Q: Tim, you started at QMS in February very keen to continue your OOH journey. Five months in, what’s been your focus?

TM: I love the product and the people in out of home (OOH), so it was a no brainer for me to jump at an opportunity to be a part of an amazing business like QMS with its laser focus on being the best in digital out of home (DOOH). I also firmly believe that OOH as an industry is only just starting to really be recognised for its true power. And when you look at the numbers, OOH is THE place to be in media right now and into the future!

Since starting in February, the focus has been looking at how I can help support the sales team further to take advantage of the massive growth and momentum the business has been experiencing. This has meant travelling around most of Australia, and meeting with and listening to our people, partners and customers to identify how we could be the best possible version of ourselves for our clients and partners.

My vision is to have one connected and coordinated sales team that is motivated by delivering the best and most trusted customer service. As a business, we strive to be the leaders driving the digital revolution in OOH. So, for our sales team, we want to be the first point of call when it comes to anything DOOH.

Q: There seems like there has been a lot of growth at QMS – particularly in Sydney – since you started. Was this purposeful? Are there key market focuses for you?

TM: Our recent expansion in Sydney has been part of a very deliberate strategy to expand our reach in Australia’s major media market and give advertisers better balance across our national network. Almost two-thirds of our digital large format expansion is happening in Sydney, with a list of impressive tender wins including the coveted Transport for NSW tender. That win includes one of Sydney’s most sought-after locations on Military Road in Cremorne, not to mention the iconic site on the Warringah Freeway at Crows Nest which is Sydney’s only location to capture that Harbour Bridge traffic.

Our wins also include more premium locations across Sydney with key locations at the Australian Turf Club’s Rosehill Gardens, the Hills Shire Council in Kellyville and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) sites in Sydney’s inner west.

Add to this our world-class City of Sydney digital street furniture network and the opportunity for brands to dominate and reach 92 per cent of the Sydney population each week across premium assets is second to none with QMS. It’s a step change and a share shifter in how OOH should now be planned and bought.

Q: There’s a lot of talk about market compression, and we’re seeing that in SMI numbers. What are you seeing in market at the moment?

TM: The overall media ad market for the first half of 2024 has been tough, reflecting the state of the economy. While OOH is not immune to this downward pressure, what is reassuring to know is that OOH is proving to be one of the most resilient and reimagined media channels. While some other media are down 15 per cent, OOH is only back 1 per cent. That’s a good news story for advertisers and brands who need to influence audiences at scale when other media channels are contracting or being fragmented even further. So, for our industry, while the start of the year was slower than anticipated, there are strong signals of growth for the second half. OOH is in a strong position to withstand the current economic environment and deliver strong results for clients.

Q: More specifically, how is the OOH industry looking from your perspective – short and long term?

TM: The market continues it trend to trading very short term. However, with 95 per cent of our inventory being digital, this plays to QMS’ strengths for brands that want responsive, scalable audience solutions, delivered with immediacy, flexibility and accountability.

We still anticipate OOH revenue will be about $1.3 billion this year, up from $1.2 billion in 2023, and it’s still on track to get to $1.65 billion in 2026. The key drivers of this growth will be the industry’s ongoing digitisation, strategic investment into new assets, data and insights capabilities as well as new creative solutions that are just starting to be fully realised by clients and agencies.

We also have MOVE 2.0 on the horizon which will be an absolute game changer for OOH audience measurement, setting a new benchmark globally. And from what we have seen historically when measurement is bolstered, the confidence it gives advertisers in the medium to deliver real campaign results grows considerably.

Q: What does QMS’ future look like – short and long term?

TM: It’s the same answer for both: strong. We’re growing above the market because of our sharp focus on digital innovation, our strategic asset development – particularly in Sydney – data-led creativity and our investment in new campaign planning and reporting tools that make it easier for clients to plan, buy and report on OOH as part of their omnichannel marketing mix.  

The launch of Performance+ is a great example. It’s the first audience-based reporting tool that provides actual campaign delivery reporting to our clients. It means DOOH can deliver the same levels of campaign accountability as broadcast channels and it’s creating a new level of transparency and trust in the channel. We have already seen more than 100 campaigns utilise Performance+ since we launched nine months ago and with demand increasing, it’s exceeding expectations.

We are also looking forward to sharing more from our partnership with Samba TV in the near future, as we continue to see tremendous uptake from clients. This innovative partnership is allowing advertisers to extend the reach and impact of their TV campaigns with DOOH.

Q: The City of Sydney is almost two years, is it delivering on expectations?

TM: It sure is. We refer to it as the jewel in the crown of Australian OOH, and it absolutely is. It’s ability to influence 90 per cent of the LGAs outside of the City of Sydney highlights its powerful impact. It’s delivering great results for our partners and the demand for the most premium and influential DOOH network in the country continues to expand.

Major events like Vivid Sydney, which has just wrapped up, demonstrate the widespread appeal of the City of Sydney to brands, with over 17 advertisers joining us on the network in the annual celebration of music, lights and art. The first three days of Vivid brought in huge audiences to major precincts, with our City of Sydney Circular Quay assets seeing a 54 per cent uplift in audience on Friday through Sunday.

Q: With the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games just around the corner, things must be ramping up at QMS as the official OOH partners of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams. What have you got instore for clients and audiences?

TM: Sport is part of the DNA of all Australians, and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are going to be a unique opportunity to leverage the influence of OOH, delivering diverse audiences at scale and extending reach in a completely brand-safe environment that is proven to make brands famous.

To celebrate the Games, we have created a bespoke Paris 2024 Digital Screen Network: a data-informed, highly curated national platform sharing the stories of unity and triumph of our athletes, and bringing the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to every corner of Australia. This Australian-first, 100 per cent digital network will reach more than 80 per cent of people aged 18+* and will showcase real time breaking news content before, during and after the Games.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were during Covid, so we have to go back to Rio in 2016 when we last had a “normal” Games. The world has changed a lot since then, as has OOH and DOOH. So, this will be the first time that DOOH has been able to play a huge role in reaching audiences with breaking news, medal moments and tallies, world records and so much more that can be showcased to Australians in real time and on the scale that OOH is famous for. The time zone also plays into our favour, with morning commute times aligning perfectly with overnight medal and sporting finals moments in Paris. That is going to drive increased appeal in OOH as a channel during this time.

Proudly, the network is also powered by 100 per cent GreenPower as part of the sustainability focus of the Paris 2024 Games.

Q: How are clients leveraging this unique network?

TM: Since launching the Paris 2024 Digital Screen Network in April, our partners Toyota, Allianz, Stan and Patties Food Group have leveraged this content opportunity with logo integrations and dynamic brand adjacent placements to maximise the audience reach and attention.

Other Olympic moments that our partners are aligning with on the network include our “Meet the Team” content. This celebrates the athletes who have secured their spot on the Australian team for swimming, football, athletics, paddle, sailing, breaking and more – by putting these Olympic hopefuls up in lights in their local communities, nationally. These content opportunities will amplify further once the Games begin as the network will look to showcase every major story, triumph, heartbreak and medal moments on the journey during and post the Games.

Q: What’s been the commercial upside? Is there still opportunity for brands?

TM: We have just past 30 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Excitement is building as we see more team announcements and our partner content coming to life across our network. Naturally, we are also seeing tactical campaign interest levels rise, as more brands look for opportunities to tap into the spirit of the Games and support our athletes with our unique offering. What this means is that there are still a few last-minute opportunities for brands to get involved and be a part of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic celebrations.

It’s been a terrific commercial success already and the suite of partners confirmed and still to be announced has reaffirmed the power of the Games, and the value in our truly unique proposition. 

Q: What’s next for QMS?

TM: We have a clear ambition around growth and great momentum. And I hope our clients can feel the national focus to being the most connected, coordinated and customer focused sales team we possibly can be. We recently announced we will be opening our first South Australian office led by Amelia Allan. We see a big opportunity in SA that we are yet to fully capitalise on and to get Amelia to head that up for us is another big win, given her industry and market expertise.

Later this year we will also start releasing the first results from our global-first study into attention in OOH conducted in partnership with audience measurement company Amplified Intelligence.

And programmatic DOOH still represents a big opportunity. For us, we see programmatic as another part of the digital evolution enabling us to further adapt to the market changes and the needs of our clients, offering increased immediacy, flexibility and precision.

The future is bright for OOH – and I can’t want to see what the next six months bring.

*MOVE 1.5 2024