Reflecting on out of home in Aotearoa: OOHMAA thoughts on 2024

Natasha O’Connor, CEO of OOHMAA provides a wrap up of 2024, sharing the highlights for her team and the out of home industry as a whole.

As 2024 wraps up, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s been an exciting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding year for out of home in Aotearoa. Like many industries, we’ve faced our share of headwinds as a result of the on-going rising cost-of-living pressures and a rapidly evolving media landscape, to name a few. But pleasingly, our sector has risen to the challenge, showing resilience, ingenuity, and the kind of growth that proves we’re moving in the right direction.

In a year when good news has been harder to find, it’s important to celebrate when the opportunity arises. So, I will take a moment to acknowledge what we’ve achieved this year and look ahead to what 2025 might hold.

What made 2024 stand out?

Let’s start with the numbers — because they’re worth celebrating!

Out of home (OOH) advertising in Aotearoa hit record highs (YTD November 2024)

• Ongoing revenue growth: Revenue has increased by an impressive 8% year on year, all the more pleasing given the tough market we are operating in
• Digital dominance: Digital OOH is thriving, accounting for 77% of total OOH revenue, with programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) contributing 10% of that figure.
• The enduring appeal of classic formats: For advertisers seeking 100% share of voice (SOV) or long-lasting messaging impact, classic formats continue to appeal, representing 23% of total revenue.

We welcomed new faces

A highlight of 2024 has been welcoming VMO and Shout Media to the OOHMAA team. Their addition strengthens our membership and reflects the collaborative, inclusive culture that defines OOH in Aotearoa today. OOHMA members now represent 95% of all OOH revenue.

Showcasing creativity

This year also marked the debut of the OOHMAA Awards, The Speccies. These awards celebrated the bold thinking and creativity that make OOH campaigns so impactful. From the innovative strategies to the eye-catching executions, it’s been brilliant to see how agencies, creatives, and brands continue to push boundaries in our space.

Championing future leaders & engaging stakeholders

The newly launched Emerging Leaders Board (ELB) and Outdoor Futures Council (OFC) are two initiatives close to my heart.

The ELB focuses on nurturing the next generation of OOH talent, empowering them to have a voice in shaping the future of our industry.

The OFC is designed to strengthen engagement with key stakeholders, ensuring our initiatives align with advertisers’ and agencies’ priorities. By fostering collaboration, the OFC will help us gather valuable insights, give stakeholders a platform to contribute meaningfully and encourage advocacy for OOH

Together, these initiatives are critical steps toward achieving our goal of increasing market share and driving the future success of our industry.

Raising industry standards

This year, we introduced the Digital Out of Home Verification Standard, a game-changer for transparency and trust in campaign delivery.

Unpacked Kiwi’s mobility and media consumption habits

Early in 2024, we released our research piece that looked at how OOH connects with consumers, how Kiwis are moving, what impact has flexible work hours/location had on this movement and the role of OOH in the broader media market when factoring in these behaviours.

Why 2024 was a defining year

After years of steady growth, it’s heartening that the momentum behind OOH is stronger than ever. What’s particularly exciting is that this belief in OOH isn’t just coming from within our industry anymore —it’s being echoed by agencies and advertisers who now see it as an essential part of their media strategies. It’s proof that the mahi the industry has put in is paying off.

Looking ahead to 2025

Sustaining the momentum

As we move into 2025, we will focus on building upon the momentum we’ve achieved, particularly over the last few years. It’s an exciting time for OOH, with several initiatives set to roll out that will strengthen our position and drive the industry forward:

• Demonstrating OOH’s effectiveness and efficiency as a media channel.
• Launching a new, industry-wide Audience Measurement System (AMS) to provide advertisers with greater clarity and confidence.
• Introducing new standards to align with the AMS, ensuring consistency and transparency in the data.
• Delivering fresh research projects that provide actionable insights for advertisers and agencies.
• Hosting a special creative session to showcase outstanding OOH campaigns and highlight why great creative is essential for success.

A bright future ahead

As 2024 draws to a close, as much as this year was ‘a year’, I remain thrilled to be part of such an exciting industry. This year has been full of milestones—from record-breaking revenue and launching initiatives like The Speccies to establishing the OFC and the ELB. These achievements highlight that OOH in Aotearoa is aligned and moving in the right direction, with a clear vision for making 2025 another successful year.

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