Why This CEO Believes AI Will Unlock Massive Untapped Potential in Out-of-Home Advertising
Out-of-home advertising might not be your first thought as a frontier of AI disruption. But like in many other areas of marketing and communications, generative AI is bringing OOH new efficiencies and unleashing greater creativity.
Intersection CEO Chris Grosso joins The Disruption Is Now to share AI’s untapped potential for OOH. He foresees a future where creative personalization and workflow automation drive major growth.
Think hyperlocalized clothing ads with outfits tailored to different neighborhoods’ vibes. Or effortless multi-format asset generation, freeing up capacity for strategy and ideation.
In conversation with host Greg Matusky, Chris compares the advent of AI to the internet’s disruptive rise in the 90s, explains what’s missing to unlock OOH’s full potential, and suggests how savvy first movers could dominate as AI transforms this channel.
Watch now:
Key takeaways:
Mass customization unlocks hyper-relevant localized creative
Chris gave an example of how clothing retailers could use generative AI to customize outfits in ads tailored to different neighborhoods’ unique cultures and consumer preferences. For instance, the clothing style that resonates in an artsy downtown area may differ greatly from what works in a suburban neighborhood. This hyper-relevant localization allows brands to make their OOH advertising much more effective by speaking directly to the context of where the ads appear.
AI automation frees up capacity for high-value work
By leveraging generative AI to handle repetitive, non-creative tasks like resizing an ad asset for different formats and dimensions, human creators are free to focus their efforts on strategy, ideation, and thoughtful editing. The AI can churn out numerous iterations and mechanical adjustments, as well as streamline and enhance processes like media planning and creative development, enabling people to prioritize big-picture thinking and quality control.
Diversity of perspectives still critical
When creating AI prompts and evaluating outputs, Chris emphasized that diversity on the human creative team remains crucial. Having a range of viewpoints contributes to better quality control and helps avoid any blind spots related to cultural nuance or stereotyping.
AI parallels the early days of the internet
Chris drew comparisons between generative AI’s rise today and the disruptive emergence of the internet back in the 1990s. While it won’t necessarily alter day-to-day habits, AI stands to drive transformational changes in business efficiencies and inspire new business models in similarly profound ways.
Key moments:
● Chris provides an overview of Intersection’s business (1:00)
● How AI compares to the rise of the internet (2:27)
● How cities are recovering post-pandemic (4:08)
● AI’s potential impact on creative and media buying in OOH (5:45)
● Examples of AI enabling mass customization of creative (8:27)
● Efficiencies of AI parallel those of the internet (11:20)
● Importance of editorial oversight and diversity when using AI (14:29)
● Shift from emphasis on information to intelligence (15:24)
