The future of OOH: Where creativity meets data & technology

The year 2025 has been exciting. Many new entrants have turned into prolific believers of this media industry. Real Estate, OTT, Ecom, Qcom are continuing to gun for the larger pie of OOH. Mobile Apps and Mobile handsets have consistently increased their spends and contributed in a bigger way than last year. 

The increased confidence in the industry is thanks to the improved reliability in DOOH and the possible tech innovations that it is capable of. Some key industry leaders have made significant strides in tech innovation. Our innovations are seamlessly integrated into DOOH networks, enabling real-time control, data-driven content deployment, and measurable return on investment (ROI).

The result? We are now surrounded by immersive brand stages that cut through urban noise. For eg; Indias Longest DOOH network has become a case study in how technology, creativity, and civic integration can co-exist meaningfully. The design of these assets has been created as vertical structures, engineered not only for visibility but for storytelling in motion. The emergence of DOOH networks with tech supremacy, bringing in together scale, uniform design, and digital precision offers a new blueprint for cohesive, arterial road-media story unveiling powered by technology helping brands take creative leaps with Tech innovation such as Desync or the iconic screens bringing alive Screen Sync Tech wherein brand elements flew, jumped from one iconic screen to another.

Marketers, planners, technologists and regulators must change the perception of the medium as that of a programmable, measurable, and culturally embedded platform. Only then can we shift from commoditisation to curation and unlock the true, long-term value of OOH in modern India.

And increasingly the belief is that DOOH today is only as strong as the intelligence behind the screen. The backend infrastructure helps brands now deploy audience calibrated content that adapts to the time of day, weather, traffic, or real-time events. Paired with DSP/SSP platforms like Broadsign ensuring agility and granularity that modern media strategies demand.

However, even the best technology falls short if the focus remains solely on cost. OOH assets should be architectural media, experiential storytelling, and design-led placements capability induced assets. OOH’s fragmented ecosystem comprising fragmented media owners, specialist agencies, civic authorities, and technology vendor suffer due to nonaligned goals which are yet to completely lean towards tech savvy innovation barring few media owners. 

As enablers of best practices industry leaders believe thought leadership forums like OAC and OAA 2025 can generate industry-wide dialogue along with us, these systems can elevate collective understanding, allowing advertisers to confidently quantify reach, dwell time, and contextual relevance, making outdoor a high-impact, data-backed channel.

And, when media is presented as a premium engagement platform equipped with real-time dashboards, live showcases, and platform transparency- advertisers respond with trust and investment.

This article is penned by Junaid Shaikh, Managing Director, RoshanSpace Brandcom

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.