Borderless DOOH: Key takeaways from the World Out of Home (WOO) Global Summit in Lisbon

The lively city of Lisbon recently hosted the highly anticipated WOO Global Summit, a major event bringing together top minds and influencers in the out of home (OOH) advertising industry. With engaging sessions and vibrant discussions, the summit provided a platform to explore the latest trends and advancements in digital out of home (DOOH) advertising.

One important takeaway was the growing use of automation in the OOH space. Industry leaders highlighted the need to embrace technology and automate processes to make advertising operations more efficient. By using data, automation and machine learning, advertisers can make smarter decisions and run more successful campaigns.

Another key theme was the idea that DOOH advertising is no longer limited by borders. Brands and media owners now have the opportunity to expand their reach beyond their home markets. With advancements in technology, it's easier to run cross-border campaigns, tap into new markets, and generate additional revenue. Hivestack Founder & CEO, Andreas Soupliotis, presented to a packed audience composed of the world’s global OOH leaders on the power of a borderless or “outside-in” approach. While brands are able to reach new global audiences with more ease than ever before, he also shared how media owners can be empowered through programmatic DOOH to generate new revenue streams from buyers outside of their markets. Soupliotis moderated a fascinating discussion with Ichiro Jinnai, President of Hivestack Japan, and Kate Wang, Head of the inbound & outbound department at dentsu China. They shared a compelling case study about Pico, a Chinese VR brand by ByteDance, that successfully entered the Japanese market using a combination of Hivestack and LiveBoard’s programmatic platforms. This demonstrated how programmatic DOOH simplifies the buying process and allows media owners to seamlessly run cross-border campaigns.

Collaboration and partnerships also took centre stage at the summit. It became clear that working together is essential for the future of the OOH industry. The event provided a great networking platform for professionals, agencies, media owners, and technology providers to connect, share ideas, and find solutions to common challenges.

Another interesting session featured Will Brownsdon, Managing Director EMEA from Hivestack, who participated in a panel discussion called "Ease of buying - suppliers and buyers." The panel emphasised the shift from price-focused approaches to focusing on desired outcomes in OOH advertising. They highlighted the importance of collaboration and collective efforts to drive growth and innovation across the industry. The panellists highlighted the importance of expertise in navigating this landscape effectively. While technology plays a role as an enabler, the ultimate driving force behind change remains people.

We also celebrated some very well-deserved accolades with Andreas Soupliotis taking home the Leadership Award, recognizing his exceptional leadership and contributions to the OOH advertising industry. Furthermore, the collaboration between McDonald's Japan, Dentsu, LIVE BOARD, and Hivestack, titled "Take a Chance with McDonald's," clinched the Creative Digital Award. This recognition underscores the innovative and impactful nature of the campaign, highlighting the synergistic efforts of all involved parties.

As the OOH advertising landscape continues to evolve, events like these play a crucial role in driving transformative change and opening up exciting possibilities for the future.