OOH for the Performance Age: A New Era of Measureability

Last week, something big happened in the heart of London. billups brought together clients, agencies, and industry partners at the iconic Outernet building for a gathering that marked a new era in Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising.

The event, themed "OOH for the Performance Age," wasn't a product launch or a company showcase. It was a clear statement: the future of OOH is here, and it's measurable, accountable, and intelligent.

From Humble Beginnings to a Global Force

David Krupp, Global CEO of billups, opened with the story of two entrepreneurs, Ben and Heather Billups, launching an OOH specialist from their Portland home in 2003, long before remote work became the norm. With a single client and an unshakable belief in doing things differently, they set out to make OOH more accessible and accountable.

"billups has thrived because brands deserve a global independent who believes in doing things differently," Krupp said. "We’re here because this industry deserves partners who invest in technology and creativity backed by quantifiable measurement. We aim to be that partner, for you, and with you."

Today, with operations in over 20 countries, billups is proving that independence and innovation can scale globally.

Redefining Performance in OOH

During the event, billups leaders and industry partners explored what "performance" means in the modern media landscape. The message was clear: OOH is no longer the passive poster child of traditional media. It's now measurable, actionable, and optimizable.

The conversation covered:

• The rising demand for transparent OOH measurement
  
• The tools bridging OOH and ROI
  
• How analytics and programmatic capabilities are transforming strategy
  

Meet audrai: AI-Powered, Human-Led

Chief Technology Officer Shawn Spooner introduced audrai, billups' new agentic AI system, built from the ground up to speak OOH fluently and intuitively.

"We asked a different question: What if AI could give us our work back? Not the tedious parts. The real work. Creative thinking. Strategic planning. Solving the problems that move our brands forward," Spooner said. "audrai was built to keep our people in that zone of human brilliance."

audrai compresses planning timelines, instantly analyzes creative performance, generates site mockups across lighting and weather conditions, and delivers rapid geospatial insights. Planning cycles have been reduced by up to 50% and proposal preparation time has been reduced by 80% which frees our team to focus on creativity and delivering results.

This isn’t about replacing humans. It's about amplifying them.

The billups Way: Planning, Placement, Performance

James McEwan, CEO, EMEA, tied it all together with “The billups Way,” a three-pillar approach: Planning, Placement, and Performance.

"At billups, our vision is to reinvent OOH planning and placement for the performance age through a crafted and coded blend of human creativity and technological empowerment," said McEwan.

• Planning: Begins with listening, understanding client goals, and using audrai to translate localized audience behavior into meaningful connections.
  
• Placement: Unlocks market value and engagement through local intelligence and seamless execution.
  
• Performance: Builds quantifiable success into every campaign through patented measurement and attribution, turning outcomes into insights and insights into action.
  

"The billups way is more than a process. It’s our philosophy," McEwan added. "It’s adaptive, human, and built to empower bold ideas with precision."

A Panel with Purpose: The Future of OOH

One of the standout moments of the afternoon was the fireside panel led by Nick Bell, Managing Director UK at billups. He was joined by industry thought leaders Lee Baring, Managing Director, The Specialist Works; Jack Chape, Head of Integrated Media, EMEA at PMG; Matthew Semple, Client Managing Director at Medialab; and Hannah Saunders, Business Director at Bicycle, for a forward-looking discussion on data, creativity, and collaboration.

Three takeaways stood out:

1. OOH's Core Strengths Are Still Its Superpowers
   Trust, reach, and physical presence remain unmatched, but now they’re being sharpened by data.
   
2. Performance is No Longer Optional
   With smarter tools and measurement frameworks, OOH is stepping into a new era of accountability.
   
3. OOH Makes Everything Work Harder
   The right placements don’t work alone. They amplify everything around them in a media mix.
   

Bell closed the panel with a powerful message:

"The UK represents one of the most sophisticated and competitive out-of-home markets globally," said Nick Bell, Managing Director UK, billups. "Supporting our presence here with an activation of this significance demonstrates our long-term commitment to technology development that benefits the entire industry, not just in the UK, but across all the markets where we operate."

Closing Thoughts: A Commitment to the Future

As visuals faded and the event wrapped, one thing was clear: the performance age isn’t a tagline. It’s a movement. billups is leading the charge with intelligence, intent, and a human-first mindset.

OOH is no longer just seen. It performs. And it belongs in the center of the modern media strategy.

Check out the dedicated webpage from the “Performance Age of OOH” Event