My Turn By Nancy Fletcher

Over the course of each week, OAAA works to strengthen the out of home (OOH) industry, guided by a plan ap-proved by the OAAA Board of Directors.

The priorities are clear.

OAAA’s first priority is to protect the in-dustry in the legislative and legal arenas, which ultimately enhances the financial value of the industry. The second overall OAAA priority is to build consensus for, and articulate, a united vision for OOH on a wide variety of evolving issues. The third priority is to promote the OOH medi-um among advertisers and agencies. These priorities are playing out so far this year across a number of important issues and programs summarized below.

Legislative/Legal Advocacy OAAA is representing the industry in de-fending FHWA’s 2007 federal guidance to the states regarding the regulation of digital billboards (Scenic America vs. US Department of Transportation). The pre-siding judge (US District Court, District of Columbia) will decide soon whether or not to schedule oral arguments. The briefing schedule concluded in late April.

OAAA is providing expertise to member companies and state associations in states that are considering amend-ments to their Federal State Agreements (FSAs). FHWA asked states on December

Actions for a Stronger Industry

C A L E N D A R

30, 2013, to consider updating their FSAs.

OAAA’s January 8 webinar explaining the completed federal research on digital billboards is available online (all OAAA webinars are recorded). The federal report said digital billboards are not distracting.

OAAA is working with the industry in response to proposed regulations that include a printed warning about the ad-dictive nature of nicotine in e-cigarettes. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is moving toward the regulation of e-cigarettes, which deliver a nicotine vapor without tobacco smoke.

The November 4, 2014, midterm elec-tion will bring a significant number of newcomers to Congress and could change control of one or both houses of Congress. In a bipartisan approach, OAAA is focused on electing and re-electing allies. There are opportunities for newly elected pro-industry members of Congress from a number of states. Please support the Outdoor Advertis-ing Political Action Committee (OAPAC), which is vital to industry advocacy ef-forts.

OAAA will present the top industry legal and advocacy issues at the OAAA Legal Seminar, to take place on November 12, 2014, in Washington, DC.

Keeping OOH Top of Mind with CustomersOAAA is focused on keeping OOH top of mind with ad agencies. Continuing the momentum created by the OOH brand positioning initiative and building on last year’s roadshow program with

42 presentations to agency planning groups, this year OAAA will meet with 77 agencies. The markets visited so far this year include Atlanta, Denver, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Richmond, and Washing-ton, DC. Over the summer and into the fall, OAAA will visit with agency planning groups in Austin, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.

With member support, OAAA is piloting a top-to-top advertiser program with Macy’s for later this year. OAAA also met with Kenneth Cole about OOH spending for later in 2014 and will now focus on other advertiser target meetings.

OAAA has just completed an extensive strategy assessment exercise to identify the next crucial steps the industry must take to become better positioned for today’s evolving media marketplace. In the coming months, this analysis will be used as a foundation for developing enhanced best business practices.

OAAA will represent the industry at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing Conference on October 15 - 18, 2014, in Orlando, FL.

OAAA has worked with TAB to develop a comprehensive sales training curriculum for media company account executives and a separate learning track for OOH specialists. Supplemental training ma-terials including e-learning modules and webinars are available on the OAAA and TAB websites.

June 2 , 2014

Outdoor Advertising Association of America • 1850 M Street, NW, Suite 1040 • Washington, DC 20036 • (202) 833-5566

September 15-16OAAA Safety Seminar Houston, TX

October 14 OAAA Executive Committee Planning Meeting New York, NY

November 11OAAA Board of Directors Meeting Washington, DC

November 12OAAA Legal Seminar Washington, DC

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Outdoor Advertising Association of America • 1850 M Street, NW, Suite 1040 • Washington, DC 20036 • (202) 833-5566

F e b r u a r y 7 , 2 0 1 1 P a g e 2June 2, 2014 Page 2

Actions for a Stronger Industry (cont.)

Awarding Excellence in OOHStrong creative is a vital part of the OOH industry’s vibrancy and viability. OAAA has just released the winners’ book showcasing the 2014 OBIE Awards win-ners.

OAAA released the OOH Media Plan Awards Call for Entries today. The OOH Media Plan Awards will be presented on December 3, 2014, at the annual ACNY OOH Day.

Art Everywhere USArt Everywhere US is the largest public service campaign ever envisioned in America. The voting phase has been completed with artworks selected for the public gallery in August. The short list of 58 will be announced on June 21, 2014, in conjunction with the US Conference of Mayors meeting in Dallas, TX.

Throughout the summer, Extra Credit Projects will lay out the 58 pieces of art to fit a wide variety of OOH formats. OMG is scheduling OOH location com-mitments and will begin working with printers this month.

The Art Everywhere US campaign will launch on August 4, 2014, and run for four weeks utilizing thousands of digital and static OOH formats across the country. The launch will take place at the Regal Cinema located on 42nd Street in New York City with a press event and digital OOH takeover in Times Square.

OAAA is working with public relations firm Finn Partners, an agency with strong connections to the art world. Since the announcement of the program in early April, Art Everywhere US has appeared in 420 news stories and garnered more than 4.7 million social media impres-sions.

Nielsen will conduct public surveys over the next several months to gauge awareness about the Art Everywhere US campaign. The research will help identify where and how citizens heard about the campaign and trend awareness over the course of the campaign.

Commitment to Operational ExcellenceOAAA’s SST Committee continues to lead the industry’s focus on safety, stan-dards, and technology. The OAAA Safety Seminar, focused on operational best practices, will take place September 15-16, 2014, in Houston, TX.

Regarding digital billboard operations, OAAA has published documents provid-ing simple instructions for lighting mea-surement via either a Nit gun or a light meter device. The OAAA Digital Billboard Committee is focused on development of guidance concerning digital billboard display replacement criteria. Discussion is also underway regarding potential industry standards for digital billboard duration times (i.e. message flips) to help facilitate national and multi-media buys.

Wind testing research completed by Texas Tech University (TTU) has now turned to advocacy efforts with the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engi-neers) wind committee. The initial ballot to change the wind load standards for signs was approved. OAAA and its partner ISA (International Sign Associa-tion) are working to reduce the wind load requirements to a reasonable level.

New Member ServiceOn August 1, OAAA will launch a new OOH Directory, which will replace the current Find a Member section and the

Media and Suppliers Marketplaces. The OOH Directory will be the premier online resource for the most up-to-date infor-mation on OAAA members. It will include updated search categories, DMA and CBSA markets, social media platforms for OOH media companies, suppliers, attorneys, financial firms, agencies, and state associations.

Coming TogetherLastly, despite the many conference calls, emails, and webinars that allow us to stay in touch, there is no substitute for the important face-to-face gatherings. We’re 10 months away from the indus-try’s 2015 OAAA/TAB National Conven-tion & Trade Show to be held May 11 – 13, 2015 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA. Jeremy Male, CEO of CBS Outdoor Americas and Ray Rotolo, COO at Posterscope USA, are co-chairs for the event, which will feature Malcolm Gladwell as a keynote speaker. Please include the convention in your 2015 budget and calendar planning.

Thank you for your support and involve-ment thus far this year. It is our mem-bers’ commitment that allows so much to get done.

I’m always eager to hear from you – to learn what is working and where you need help – and I can be reached at (202) 833-5566 or via email at nfletch-er@oaaa.org.

The Art Everywhere US website has received more than 680,000 page views.

Outdoor Advertising Association of America • 1850 M Street, NW, Suite 1040 • Washington, DC 20036 • (202) 833-5566

F e b r u a r y 7 , 2 0 1 1 P a g e 2Page 3June 2, 2014

Eye Catcher

Call for Entries: 2014 OOH Media Plan Awards

The Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors have come to the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, IN. This bus wrap shows the stone soldiers enjoying a visit around town.

OAAA established the OOH Media Plan Awards in 2000 to rec-ognize the essential role media planning plays in the develop-ment of successful campaigns – how the elements of good cre-ative design, strategic placement of messag-es, and proper alloca-tion of budgets unite to produce an outstanding communications plan.

This year marks the program’s 15th award cycle, celebrating the innovative strategies that transform a client objective into an advertising campaign capable of reaching and influencing consumers. OAAA will award Silver and Gold Awards, a Ratings-Driven Media Planning Award (established with TAB), and the 2014 OOH Media Plan of the Year. See which agencies won a 2013 OOH Media Plan Award last year.

The submission deadline for the 2014 OOH Media Plan Awards is Tuesday, July 15, 2014. The OOH Media Plan Awards run on a

mid-year cycle, so eligible campaigns will have been posted between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014.

Access the OOH Media Plan Awards submission form here. All OOH Media Plans Awards submis-sions are analyzed and developed into case studies for OAAA members. Browse past case studies. For more information, please contact Makeda Kefale at (202) 833-5566 or mkefale@oaaa.org.

New MembersJoin OAAA in welcoming new members to the organization.

All members can be found in the Find a Member section of the OAAA web-site.

Attorney

Tarter Krinsky & DroginNew York, NYwww.tarterkrinsky.com

International

Publicidad Sarmiento S.A.Buenos Aires Argentinawww.sarmiento.net

Starcom MediaVest won the 2013 OOH Media Plan of the Year Award for Windows 8.