Introduction

Innovation in Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is transforming how brands engage with audiences. It involves the use of new ideas, technologies, and creative strategies to surprise, delight, and drive impact. In South Africa, OOH innovation is gaining momentum, blending cultural relevance with cutting-edge tools and products.

What Is Innovation in OOH?

Innovation in OOH refers to the application of technologies and creative approaches to enhance audience engagement. This includes digital transformation, personalization, and interactive experiences that go beyond traditional billboard advertising. OOH innovation doesn’t just need to be on a billboard, it can ambient roadside it can fit within outdoor mall precincts, it can even be a RED WALL in Bryanston. For me innovation is creating an experience or memory that will stick with the consumer. There are over 16 000 billboard faces in SA, with them generally being cluttered in specific areas, when the consumer is driving down the M1 and sees what feels like a billboard every 200 meters, how do you stand out from all the others and be noticed?

Executing Innovation in South Africa

South Africa is embracing digital billboards, augmented reality (AR), QR code integration, geo-targeting, innovative billboard campaigns and disruptive ambient stunts. I’ve noticed both global and local brands and their campaigns are increasingly tailored to cultural events and regional nuances, making them more relatable and effective. Every project I’ve worked on is slightly different and challenging in their own way. Most of us only see the pretty mock-ups before and the pretty photos they receive afterwards, but innovation manufacturing and installations aren’t easy.  Every site is so different that it requires a lot of prior planning and experience to execute the clients dream.

Process for Client-Led Innovation

Process:

1. Briefing – Normally the client/creative will brief out a campaign and sometimes they brief out innovation to be included. Agency then emails the media owners with their specific brief, based on the strategy to find sites.
2. Discovery – Understand client goals, audience and budget (if there is one, wink wink). It is mainly about asking the right questions.
3. Ideation – Collaborate on creative concepts. If creative hasn’t been designed, we either ask for key visuals that will be used or we try understanding what sort of elements will be part of the creative so we can put something together ourselves.
4. Tech Scouting – Identify suitable technologies (LEDS, Cut-outs, Foil, AR, Projections etc.) that fit the clients needs, concept and creative.
5. Chosen sites and locations – Once sites are chosen and clients have decided on their innovation approach, we then tailor the innovation and cost to each site. If we look at the recent UBER Eats campaign (See images below), each site was so different from the next that each site required had its own type of lighting and installation methodology.
6. Execution – Produce and deploy the campaign. We will normally work with everyone involved at this point, client, creative agency, printers and media owners to ensure each party is aligned. It doesn’t matter how much prior planning was done, when we start with the manufacturing/installations there are always challenges or obstacles to overcome.
7. Post production/Installations: Projects don’t finish at installation. It requires weekly site checks, and potentially maintenance. Although we strive to do our best, things can go wrong after installation for a number of reasons, so we check the sites and do repairs where needed if needed.

Disruption and Impact

Innovation disrupts traditional formats by creating immersive experiences and driving real-time engagement. For example,

UBER Eats recent campaign where they had different messages for both day and night on static billboards.

For the Coke Magic Bus Stop RFID sensors were added to activate a digital screens at bus stops. When the Bus stopped and the hydraulics made its Tsssss sound, the screen activated with a Coke Bottle opening.