Is The OOH Media Industry Ready For A Tech Disruptor?

Over the past year, we have seen how technology has disrupted various industries.  Time and again in various conferences involving digital marketing and tech startups, we have heard this line stated repeatedly : "Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening.

In the industry of transportation, a shakeup has been obvious given the popularity of Uber and Grab Taxi, way down to a point that traditional taxi operators could not help but run to the LTFRB for relief.  The game has obviously changed and old paradigns are left with no choice but to bend its knee to those who offer a better service option.  Can this be true also in the world of out-of-home media - where regulation is hardly in place in comparison to radio, TV and print?

There have been several attempts to replicate the success of Uber and AirBnb into the space of OOH media but none have been truly successful.  One attempt by an APAC based tech startup even involved investment of close to half a million US dollars.  The startup online marketplace for billboards and posters is no longer running and the founders have moved on to other tech startups.

Not too long ago, I was also called in to help out with a group which tried to resell a sophisticated mapping system which could provide street views as well as record vital information pertaining to the OOH medium.  The platform is still there but it is not being utilized.  The proponents have simply given up.

Given all these unfortunate occurences, I wish to answer the question posed in this title : Is The OOH Media Industry Ready For A Tech Disruptor?  Well, it's gonna be some time until a tech disruptor comes along because OOH is a complicated business.  It's not just as easy as placing all the available billboard inventory in one online selling platform.  At the onset, it looks like a simple real estate transaction.  Nevertheless, for those who are familiar, there are many intricacies involved.  I've studied what the intricacies are.  I've sounded like a "contrabida" always to those who have intended to create an online marketplace for all OOH media but, the fact that there is nothing really working even in more developed markets only proves that it is not that easy to pull off.

That doesn't mean it's impossible to do though.  Nevertheless, when the kinks are sorted out and the tech disruptor arrives, I'll tell you, the OOH Media industry will not know what it is. The balance between agency, advertiser, and vendor will definitely be upset.  And that is why it is called disruption.

Lloyd Tronco is a Certified Digital Marketer and Out-Of-Home Media Strategist.  He was one of the pioneers in agency-managed OOH media. He currently does marketing consultancy for tech startups.