The Billboard Insider Podcast Dave Westburg - Billboard Insider

On today's Billboard Insider podcast, OAAA President and CEO Anna Bager highlights the out of home stories to watch in 2024 and what brands are saying about out of home.







What are some important stories to watch in 2024



2024 is an election year that's going to be huge and will be very interesting to follow.  It's not only a presidential election year in the US, it's an election year globally.  Next year over half of the world's population will be voting which means that messaging is going to be incredibly important.  It's a huge opportunity for our industry especially I think in the US as...signage that we can put out there for the elections will be incredibly important....It's an Olympic year next year.  The Olympics typically drive a lot more ad dollars so that's something for us to watch...



OAAA President Anna Bager



What brands and agencies are saying about out of home.  



They still feel that our medium is a little hard to understand...we talk about airports, we talk about place-based, we talk about roadside, we talk about transit. We're all out of home...there's no need to increase fragmentation - to make ourselves look more complicated.  We need to make ourselves look more simpler and go to market with a very simple crisp message and that's something we hear from brands a lot...We are making ourselves a little hard to understand and we're not talking maybe enough about what we can do for them but rather who we are...



I think that something else that stands out is - lead with creativity... we have some incredible creative tools and canvases in our industry and...brands think that we should push more...



...More brands want to buy out of home programmatically...programmatic is on the rise and if that's how brands and agencies want to buy us we should make sure that we that we're up for that...



Measurement is still a very big factor.  How do we simplify our measurement?  What are the metrics that matter and how do we bring those forward to brands?  How do we make them feel that our the medium is not just measurable but also comparable to other platforms they're buying... MRC accreditation that will be happening...probably early March of this year so in about a month from when this is being recorded...that's a good first step...but you know we still have a lot of work to do.



The April 2024 out of home conference



We're going to be in an absolutely amazing place beautiful resort in Carlsbad outside of San Diego and in the end of April... a nice place to both network learn more about the industry hopefully do a lot of business and relax and have fun...we're in the midst of programming right now we're still very open to new ideas...this year we're going to have more brands than we've ever had...we'll also have a lot more folks from the agency side



The OAAA Independent Media Company Advisory Group



The independent billboard operators are hugely important part of the OAAA they're a big part of our member base...It's led by Diana Stevenson from Grace Outdoor...it's 20 or some companies that meet fairly regularly and talk about what's happening in the different markets what would they like to see from the OAAA what are concerns, what are things they're excited about, how are the different types of verticals responding to out of home..Just kind of getting together to talk about the market.  It's super helpful for us at the OAAA...If there's somebody listening who feels that they really want to be a part of it please ping me and let me know.  The members are listed on our website.

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On today's Billboard Insider podcast, out of some sales expert Kevin Gephart answers reader questions on cold calls, sales compensation, finding a job after a layoff and how best to coach out of home sales reps.







Some of the highlights.



Is cold calling dead?



No. If you want to sell sales training in books and seminars, advertise that cold calling is dead and you'll get tons of people that sign up and want to hear what you have to say because we all want cold calling to be dead.  Cold calling isn't dead. I don't have any business purpose for calling you is dead...My boss is making me make this call is dead...I don't have any thoughts about your business is dead.   So intelligent cold calling is alive and well and it's one of the tools in the toolbox....You've got referrals you've got networking you've got e-mail marketing social media you've got affinity group marketing. Those are all tools but cold calling is the one that really relies on your initiative...My father used to say do something even if it's wrong. So pick up the phone call somebody. Make an intelligent call and have a well-planned, well-targeted message to that person and you'll cut through.



What's a good compensation plan for out of home sales reps?



Companies want to use straight Commission.  Straight Commission is also permission to not sell. You want to create a salary plus bonus based on activity. You want to create a a salary that is 80% of the livable wage in your market area. You need to know what the livable wage is in your market area and you also need to know what are the average incomes of the media people within your marketplace. When you know that then you can develop a compensation plan. Now the other 20% of the compensation plan should be based on achieving KPI's and they're very important: the number of self-generated cold calls, the number of meetings weekly that you have with a qualified client...the number of qualified proposals and then your sales numbers... 20% is bonus based on achieving those KPI's...



 Should a sales manager call with sales reps.



Absolutely, but when you're on a call with a sales Rep do not salvage the call yourself as the sales manager. I've been on sales calls which are going south fast so I dive in and save the call. No sales call is worth the price of sacrificing your sales person's experience and education. They're going to leave that call knowing that they failed.  You can coach them on why they failed...They're never again going to make that mistake.



Another thing that a sales manager brings is importance.  If I own a I own five hardware stores in town and all of a sudden a sales rep is coming out to call on me and they bringing their manager if conveys that I am important. You convey an importance and a just an overall importance that is hard to get any other way so you should absolutely go on sales calls. The best sales managers I know of do it on a regular basis they have a regular rotation and the sales reps know they're going to be taking the manager.  It's just a part of the culture.



Why it's important to ask out of home sales reps "what's the biggest objection you hear?"



Ask your sales reps individually what is the biggest objection they hear.  They're going to tell you something that may not be what they hear most often.  They will tell you the objection that they have the hardest time dealing with. Give them training and strategies to answer that objection and then you're preparing them for their next sales call.

An OOH sales training program for $74.95 per rep! Leading OOH sales organizations have adopted “The Ultimate Out of Home Sales Guide” as a 35+ segment sales training regime:





Comprehensive, sequential sales training chapters

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On today's Billboard Insider podcast, SignBird founder John James talks about how drones can help you market your out of home company more effectively.







John give us an overview of SignBird and what you and your team do.



John James, SignBird



We capture out of home on camera: drone in the sky; camera mounted on a car; or boots on the ground.  SignBird's job is to improve the way out of home is captured on camera.



What's new at SignBird over the past year?



Last September we were acquired by Outdoorlink.  It's been a fantastic transition.  We're grown our team.  We've added new clients...All SignBird employees are remote or here in Tuscaloosa.



Can you take pictures nationwide?



We're an Alabama based company...We've been able to recruit some of the nations top drone pilot photographers.  30 states and counting.  Someone asked me the other day how many pilots I have in my network...we have hundreds.



How can drones help an out of home company?



When we take that drone up in the sky we're showing different types of value around a billboard location.  We can see the long drive times.  We can see the Walmart, the Chic-fil-A, the gas station, the grocery store that a traditional approach shot can't capture.   We can see all the commercial and residential development happening around a billboard location...When a media buyer approaches a billboard company they ask for two things when a campaign goes live...an approach shot and a glamour shot.  I think we're approaching a time when an additional drone shot is going to be requested by the media buyers...



Drone footage of digital billboard filmed by SignBird



Not everyone can fly a drone



There is a safety issue flying a drone.  There is an insurance issue.  You've got to be licensed...When you fly a commercial drone you're entering...a new legal hoop...



Are there places you can't fly a drone?



Absolutely.  Any time you go to an airport.  If a US president is in a given market you can't put a drone in the sky.  We've had that happen several times in Atlanta.



What's the key to taking good digital billboard pictures.



It's all about controlling the brightness of the screen.  The way we combat that is using filters that darken the shot...



Advice on photos and videos



I have a free guide you can download on our website: 5 Tips To Improve Your Billboard Photos.



Invest in good equipment.  The iPhone can come a long way but I think there is no substitute for quality equipment...Hire an intern...someone to get good with that camera.



You're spending six figures on a structure and LED yet you don't want to spend $500 on a good camera?



 

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On today's podcast OAAA President and CEO Anna Bager talks about the top stories of 2022, issues to watch in 2023 and new initiatives for independent out of home companies.







What are some out of home stories to watch in 2023?



Anna Bager, President and CEO, OAAA



Keeping an eye on the economy...I have a strong sense that we're going to be fine...



Signal loss, cookies going away, changing to IOS 14 and now changes in Android will happen...mobile ID's are going away...this is an issue...You are seeing the results of that signal loss...in particular on the digital side.



On the privacy end there is...a likelihood that there will be the start of some attempt to create federal regulation...which will be good because privacy laws today are very different in every state...I think this is a big opportunity for out of home because we are not suffering from some of the same problems that traditional media does...We need to be aware of how we are using data and how we are talking about it so we are not putting ourselves in a bad light.



P&G's Mark Pritchard gave a speech where he talked about reaching underserved and underprivledged audiences where they are.  People that don't have access to a computer or access to the internet...Out of home is a big part of being able to reach those communities.



The category that I'm excited for next year is Pharma...It's a bit tricky with Pharma with all the disclosures but I still think it's a big opportunity for out of home.



Accreditation and Measurement



That's a huge storyline and a huge step forward...The MRC has leaned in to create better standards for out of home...There will probably be a standard in Q1 of next year...if everything goes to plan...That does not mean that they are creating measurement.  They are creating a process that's expected for advertisers and agencies to have faith in our medium...So getting that standard in place is a huge win for the industry...A lot of advertisers don't want to transact unless there's MRC accredited measurement so it opens up a whole new pool of advertising for us...I think we're making huge strides when it comes to measurement...all the exciting work that Geopath has been doing...



What's your message to independent out of home companies?



We need you.  Out of home is about scale, it's about reach and it's about location and we need companies that are everywhere in every little nook and cranny of the country because that's how we're going to be successful.  It's about 70% of the spend in out of home.  Local is a big part...and independent out of home companies are a big part of this industry.



We're your trade association.  We want you to be involved.  Give us feedback and help us drive the industry forward.  There's often a misconception that we're only for the big 3 or the big 5 or big 6.  We're not.  We're for the whole industry.



There's no other trade organization that can do what we do...protecting the industry...maintaining the Highway Beautification Act, lobbying on things that matter to real estate and first amendment issues, infrastructure.  We are also very focused on taxation both on a state as well as the federal level...and then obviously privacy is an area that we are increasing our focus on...



We've talked about conference and events.  It's a nice place to mingle and talk to colleagues and exchange ideas and we want to create more opportunity for independents to do that in the coming year.  We are actually putting together an advisory board for independent billboard operators that will help us guide the output that we are putting out for webinars, sales training and research...



 



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Today's podcast guest is Jim Johnsen, a managing director at the out of home investment banking firm Johnsen Fretty talks about out of home valuations and the out of home debt and equity markets.







Here are the highlights.



A healthy out of home transactions market.



The market is healthy with lots of buyers and sellers at the moment.  On a scale of 1 to 10 it's somewhere between an 8.5 and a 9.



Jim Johnsen, Managing Director, Johnsen Fretty



Where are billboard cashflow multiples



Somewhere between 10-13 times is where we are seeing things go off...



An active pool of buyers



The pool of buyers is better than I've ever seen it.  For example JCDecaux stepped up for its first acquisition in the US...They were in a joint venture with Interstate and Interstate put their half on the market and they ran it through a process and I heard it was a very close competition...Clear Channel has been active as of late.  They've been on a long hiatus...it's good to see them back in the market.  OUTFRONT has been selectively buying and of course Lamar has always been the perennial acquirer...And beyond that you've got guys like New Tradition with their purchase of Regency and some follow-on transactions that they did with us recently.  We closed a deal with Vector recently.  Branded Cities is buying.  Trailhead, MH, Keystone, McWhorter, Big Outdoor, Link, Adams, Lindmark, Las Vegas Billboards, Orange Barrel, Azalea, Tier One, Creative and a whole host of others.



Private equity is interested in out of home but has trouble scaling



I can't count a week that we don't get 3-4 calls from private equity firms saying "hey, we've done a white paper on the out of home business...or we bought some Lamar stock and that worked out well so how do we get in in a deeper way."  So the interest is really, really, strong.  The dilemma for the private equity business is how do they get scale.  Getting scale in the out of home business is hard...there's only so many Adams out there...The size of companies drops off pretty quickly.  Most of the private equity firms want to write a $50 million check, a $100 million check and upwards...They need a pretty sizable company...We have seen several groups come down market.  Instead of requiring $10 million of EBIDTA they are doing $1-2 million of EBIDTA.



Lamar



I believe Ross Reilly is being groomed to be the next CEO of Lamar.  My interactions with him have all been super favorable.  He's a business friendly guy.  He likes to think outside the box.  Smart, affable, well liked...



OUTFRONT



I love them.  From a forward thinking sales and marketing organization I think they get it...they are not selling space...they are selling a product with lots of sex appeal...The MTA product looks phenomenal.  I'm in New York city riding subways often...one thing they do right is station domination.  Generally they're trying to sell the entire environment to one advertiser at a time and making a gigantic splash...



Clear Channel Outdoor



They are the Tiffany collection of assets...the asset is good.  They've had so many challenges for so long...their capital constraints have been deleterious...when they spun off certain markets in 2018 when you talk to Jim at Ashby Street or some of the Lamar guys who bought the assets they were in shock with how good the assets were and how much lift there was on the assets by applying some more capital and hard work.



What about Clear Channel Europe?



I'd sell it at whatever the clearing price was, but I'm sure the lenders have something to say about that...my sense is that out of home advertising in other parts of the world is different...it's more agency than asset...it's lower margin...

On today's Billboard Insider podcast we talk with DJ Jennings and John James about OutdoorLink's recent purchase of SignBird.







Here are the highlights.



DJ Jennings, Chief Revenue Officer, OutdoorLink



DJ Jennings on OutdoorLink's history



OutdoorLink was created by my father Dwight to service the billboard industry to help operators with the day to day pains they have managing inventory - things like managing lights, making sure their clients are happy with illumination issues, rising utility costs...



Billboard Insider: Our out of home plant in Minnesota and Indiana uses your product.  It adjusts all our lights automatically based on sunrise and sunset.  We don't have to reset timers.  It pings our manager every time we have an outage.  And we can turn off signs remotely if we have a vacancy so we don't have to pay for utilities.



That was why OutdoorLink was started and created.  My father was an independent operator for years and years and when he sold his plant he wanted to get back into the business and decided he was going to solve some of the issues he faced every day.



Managing digital billboards



The SmartLink is basically a smart control device that allows users to customize inputs...From time to time digital billboards have issues.  That may be freezing up.  The ad copy not displaying properly.  A security threat.  A board hack.  It gives you a quick failsafe method of rebooting or shutting down the face without having to roll a truck.



Why OutdoorLink bought SignBird.



John James is what stood out for me.  SignBird has a great product, a great service.  That is undeniable.  From the time John and I first spoke we just connected.  I found somebody who was passionate about this industry and who was just as dedicated to his clients as I am.



 







 



What does the SignBird acquisition mean for Outdoorlink clients.



Where Outdoorlink has historically been operations focused, insuring lights are on.  Reducing utility costs.  Focusing on the bottom line expense.  This allows us to aid clients with their top line.  New revenue.  Pitch to proof.  Helping with the sales pitch.



John James, Founder and CEO, SignBird



John James on SignBird's history.



The journey for SignBird has always started inside of a billboard company.  I worked as an account executive for a large billboard company.  There needed to be an improvement on the way out of home is being marketed to advertisers.  We were pitching inventory on a four week flight on a digital...for $3,500/slot...but we were using a 15 year old photo to market the premier digital location in out DMA...That is the origin story of SignBird.  SignBird is in 27 states and counting...I'm excited to plan out the future with a phenomenal partner like OutdoorLink.



SignBird and independent out of home companies.



The small to mid-sized independents are one man or one women armies.  They are the real estate person.  They are the sales person.  They are the billing person.  They are doing all of these things...Marketing tends to be on the back burner.  SignBird has positioned itself to be the marketing engine for a billboard company to take advantage of...



Will SignBird remain an independent brand?



SignBird stays the same.  The name's not changing.  I'm not leaving...We just have a fantastic parent company to help us develop new products and services.



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