The India OOH Dilemma—High Visibility, Low Predictability
Reading this article on BMC starts reworking its OOH policy, dead walls maybe allowed for hoardings , triggered me to think deeper. I read that this move by BMC comes after a 6 month hiatus during which the draft policy was put on hold, pending the Bhansale Committee’s report on the Ghatkopar Billboard strategy.
India’s OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising market is a paradox. On one hand, it’s booming—valued at over ₹4,300 crore (approx. USD 520 million) in 2023 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% over the next five years (source: EY-FICCI 2024 Report). On the other hand, it remains one of the most fragmented, under-regulated, and operationally challenging advertising ecosystems in the world.
For C-suite leaders and global marketing executives, India offers scale—but not without navigating chaos. From municipal laws and site ownership ambiguity to creative contextualisation and digital integration, the devil lies in the unseen.
In this edition of Writer’s Vault, I observe the five most critical imperatives that leaders must understand before investing in OOH advertising in India—not only to capture visibility but to secure strategic impact.
- Decode the Regulatory & Municipal Complexity First
The Good:
India’s metros and emerging cities offer prime, high-traffic visibility zones across airports, highways, transit hubs, and premium commercial corridors. OOH media can serve as a signal of brand credibility—especially in markets where digital trust is low.
The Challenge:
Every city in India has its own municipal by-laws, permissions, and enforcement mechanisms for OOH. What’s legal in Mumbai may be banned in Delhi. Cities like Bengaluru banned rooftop hoardings in 2018. Chennai has ongoing legal challenges on digital LED boards. Smaller cities often operate without a clear regulatory roadmap.
Executive Insight:
Build your OOH roadmap city by city—not as a national roll-out. Collaborate with local legal consultants and city-level OOH specialists. Have your agency partner vet licenses, clearances, and indemnity clauses—don’t rely solely on the media owner’s word.
C-Suite Checkpoint: Before approving your media plan, ask:
“Do we have verified legal documentation for every site and format in this city?”
- Plan for Fragmentation: Vendor Ecosystem is Disjointed by Design
The Good:
India has over 3,000 OOH media owners—offering brands deep regional penetration and competitive rates. This is especially valuable in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where local vendors often have exclusive rights to high-footfall junctions.
The Challenge:
This abundance of vendors translates to non-standard media quality, inconsistent pricing, and opaque reporting. There’s no centralised buying exchange or media verification authority in most regions. National OOH campaigns may require dealing with 15-20 vendors individually.
Executive Insight:
Use a master OOH aggregator agency that maintains audited relationships with local vendors but can guarantee execution uniformity. Set strict SLAs for media quality, photographic evidence, timestamp verification, and wear-and-tear monitoring.
Case Insight:
I heard, when launching in Uttar Pradesh, global electronics brand used a three-tier vendor model—central strategy, regional execution partner, and a third-party audit agency. This reduced post-campaign disputes substantially versus their previous OOH campaigns.
- Creative Intelligence is Not Optional—It’s Everything
The Good:
OOH in India has very high dwell time in urban traffic. The average commuter in Mumbai spends 1.5 to 2 hours daily in transit. For formats like traffic signals, flyovers, and metro stations, this gives OOH high attention share—if executed well.
The Challenge:
Most OOH creatives in India are repurposed from digital or TV, which results in poor engagement. Fonts are unreadable, CTAs are irrelevant, and context is ignored. Add to this the linguistic and cultural diversity—India has 22 official languages and 400+ spoken dialects.
Executive Insight:
Invest in geo-localized creative development. Run micro-adaptations of the core visual in 3 to 4 regional languages. Use urban cues—weather, festivals, cricket, local lingo—to create contextual cut-through.
Real Example:
During ICC Cricket World Cup, Dream11 ran creatives like “Toss ke baad bhi game paltega”—tied to both cricket and the app’s functionality. The regional twist in each city created high social media buzz—bridging offline visibility with online virality.
C-Suite Tip:
Don’t just ask for “creative options”—ask:
“How are we designing for context, dwell time, and cultural resonance in each zone?”
- Measurement & ROI Must Be Re-engineered, Not Assumed
The Good:
Digital OOH (DOOH) is rising in India—across airports, malls, and premium metro corridors. With DOOH, dynamic content, day-parting, and audience targeting can now be layered in.
The Challenge:
India still lacks standardised, credible measurement for traditional OOH. Most vendors provide post-installation images and footfall assumptions. There’s little scientific attribution to impact unless triangulated with tech or a third-party agency.
Executive Insight:
Integrate mobility analytics, geofencing tools, and mobile location data to map exposure. Partner with ad-tech platforms like Lemma, Moving Walls, or AdOnMo for DOOH measurement. Where possible, conduct pre-post brand lift studies using exposed and control groups. I hear that a fintech firm used location-linked QR codes on airport DOOH. By tracking scans and downstream app installs, they attributed between 10% to 20% of monthly sign-ups to DOOH—a key metric that may have secured future CMO investment.
C-Suite Checkpoint:
Ask your team:
“Can we clearly connect this OOH investment to business metrics—awareness, footfall, or digital conversion?”
- DOOH + Mobile = The Future Growth Engine
The Good:
India has over 1.2 billion mobile subscribers, with over 750 million smartphones. When OOH integrates with mobile retargeting and programmatic media, it can generate cross-channel lift.
The Challenge:
DOOH penetration is still less than 5% of total OOH inventory in India. Even where DOOH exists (malls, airports), dynamic content capabilities are underused. Many advertisers use DOOH like static boards—missing real-time potential.
Executive Insight:
Use DOOH not just as a screen—but as a trigger. Combine it with mobile data signals & maybe retarget exposed. Explore moment marketing—weather, traffic, IPL scores, or festival-specific bursts.
Global Playbook Applied in India:
I recall that PepsiCo ran a monsoon-led campaign in Mumbai—DOOH ads were triggered only when rainfall exceeded 5mm. The synergy between weather, mood, and messaging boosted cold drink sales by 16% in select zones (Source: Kinetic India Case Study).
C-Suite Tip:
Push for a Dynamic DOOH Strategy—not static exposure. Ask:
“How are we using programmatic DOOH to create time-relevant, high-emotion, high-conversion moments?”
Reflection — India’s OOH Landscape Rewards the Informed, Punishes the Generic
OOH in India is not plug-and-play. It is a complex but potentially transformative channel for visibility, credibility, and local market dominance. But it rewards leaders who ask the right questions, push for contextual strategy, and demand real measurement.
For the C-suite evaluating this medium, consider OOH not as a cost centre but as a strategic capital investment. It builds brand legitimacy in physical environments, complements digital narratives, and if done right—creates trust at scale.
I’d wrap this up with an Executive Summary —
- Legal Readiness – Are all sites cleared legally and municipally, city by city?
- Vendor Control – Do we have quality benchmarks and verified vendors?
- Creative Contextualisation – Is our message hyper-local, timely, and culturally fluent?
- Measurable Impact – Can we track outcomes beyond eyeballs?
- Tech Synergy – Are we integrating DOOH with mobile and digital ecosystems?
Ask the right questions and hoping this read has been useful.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Extending beyond academia; Ankoor has been honoured with the "CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE 2024" award by Passion Vista and recognized as the "MAN OF EXCELLENCE, 2024" by the prestigious Indian Achievers' Award. Additionally, he received the "LEADER 2.0 AWARD, 2023" from adgully and was named a "DIGITAL KAIZEN LEADER by DigiAdCon 2024”, Dr. Dasguupta's contributions to the field of marketing are widely acclaimed, marking him as an inspiring thought leader in his domain. Ankoor is also a member of IMA India’s CMO Forum.
Most recently Dr. Dasguupta has been selected and felicitated with the national level award -Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Inspiration Award 2024 in the category Youth Icon of the Year.
Dr. Dasguupta is a key member of the esteemed International CMO Council and keeps delivering lectures at top Business Schools and also colleges at University of Delhi. As an industry expert, Ankoor has also been a member of the interview panel at MICA for their PGP Group Exercise & Personal Interview PI process for PGDM-C/PGDM selection for two consecutive years. Dr. Dasguupta is also on the Advisory Board of the Marketing Department at ISBR Business School, Bangalore. Recognized by DMA Asia as a marketing Ace, Dr. Dasguupta is a LinkedIn Top Voice, advocate of social impact, driven by kaizen, Ankoor believes in the power of Energy and Energize
Dr. Ankoor is practicing his PCC (Level 2) coaching from the gold standard International Coaching Federation [ICF]. He is a people's person and has worked across functions in senior leadership positions in marketing, advertising, media & communication with a pedigree of 24 years and ongoing exciting journey. Trained from Dale Carnegie in Mentoring to Develop Talent, Ankoor is a marketing practitioner, a coach, a knowledge manager, a team builder, a thought-leader, an avid writer with close to 100 published articles / interviews and is a Thought Leader. Dr.Ankoor wears the hat of a CMO as well. His leisure pursuits are reading, effective listening and percussion. Follow Dr. Ankoor Dasguupta on LinkedIn| https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankoordasguupta/
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