LUMO’s Phil Clemas contemplates the year ahead
(Pictured L-R: Phil Clemas and Kent Harrison)
By Phil Clemas, chief executive officer, LUMO
The summer break has a way of offering perspective – coming down off an always-hectic end of year, allowing us to take a breather and ponder the year ahead.
And what a year it’s shaping up to be, particularly for Digital Out-of-Home, which continues to grow its share of all OOH spend with over 72% penetration in 2022. The 4th quarter last year was particularly strong for the channel; LUMO with 30% YOY growth, and 20% growth for the calendar year. This indicates positive momentum as we start the new year.
Through 2022, LUMO continued to think and operate more like a true ‘digital’ media business. Amongst several new initiatives, we evolved our audience measurement platform LENS, to include not only reach and frequency metrics by the hour, but also dwell time. This has given our programmatic buyers a DOOH currency that is accurate, truthful and above all else, in real-time to account for when and where audiences are actively engaging with our screens.
Furthermore, the decision to change our Content Management System from Ayuda to dooh.ly has given our digital ecosystem the central nervous system essential for anticipating the fast-growing needs of our new and existing digital buyers.
It has been interesting when discussing digital OOH with our contemporaries in recent times. Most still think in yesterday’s terms – digital simply meaning LED Screens. However, when we think digital, we mean technology-driven connectivity and automation that enables vastly more accountability of audience, as well as easier and quicker access to our network, transaction transparency and more efficiency for our clients. It’s our mission this year to bring operators and buyers along on this digital journey, to increase knowledge and trust in this space.
Looking ahead to 2023, the evolution of DOOH will continue to attract new buyers as they leave FTV looking for more effective broadcast media to optimise their brand opportunities. We are also anticipating more regular convergence of social, mobile and DOOH media strategies as advertisers seek improved ROI for their discerning media dollar.
And with LUMO’s single-minded focus on pure-play, we are perfectly poised to deliver tech-led solutions for the existing and anticipated needs of our customers. We’re not distracted by non-digital formats, and being independent, we have the freedom to invest our time in creating, testing and delivering with speed. This core advantage will help us meet the fast changing needs of our existing and new customers.
LUMO’s most recent Pixel Awards, which set a new benchmark in entry numbers, offers some insight to the way marketers and some creative agencies are now thinking about when considering the creative and dynamic capabilities of digital out-of-home. They see the importance of combining effective design with LUMO’s ability to connect with consumers when and where they are, in real time. Contextual relevance is not a new concept but one that has escaped the imagination of many until more recently. This bodes well for the future of DOOH.
Although it is true we don’t have a crystal ball to predict what 2023 will deliver, we do feel that the tide is returning for the out-of-home channel and if brands are looking for connection with more discerning customers, there are many reasons why DOOH should be at the top of their list.