athletes, to bring home the glory….’’

Vikki Babb, John West International, Marketing Director added: “We are extremely proud to be partnered with ParalympicsGB and are excited to be supporting the team on their road to Paris. The campaign perfectly brings together the John West tongue in cheek tone of voice and benefits of our natural protein.”

Andrew Darby, Managing Partner, Havas Media Network said: “We’re honoured to work alongside our sister agency, Havas London to support John West’s journey in celebrating and empowering ParalympicsGB athletes through the power of natural protein. This campaign truly exemplifies the synergy between creativity and strategic media planning—by positioning this captivating special build in central locations across the UK, supported by this engaging multi-media campaign, we will together ensure maximum visibility and inspire nationwide support for these incredible athletes.”

The campaign is live from the 12th of August, kicked off by the special build, followed by the DOOH on the 19th of August. The TikTok films will be live across the summer and throughout the Paralympics.

– CREDITS –
Project name: John West Paralympics – Eat Stong, Go Strong
Client: Vikki Babb (International Marketing Director) & Laura Cooper (Marketing Manager)
Creative agency: Havas London
Chief Creative Officer: Vicki Maguire
Creative Director: Dave Mygind
Copywriter: Joe Roberts
Art director: Doug Redfern
Managing Partner: Dave Owen
Account Director: Andrew Symonds
Senior Account Manager: Rica Dezoller
Head of Production: Louise Bonnar
Agency Producer: Ella Myerscough-McClymont
Senior Integrated Producer (print): Kat Loizou
Creative Production Director: Dean Trendler
Strategy Director: Jack Lewis-Barclay
Chief Design Officer: Lorenzo Fruzza
Design Director: Josh Toogood
Designer: Morgan Shipley
Designer: Walt Gregory
Media agency: Havas Media UK
Outdoor partner : JCDecaux Creative Solutions
Outdoor partner : Talon
Outdoor partner: Ocean
Production company: Prose on Pixels
Director: Doug Redfern & Joe Roberts
Executive Producer: Ben Kaufman
Producer: Rosie Smith
Production Assistant: Ella Higgins
DoP: John Fisher
Editor: Navid Khayati-Daryan
Post-production: ELMNTL
Post-production producer: Jenna Le Noury & Rose Crisp
Post-production (OOH): Prose on Pixels
VFX: Antonio Jimenez + Mustafa Pertev
Colourist: Henry Howard
Soundtrack composer: N/A
Narrator / VO: Joe Roberts
Audio post-production: Joe Marsden

Right Talent Cannes Lions

This June, Talon and Grand Visual are supporting the #RightTalent initiative at Cannes.  #RightTalent is sending 11 young people to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as part of its mission to call for more diversity, equity and inclusion at the annual gathering. 

#RightTalent is led by Digilearning, an official partner of Cannes Lions’ Equity, Representation and Accessibility programme. 

Digilearning is a charity that helps young people find fulfilling careers in the digital and creative industries. They are working with four other organisations on the #RightTalent scheme. They are: The Amos Bursary, Mobo Trust/Mobolise, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and The Marketing Academy Foundation. 

#RightTalent is calling on the industry to “walk to talk” when it comes to diversity by providing mentors, pathways to job roles such as work experience and offering jobs to young talent from under-represented backgrounds. 

Talon and Grand Visual have pledged our support alongside companies including Accenture and VaynerMedia. 

The 11 candidates chosen to attend Cannes Lions will take part in a leadership acceleration programme. At the festival itself, the young talent will meet senior leaders through attending panels, mentoring sessions and roundtables featuring organisations that are supporting #RightTalent. 

Other training includes an online bootcamp before the festival that provides tips and advice on confidence, networking and what to expect at Cannes Lions.

Read The Media Leader to find out more. 

Our very own CCO, Dan Dawson and his Behind the Billboard co-host Hugh Todd discuss the best OOH work over the last year and which ones they believe could be Cannes Contenders including British Airways, McDonald’s, Warner Bros; Wonka and many more!

See the full article on Shots.net here!

Jay Young, Grand Visual, Managing Director Headshot

Take a look at the latest interview from LBB with our very own Managing Director, Jay Young. This interview delves into our latest OOH campaigns, our people-first philosophy and the advancements in 3D advertising and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising.

View the article here.

Talon Creative Solutions Grand Visual
From today, Talon’s award-winning Creative Solutions team will join industry-pioneers Grand Visual to offer a full suite of Out of Home (OOH) and Digital Out of Home (DOOH) creative services to advertisers, media agencies and creative agencies through the Grand Visual brand.

Grand Visual’s offering expands – from a unique production agency providing creative services for DOOH – to include creative and experiential executions for static OOH and DOOH, whilst continuing to dominate environments and turn OOH campaigns into truly immersive experiences generating a unique social amplification opportunity.

Under the new structure, Grand Visual’s team of creative, technology, production, project management, storytelling and digital marketing experts will be led by Jay Young and Dan Dawson as Chief Client Officer and Chief Creative Officer respectively. Ric Albert stays in role as Creative Director, with the entire Talon Creative Solutions team moving to Grand Visual.

Talon Creative Solutions Grand Visual

Grand Visual’s services will integrate Creative Solutions offering and their existing services into three categories delivering added value to existing and future clients offering the best in creative and digital OOH concepts through one funnel:

Solutions 

Digital 

Experiential 

The Talon Creative Solutions team will move to be contactable via Grand Visual, with email structure firstname.lastname@grandvisual.com. Please update all contact details and look forward to receiving an extended response to briefs soon.

Grand Visual was acquired by Talon Outdoor in 2019 and is part of the Talon family.

`Creative Personalisation of Ads - and Scale? Dan Dawson

This piece first appeared on LBB 

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Dan> One of my earliest professional mentors was a creative director called Jon Laurie. Jon is a fantastic leader for many reasons, but foremost from a creative and guidance perspective. He provided me with active experiences around making the most of a creative brief, exploring avenues and allowed the whole team to develop skills while answering the briefs. This leadership is something that has been priceless to me as I forged my own path and offered me a sound foundation for creative leadership in the professional world.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Dan> I think it’s simple. Be the leader you’d like to be led by and start from there. I really do think that leadership is about evolution, rolling with the changes, people, tides and times. Fundamentally though, I try to lead and communicate with people in the way I’d like to be led or communicated with. I always aim to provide my team with an environment where they too can challenge me and each other in a pragmatic, calm and candid way, while respecting each other’s boundaries, beliefs and skills.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Dan> I have spent the majority of my career working with one of the best leaders in our industry, Neil Morris. Over the last 17 years of Grand Visual Neil taught me so many lessons in team building, bonding and growth. There’s not one big lesson… everyday was a school day!

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Dan> No. It kind of fell on me as our company grew. In order to scale effectively we really need to build a team that shares our company vision and culture…. And I’d be lying if I said it was plain sailing. I think we failed on lots of efforts, and finally found our flow through being more self critical. For me that’s one of the most important things about leading in anything. You need to prepare to fail, fail fast, learn from it and move forward using those failures as lessons.

 LBB> When it comes to ‘leadership’ as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Dan> I’d say it’s got to be equal. I think good leaders get lots of their skills naturally…. However as with anything the more you open your mind to learning and education the better you get at it. EG I’m a keen golfer… I’ve always had natural hand eye coordination so when I first picked up a golf club I was able to connect with the ball. However my game only really turned a corner after hours and hours of practice, watching lessons online and working on my game in the range and then the course. There are natural, emotional and physiological skills everyone possesses and with some extra effort, and some craft those skills can be forged into a real tangible asset if you put that effort in.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Dan> I’ve a tendency to think and act fast. I think it’s a product of the work we do and the fast paced environment that a busy creative studio gives you. I’ve been working on slowing down and trying to separate creative executive decision mode from business and people mode. But obviously in our world those lines are often quite blurred.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you’ve failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Dan> EVERYDAY! I’m my own worst critic and enemy. But I think that’s ok. Self assessment is part of growing and understanding yourself.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Dan> I’m open, honest and candid as can be…. But there will always be parameters to the information that could be shared and that needs to be shared… and the effect it may have on people in your team.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Dan> I’ve had many unofficial mentors [see above for examples], and only one official mentor. Although my official mentor claims he was never my mentor… we just had some ‘chats’. I think that’s what made him a good mentor for me… it never felt forced, I never took notes, just two humans talking about making the world a better place to work in.

LBB> It’s been a really challenging year – and that’s an understatement. How do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through such difficult waters?

Dan> In some ways this has been the most difficult 18 months of my career… some of the decisions we’ve had to make from a commercial perspective have had a profound effect on the people in our care, our colleagues and our friends…. as well as us as leaders. I think with anything you need to give yourselves the oxygen away from the office to keep the fire burning in the office. For me that’s my family life, sports and sometimes just getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors on my mountain bike.

LBB> This year has seen the industry confronted with its lack of action/progress on diversity and inclusion. As a leader how have you dealt with this?

Dan> We must always be doing more in this area. Our work will never be done, or done fast enough. Always learning and ever evolving… as people and as an industry. Coming from a mixed race family, and experiencing first hand some of the worst sides of our fellow humans, I have always and will always ensure my team, and place of work puts a lot of emphasis on making sure our work environment is reflective of our great community. In the creative industry I think this is most important. When we work on briefs at Grand Visual and Talon Outdoor, we pull ideas from all over our business, with input from our people from all over the world, with different beliefs, backgrounds and from different cultures. I believe, having a diverse workforce offers us greater insight, knowledge, research and experience which ultimately helps our creative output.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with staff working remotely in 2020?

Dan> It’s everything. The Grand Visual trajectory as market leader was only possible through the people who powered it and the culture they subscribed to from initial contact to exit. We had lots of remote sessions while we were all locked in… but there’s no real substitute for getting the team back together and being a bunch of humans interacting.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Dan> Talk and listen to others. There’s not always a book, a course, a roleplay or one pager to answer your leadership issue. I think I’ve learned more from talking and listening to others than from any organised session.

wonder-woman-burj-khalifa-fb
With cinemas now open and a pent-up thirst for new movies to cater for, it should come as no surprise that the UK and Ireland’s box offices are booming. Cinemas took in £18.7 million last week, £10.9 million of which was taken in just over the weekend, showing that cinema-goers are back!

So, with a huge backlog of films to be released, as well as movie debuts on VOD platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, how do you stand out? With a vast amount of Out of Home campaigns for films under his belt, Grand Visual’s Creative Director, Ric Albert, knows a thing or two about nailing a movie launch. 

In recent months, Ric and his team have been behind some fantastic OOH launches, including collaborations with Warner Bros and Amazon Prime. Pre-pandemic, the team also collaborated on movie launches with the likes of Sony Pictures and Disney. So, grab a refreshment and get comfy because we’re about to dive in. 

Post-Pandemic OOH Advertising for Movies 

Warner Bros – Wonder Woman 1984

Set to be released in June 2020, the release of Wonder Woman 1984 was delayed due to the pandemic. This led Warner Bros to rethink its launch strategy and draw attention from cinema audiences with an epic OOH stunt. 

Choosing the largest digital OOH canvas in the world, standing at 828 meters high – the Burj Khalifa would definitely garner interest. A video of the stunt was shared widely online, receiving over 3 million views in 24 hours on Gal Gadot’s Instagram account. 

So, Ric. What do you think?  

“I don’t think there is a more exciting Digital OOH canvas to display your work than the tallest building in the world. Genuinely a bucket list job. Even for A-list Hollywood stars it seems!   

Look out for more of these giant-scale activations in the future – studios love the idea of epic proportions advertising their latest blockbusters.” 

Amazon Prime – The Tomorrow War

Originally set for theatrical release in December 2020, The Tomorrow War was postponed and instead released on Amazon Prime. Although it wasn’t released in cinemas, the movie still needed a stellar launch to entice audiences to watch it… and the OOH campaign did just that! 

Bringing the war to cities including Stockholm, Madrid and Manchester, the campaign featured an incredible augmented reality stunt that turned these locations into scenes of The Tomorrow War. The movie went on to be a success, scoring 1.23 billion minutes of watch time, the best opening for an Amazon original movie. 

“Creating an Augmented Reality campaign across 5 countries and 6 sites was no small feat,” says Ric. “…But we’ve always been pushing the capabilities of this medium, and wanted something different from a one-off stunt. Movie releases are global events, so it was fitting that the activation took place across multiple markets.” 

Pre-Pandemic Advertising for Movies  

A time before the pandemic feels like a distant memory, but we couldn’t not include these epic movie launch stunts. Now that restrictions have been lifted, here’s some great examples of OOH advertising for movies that’ll really draw attention. 

Sony Pictures – Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse 

For the launch of Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures wanted to steal the stage at one of the grandest OOH sites of them all – Times Square. We created an augmented reality experience that transported over 215,000 people passersby into the Spider-verse. The campaign went on to win 2 OBIE awards as well as the movie winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. 

Over to you Ric.  

“This has to be one of my favourites: prime location – tick, mass audience participation – tick, turning crowds into cartoons – tick, using facial tracking to add speech bubbles above their heads – tick. This activation had it all, and the result aligned perfectly with the film to create a unique and memorable stunt.” 

Disney Marvel Studios: Doctor Strange

As a master of the mystic arts, Doctor Strange deserved more than just a static 6-sheet. Using augmented reality, we created an OOH installation across 10 markets that gave audiences the chance to harness the mystical powers of the doctor. The film went on to open in the #1 position in the US box office, eventually grossing $677 million worldwide. 

“This was the perfect marriage of creative and technology – when the stars align to create something truly special… and incredibly fitting for the movie,” adds Ric. “With some gesture recognition and live video portals, we connected people in London and LA and gave everyone the chance to become Sorcerer Supreme.” 

“At the end of the day, that is what all of these activations are about. Bringing some of the movie magic into the real world. Giving the public the chance to interact with their favourite characters and creating an emotional engagement with the next big movie release.”

Ric Albert and Jay Young
As a society, we’ve grown up with Out of Home advertising. Whether it was the humble 6–sheet with no digital capabilities or the now–digital landscape that we’ve become accustomed to, OOH has always been a part of our lives. Across various generations, we’ve seen brands such as Coca Cola build their empires through heavily investing in OOH. From paper and paste to the pixels and screens, OOH truly is a proven fame maker. 

Whilst some may argue that the traditional OOH medium isn’t as effective at building fame as online channels; at Talon, our Creative Director, Ric Albert and Head of Creative Solutions, Jay Young, think differently. With an incredible portfolio of some of the best in OOH campaigns under their belts, such as BBC’s Dracula, Pepsi MAX and a range of work with Warner Bros, there’s no better people to ask… 

Why is OOH so highly regarded in terms of fame making? 

Ric: “OOH has the ability to connect with the public in ways that other channels simply cannot. Firstly, you have a broad audience to tap into. OOH can take advantage of its environment and therefore its audience’s mindsets, to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.  

Beyond that, the sheer scale of the billboard or screen creates a canvas unlike any other. In a world where most content appears on small screens in front of our faces, being able to put your message out at this size really helps OOH to be a unique proposition for fame making.” 

An amazing example of this was when Warner Bros took over the world’s tallest building, The Burj Khalifa, to promote its latest movie Wonder Woman 1984. The campaign showcased the movie on the largest digital OOH canvas in the world, at 828 metres high! The video received over 3 million views in 24 hours on Gal Gadot’s Instagram account. 

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A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)

Jay: “OOH is the perfect stage for brands to perform on. It’s big, it’s un-skippable and it exists in the real world. You can close a newspaper, turn off your phone or fast forward TV, but OOH stands tall regardless and with that comes an overwhelming sense of power and impact.  

You can see a cultural moment blow up on Twitter at 9 am. You‘ll get a reactive ad on DOOH across the country by the time you log off for the day. I still love the Specsavers campaign we ran in reaction to the Moonlight Oscars blunder. We could never have achieved the same impact with static OOH going live days later. 

Combine this with the fact that we can reach 98% of UK adults every week. It’s a fame machine.”

Specsavers Academy Awards Out of Home (OOH) campaign

So, we know why OOH is a “fame machine,” but what does it take to create an impactful campaign that lives beyond the billboard? 

Taking this campaign, featuring K-Pop singer Wooyoung for his birthday on a screen in Times Square as an example; living anywhere else in the world, you wouldn’t have seen it. However, because a fan connected with and shared the campaign on social media, it has now been viewed over 110k times – amplifying the campaign and building fame.

Wooyoung Out of Home (OOH) Campaign in Times Square 

Jay: “As humans, we are ruled by emotions, we don’t just buy products and services, we buy feelings. The most impactful ads make us really feel something! Do something unexpected to get noticed. Use context to optimise your message and use emotion to make the audience feel something. Emotion makes it memorable.” 

Ric: “Can the billboard start a conversation? Can it get people talking or thinking so that the message lives on after the billboard? Creating a campaign that can emotionally engage with the public is key and isn’t always down to the location of the billboard.  

There are some locations such as Times Square that are just iconic and there are some locations that you have to think outside of the box and make it iconic; so that even if the advert is 10m tall or 500 other people are also looking at it, does it speak directly to you. This can be done with messaging, imagery or even just the sentiment behind it.”

What campaign stands out to you as a fame maker for OOH? 

Jay: There are so many campaigns I love for different reasons. The sheer simplicity of the BBC Dracula shadow billboard, the innovation behind Pepsi’s Unbelievable Bus Shelter and the always-on and always awesome ads from McDonald’s. As advertisers, they have all reaped huge rewards from constantly challenging themselves and not settling for cookie-cutter planning. 

For reference, Dracula and Pepsi MAX’s Unbelievable Bus Shelter have received over 15 million views combined and remain two of our most popular OOH campaigns of all time…

Ric: One that comes to mind is Nike’s Dream Crazy campaign with Colin Kaepernick. It won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix and for good reason. Using such a large canvas, and public space to broadcast a bold, daring and important message… It used OOH’s unique abilities to provoke conversation, publicity and make the public think, and feel. It wasn’t putting the product front and centre, but something more important for us all. 

Another example of fame building and amplification online, is when a celebrity themselves, shares their billboard with their followers. Molly Mae Hague, a popular UK based influencer, shared her billboard to her fanbase of over 340k Twitter followers and 5.3m Instagram followers.

Molly Mae Hague in front of her Out of Home (OOH) billboard

Although we’re not inside the head of the celebrity, it’s interesting to understand why they specifically share their billboards rather than various online ads they feature in. So, from your experience, why do you think celebrities share their billboards on social media? 

Ric: “We’ve grown up with billboards around us. Long before phone screens, iconic sites like Times Square and Piccadilly Circus captured our imaginations and felt like the biggest screens in the world. So today, with so many screens in our lives, having our face (or work) on DOOH screens – whether small format like D6s or large format city centre ones – still triggers an emotional excitement within us.  

It’s different and it’s not easily doable. You can’t just tweet something and it goes up there. So, fame is still exclusive. It’s just not an arena everyone can participate in!” 

Jay: “When brands, or people for that matter, appear on billboards they enter a relatively exclusive club. You, unlike most, have achieved a status that allows you to fill this very public canvas. It’s the “I’ve officially made it” moment. Instagram and other platforms thrive on our societal need to play status games. An image of yourself on a big iconic DOOH screen gives you bonus points for sure!”

Celebrities in front of their Out of Home (OOH) billboards

OOH is a medium that delivers scale and unrivalled creative potential, making it the ultimate ‘fame maker.’ The perfect recipe is a combination of audience understanding, contextual relevance, creativity that packs a punch; get these right and OOH can extend beyond the billboard and provide stand out fame making moments. 

Air Quality Campaign
Shocking new data on air pollution reveals that nearly 8 million (25%) addresses in the United Kingdom have air pollution levels above World Health Organization limits. The data comes from addresspollution.org, which has today rolled its London pilot out nationally. Air quality reports are now freely available for every UK address.

The initiative, by AMV BBDO and policy activist group Central Office of Public Interest (COPI), is also attempting to drive legal action to force the disclosure of air pollution ratings within the property industry. This would mean estate agents, property websites, surveyors and conveyancers are obliged to disclose air pollution, in the same way they have to disclose other deadly substances, such as asbestos. An explosive 20-page Queen’s Counsel legal opinion, released with the campaign, reveals a ‘strong legal argument’ estate agents will be negligent for not doing so.

Air Quality Campaign

Originally launched in 2019 as a London pilot, addresspollution.org received nearly one million visits at launch. Off the back of that success, funding was secured to commission 1.5 billion new data points from university Imperial College London.

addresspollution.org can now reveal the levels of three toxic pollutants anywhere in the UK in an easy to understand Air Quality Report (AQR). The health implications for living at the address are also given. People are then urged to sign a petition demanding that estate agents and property websites disclose air quality to buyers and renters.

Air Quality Campaign

The rating system, approved by experts at the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London, needed to be simple. It combines information design, brand identity and graphic design to make an invisible killer visible.

Scott, Art Director at AMV BBDO, says: “We’re dealing with concentrations of pollutants measured in micrograms per cubic metre. On top of that, there are three different pollutants and they’re all invisible. We had to communicate complicated information quickly and efficiently, while nodding to the toxicity.”

 

Designer Director Mario Kerkstra adds, “Air pollution exists on a microscopic scale but its effect on lungs, the brain, heart and even the womb is profound. We needed a visceral way of expressing the different levels of air pollution in more than a coloured banded system. Spikes exist in nature as a warning sign, a sign of danger. They felt right for this.”

The agency has created a hard-hitting national campaign launching the system which visualizes the damage invisible air pollution causes. The campaign centres on geo-targeted animated digital ads featuring spiky typography which ‘breathes’ according to the air pollution at that location The ads are running across 651 digital out of home screens around the UK. The media sites were donated by Open Media, Foris Outdoor, City Outdoor, BlowUp!, JCDecaux, Clear Channel Outdoor, Alight Media and Global Outdoor.

Air Quality Campaign

A blitz on Instagram will also see a number of posts exposing the high levels of pollution in different sites in the UK. The strong, eye-catching social media pieces also feature different organs, such as breathing lungs covered with spikes. Funds to get the addresspollution.org pilot live were originally raised through a successful Crowdfunder campaign, making this a truly people-powered campaign.

Humphrey Milles, founder of the Central Office of Public Interest, said: “Air pollution affects everyone. It is a dangerous, invisible killer. With this national roll out, it would be shameful for the property industry to not start acting in an honest, transparent way. Lives depend on it. Everyone has a right to know what they’re breathing. And with the public finally able to see this invisible problem, the government will need to swiftly act to bring air pollution levels down.”

The data-driven approach breaks new ground for AMV BBDO. Copywriter Ben Polkinghorne says, “Back in 2019 we were asked to come up with an idea that tackles inaction on air pollution. Little did we know we’d end up spending our time developing a rating system with scientists and uncovering legal loopholes. We’ve literally been living and breathing the stuff for years, so it’s fantastic to get this next phase of the project out into the world.”

To get a free air quality report for your address and sign the petition, visit addresspollution.org.