It was fun to sit down with Ian Dallimore, Vice President of Digital Growth & GM of Programmatic at the Lamar Advertising Company. Ian is also the host of the Digital and Dirt Podcast, where he interviews thought leaders and influencers in the advertising and media space.
Lamar, long known for its billboards, has transitioned to digital, offering real-time, audience-based buying, integrating with partners such as The Trade Desk, and Ian is clearly excited by the potential for creativity and advertising effectiveness. Our conversation addresses the power of programmatic outdoor advertising and highlights the importance of creative flexibility, real-time data integration, and the rise of QR codes and augmented reality. We also discuss the challenges of maintaining relevance and the ethical considerations in outdoor advertising, such as contextual sensitivity and community respect.
Discussion points include:
- How Lamar collects data and can target specific audiences more accurately than traditional media.
- The ability to overlay consumer journeys on large screens and Lamar’s partnership with IBM Watson and ESPN.
- The evolution of creative flexibility, including real-time data integration and dynamic creative changes.
- The importance of keeping placements fresh to avoid creative burnout and maintain consumer engagement.
- Best practices for deploying QR codes, emphasizing the importance of context and demographics.
- The “halo effect” of outdoor placements on overall response rates.
- How brands are realizing the value of consistent creative across different media.
- The importance of device ID passback and retargeting consumers exposed to out-of-home ads.
- The challenges of advertising in certain markets and the need to respect community sensitivities.
- The need for education in the industry to dispel misconceptions about programmatic advertising.
