Thomas Koch on AI, the power of the right moment and the future of (D)OOH creative design

How do you create advertising that not only stands out, but also really sticks in people's minds? This question is at the heart of our blog series on the creative design of (D)OOH motifs and commercials – and who better to answer it than Thomas Koch, who as “Mr. Media” is one of the most influential personalities in the German advertising industry?

As a consultant, columnist, media strategy and planning expert with over 50 years of experience, he will not only talk about the state of (D)OOH creations, but also give an insider's tip on how media and creation can create really strong campaigns – spoiler: It's not AI. 

Question One

How do you see (D)OOH creations evolving in 2024 against the backdrop of an ever-changing media landscape?

(D)OOH is in many ways a very special medium that can compete with any other. It is the most public of all media, but it forces advertisers to get to the heart of their messages. Nothing could be better for a campaign. No medium builds brand visibility and message awareness better than (D)OOH. This has been neglected in many media strategies in the past and has unnecessarily weakened countless brands.

DOOH is, of course, also a digital medium with all the benefits of digitised, individualised targeting. It combines the advantages of the mass approach of poster advertising with the requirements of modern communication for digital moving image targeting.

This opens up a wealth of new creative opportunities. DOOH can do more than OOH, and both together are superior to print and online. Not all campaigns take advantage of these opportunities, but advertisers are making great strides. The progress that DOOH in particular is making creatively can be seen each year at the DOOH Creative Challenge. PlakaDiva awards the best OOH campaigns each year. This is something the industry can be proud of.
 
 

Question Two

Against this background, what are the most important elements that make a (D)OOH campaign successful?

A campaign on (D)OOH screens and posters puts the advertiser and its message in the public eye like no other medium. There is no better way to build and maintain a brand than to have it perceived in the same way by millions of people. (D)OOH therefore addresses the biggest weakness of digital campaigns, which increasingly strive for a personalised approach but disregard branding. This phenomenon is best described by the children's game “I see something you don't see”.

With its unrivalled reach, (D)OOH even bridges the gap between branding and performance, providing the solution to one of the biggest challenges facing communication today. As proven by countless cases and Byron Sharp's extensive research, reach is the single most important factor in the success of any campaign. (D)OOH increases reach and therefore the impact of any media plan.

One point that is important to me, but is not realised by all media planners, is the moment of contact. Unlike other media, we not only know who sees the poster, but also what people are doing at that particular moment: shopping, travelling, refuelling, eating, getting fit, driving to work, driving home after work. If your message responds to the situation, you catch the “right moment” and increase the relevance of the message. There are three elements – reach, relevance and the right moment – that control and determine the success of a campaign.  

Success has long been linked to sustainability. We have a responsibility to significantly reduce the emissions of advertising. All brands that feed the advertising market through their spending can only continue to prosper in a world and a future that is worth living in. We have long known how to design, mediaplan and produce campaigns more sustainably. We have understood that media such as CTV, (D)OOH and audio in the mix not only help to reduce emissions, but can also increase the reach, visibility and impact of any campaign. This is win-win perfection.
 

Question Three

How do you see the role of AI in the creative design of (D)OOH campaigns and how should creatives position themselves in this context in the future?

Everyone is talking about AI. There is probably no topic that is discussed and debated more, and no topic that ranks higher on the list of priorities than artificial intelligence. More and more advertisers and agencies are exploring what machines will be able to do in the future. The greatest potential is seen in optimising marketing processes, where AI can make campaigns more targeted and efficient. Another area is creative work, where 70 percent of companies are currently testing AI.

I would like to see marketing and advertising demand more effectiveness, not just efficiency, and for advertisers, creatives and media experts to focus more on the impact of their campaigns. This would be possible if AI could help us to reach target groups more precisely in the future and to target individual motifs according to target group priorities. We are not far away from that. But there is a danger that AI will just give us more of the same. That is why I believe it is crucial that we measure the success of AI by whether it demonstrably makes our campaigns more effective. If not, AI is nothing more than an intolerable increase in energy consumption.

My advice to both disciplines – creation and media – is to work together more intensively than before. As long as creation and media work spatially, intellectually and conceptually separate from each other, an outstanding campaign can never be created. AI won't help either.
 

Thomas Koch gave us an insight into the current state of (D)OOH creative design – from the importance of (digital) out-of-home for brand building to the role of AI. But what do other experts think about the challenges and opportunities in this field? In the coming weeks, you can also read our interviews with Wolfgang Hothum (IKAO) and Joachim Netz (MediaAnalyzer), who will provide you with further exciting perspectives and valuable tips.