Introduction

‍Scaling out-of-home (OOH) campaigns globally is rarely straightforward, and Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) bring their own challenges: intense urbanization, high expectations for cultural authenticity, and digitally fast-moving audiences. What resonates in the US or Europe may miss the mark here. That’s why billups blends global scale with local smarts, offering a unified approach that delivers consistency, speed, and impact in Australia and New Zealand. In this article, our ANZ Directors and subject matter experts, Ben Poole, Rohan Prasad, and Nicci Loudon share how we make it happen from brief to measurement.

Key Takeaways

• ANZ's urban density and high digital OOH penetration require campaigns that are hyper-targeted and culturally relevant.
  
• billups' unique model bridges global strategy and local insight, offering seamless execution across markets.
  
• Deep local expertise ensures campaigns avoid clichés and embrace formats and placements that truly resonate.
  
• Transparent measurement and real-time campaign optimization tools are key differentiators.
  
• Trust, collaboration, and tailored execution underpin every successful OOH launch in ANZ.
  
  

Table of Contents

1. The Challenge of Scaling OOH Globally: Why ANZ Is Unique
   
2. The billups Way: One Team, One Brief, Global Reach
   
3. Step 1: Initial Brief and Discovery
   
4. Step 2: Strategy and Planning
   
5. Step 3: Creative Development
   
6. Step 4: Execution and Activation
   
7. Step 5: Measurement and Optimization
   
8. Ready to Scale Smarter in ANZ?
   

The Challenge of Scaling OOH Globally: Why ANZ Is Unique

‍ANZ is among the most urbanized and digitally engaged regions in the world. Over 86% of Australians and 84% of New Zealanders live in cities, and OOH reaches 97% of Australians weekly and 80% of urban New Zealanders daily. Digital OOH now accounts for more than 75% of sector revenue, enabling dynamic, localized creative execution.

Yet the market isn't without its hurdles. Brands are under pressure to deliver more with less, and fast turnarounds are hefty. Local regulations and supplier ecosystems can trip up international clients unfamiliar with the terrain.

The billups Way: One Team, One Brief, Global Reach

‍billups entered ANZ in earnest with the 2024 acquisition of Billie Media, a two-person NZ agency founded by Ben Poole and Rohan Prasad, supercharging its local footprint with broad expertise and tech-led solutions. Since then, revenue in ANZ has grown 72% in the first full year under billups, proving the value of its “locally led, globally connected” model.

With a unified brief, the global strategy is tailored by ANZ veterans who understand the audience, culture, and logistics. No need to reinvent the wheel for each campaign. It’s alignment at scale with local nuance baked in.

Step 1: Initial Brief and Discovery

‍It starts with digging in. "It's always a bit of a balance," says Poole. "You learn really quickly what the non-negotiables are within a brief, and then the areas that you can have a little more sway and provide additional insight or context based on your knowledge of the market."

Prasad adds, "Whilst clients are dealing with us in the local market, we are connected to our equivalent overseas who are experts. We can filter through and work out the things that matter to the client, but equally the people on the ground doing the planning are the ones who understand the key nuances and the particular role OOH is playing for their brand."

Step 2: Strategy and Planning

‍Planning flows from rich data and hyper-local insight. With digital OOH and dynamic-enabled screens dominating the market, planning should pull on the world in which the campaign is set; community & suburban influence, patterns in movement based on time & weather, or events in those locations that brands can leverage & take advantage of.

"The more bespoke you can be to each market, the better," says Poole. "That sometimes gets missed."

Common Missteps When Launching in ANZ

• Assuming one-size-fits-all messaging will work
  
• Focusing only on flagship locations like the Opera House or International Airports
  
• Underestimating regional audiences outside major metros
  
• Treating Australia and New Zealand as interchangeable markets
  

Step 3: Creative Development

‍Consistency with local flavour is non-negotiable. As Prasad shares, "Everyone wants the Opera House. It's iconic, sure, but we've found that the real magic happens when brands let go of the postcard and lean into placements their audience actually sees. That’s when campaigns move from predictable to powerful."

Step 4: Execution and Activation 

billups uses a standardized briefing template for media owners, paired with the agility and precision of the local team, for smooth logistics and tight turnarounds. Their full-service platform synchronizes planning, creative, media buying, and measurement across the region.

Nicci Loudon recalls a time when this value was obvious. "We managed a campaign for an Australian brand looking to scale globally for the first time who didn’t know where to start. The activity spanned five international markets, with each activation needing to align to a specific event in terms of timing, location, and audience.

The brief required coordination with more than 30+ media owner partners. By tapping into our on-the-ground teams in each market, we streamlined the entire process from briefing and planning through to implementation. Local expertise was key in identifying the most effective formats and environments to reach the audience and event locations, while navigating the nuances of each market.

This process can often be highly labor-intensive, but we managed all the logistics behind the scenes, consolidating everything into a single, holistic media recommendation and handling activation end-to-end across all markets from our team in Australia, ultimately giving the client and agency valuable time back."

Step 5: Measurement and Optimization

‍Transparency meets performance. "The real benefit for us," explains Poole, "is to be able to plan more effectively based on a brief, and then once we build the asset mix and put forward a campaign, we update the client with regularity to tell them exactly how many people the campaign is reaching based on mobile device data."

Prasad emphasizes, "With the suite of tools ahead of us, we want to add much more robustness, so not just estimate reach, but to report on on-campaign delivery versus expected, and create a cadence that lets you use those insights on your next campaign."

Ready to Scale Smarter in ANZ?

‍Launching OOH campaigns in Australia and New Zealand doesn’t have to feel foreign. billups offers a proven blend of global strategy, hyper-local execution, strong tech, and measurable outcomes. Want to elevate your campaign with clarity and cultural resonance?

Contact our ANZ team to get started.