By Tunji Faleye
Industry experts in brand building and marketing communications have emphasized the critical role Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising can play in creating value for clients and consumers, particularly in today’s era of attention scarcity. This was the focal point of discussions at the LOMA Conference ’25 themed “Smarter OOH for Business Growth”.
Delivering the keynote address, Stephen Onaivi, Managing Director of MediaReach OMD, underscored the need for clarity and simplicity in billboard messaging. According to him, “OOH advertising has to keep information on the billboard simple, using seven words standard in bold visuals with high-contrast colours, which can improve recall by 38 per cent.”
Onaivi further explained that OOH executions must embrace creative boldness, leveraging disruptive design to capture attention and etch brand messages in the minds of consumers. He also advised professionals in the sector to adopt smarter location strategies that prioritize dwell time over mere traffic counts.
In his goodwill message, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), affirmed the centrality of OOH to the advertising ecosystem. He noted that “OOH practitioners need to create new ways of delivering values to advertisers.”
Panel sessions at the conference also shed light on the future of OOH advertising. Chidinma Nwakwo, Head of Business at Quadrant MSL, stressed the importance of agencies demonstrating in-depth brand knowledge to earn the confidence of clients. She stated, “This will convince the brand that the agency has the capacity to grow their products to a certain percentage of the sales.”
For Enakeno Umuteme, Head of Digital and Media Marketing at Pernod Ricard, OOH agencies must recognize that certain brands prefer exclusivity. He pointed out, “Some brand will not be on billboard because they want a space that will not diminish their equity.” He added that agencies that truly understand brand positioning can better identify the growth stage of a brand and provide tailored solutions to its challenges.
Echoing similar sentiments, Adeola Amosun, Group Media Manager at Tolaram, insisted that OOH must transition from awareness-driven strategies to sales-driven outcomes. He explained, “Apart from sales, the brand also wants to determine the reach of the advertisement on a particular billboard. Brand handlers are also interested in telling them what is new that can drive growth for their brands.” Amosun urged stakeholders to adopt data-driven approaches that would create measurable impact for clients.
On his part, Oyindamola Michaels, Country Manager at Livescore Group, highlighted the need for OOH advertising to be more conversion-oriented. According to him, the real value of billboard messaging lies in how effectively it moves audiences beyond awareness to action.
The LOMA Conference ’25 brought together OOH professionals, brand custodians, and marketing leaders to share insights, collaborate, and build stronger industry connections. Over the years, the LOMA Conference and Awards has evolved beyond a recognition platform to become a hub of knowledge, a connector of stakeholders, and a spotlight for transformative ideas shaping the marketing communication industry.
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