Real Connections, Real Opportunity: 5 Takeaways from DPAA Video Everywhere Summit
Out-of-home (OOH) isn’t just asking for a bigger seat at the table anymore – it’s building the infrastructure to demand one. At this year’s DPAA Video Everywhere Summit, the overarching message was clear: in a world flooded with digital noise, physical connections matter more than ever.
Beneath the Summit’s “Real Connections” theme was a pragmatic blueprint for how brands can build trust, reach audiences in meaningful moments and drive real business outcomes.
Here are 5 takeaways from Accretive’s Craig Benner and Scott Hansen:
Real-world connections are OOH’s biggest strength.
In an increasingly screen-mediated world, there is something powerful about encountering a brand in person. As AI blurs what’s real online, those physical connections offer a meaningful opportunity to build trust, recognition and recall. But being present is only the starting point. Making those encounters count requires understanding the setting and giving people something relevant to it. A thoughtfully placed screen, paired with the right creative, can become a useful part of someone’s experience.
Bigger budgets depend on stronger proof.
The enthusiasm around DOOH was clear, but turning that enthusiasm into sustained investment requires more. Connecting exposure to outcomes advertisers care about, like store visits, conversions and sales, is essential to earning a larger share of recurring budget. With measurement still evolving, credible measurement is essential to the industry’s next phase of growth.
DOOH deserves a role at the table from the start.
The possibilities for digital screens are expansive, but the strategy behind them has to be precise. The opportunity goes beyond adding more digital surface to matching the right environment, audience, moment, and creative, then measuring what happens next. Bringing DOOH in from the start and planning it alongside other channels helps establish how each contributes to the campaign as a whole.
Retail media brings the story closer to the sale.
Even Gen Z, the most digital generation, still shops in stores, leaving the in-store experience still a high opportunity moment for brands. Conversations on in-store media and purchase decisions highlighted the potential to connect brand-building with consumers near the point of purchase. The value lies in understanding the shopping context and delivering creative that fits what consumers are doing in that moment.
Shared passions create openings for brands.
Conversations highlight the opportunity for brands to connect with people around experiences they already care about, like sports and travel. Turning World Cup excitement into local fandom was an example used that highlighted how OOH can extend the opportunity by showing up and participating in ways that feel relevant. The opportunity is to participate in those moments with creative and placement that fit the experience.
Overall, Scott walked away feeling empowered by the strength of this tight-knit community that has ambitions far beyond its own industry: “What struck me was the combination of innovation, thoughtfulness, and shared conviction in the room. These are people who believe out-of-home deserves a bigger voice in advertising and are building the capabilities to earn it.”
