Looking ahead
While the proverbial future looks bright, there are some potential roadblocks. Cities and counties nationwide are taking a closer look at content as more ads go digital and there may be increased regulation as local governments feel pressure from concerned constituents.
Joe Marchese, president of Camarillo, Calif.-based Archetype Media, which develops next generation brand advertising platforms, wonders how ads will become part of the landscape they interrupt and whether someone will find a way to automate what's aesthetically pleasing from one community setting to the next.
"Building successful business models for tomorrow's digital outdoor advertising will mean first, and last, evaluating how to improve the entire eco-system you are attempting to enter," Marchese said. "The billions will follow."
But the key reason why digital will boost the outdoor market is, said James, "the sheer, naked creativity it offers. It will be totally different from outdoor in the past and will make creatives, media planners and ad agencies think quite differently about the medium. But there will not be one single way of using it -- digital is not homogenous."
