billups' EMEA CEO James McEwan and managing director UK Nick Bell, examine the current state of out of home (OOH) advertising and how its role is evolving as demands for data and optimised performance increase. They look at how media buyers' requirements are evolving, as well as scaling in the UK market.

From your view across EMEA, how is the role of OOH evolving, especially as performance becomes the default expectation across channels?

James: Arguably the oldest of advertising mediums, OOH has always been an important communication channel, albeit previously in the shadow of more measurable peers. I believe the COVID pandemic reminded everyone just how important our cityscapes – spending time and being engaged within them – are to all of us. I believe we’re witnessing a resurgence in, and redefinition of, what OOH touchpoints mean to marketers. In today’s communication world, increasingly focused on accountability, data, and provable impact, what excites me most is that thanks to increasing measurement and attribution capabilities within the medium, OOH finally has a seat at the performance table, and it's long overdue.

Why is now the right time to scale billups in the UK market? What made this moment, and this region, so critical?

James: Timing matters. We saw a gap; brands want audience engagement that’s creative and accountable. They’re hungry for a partner who understands both the art and the science of OOH. With the rise of programmatic, audience data, and smarter tools like audrai, the conditions were right.

Culturally, we’re seeing a mindset shift in EMEA; marketers want more from their media mix. We have been developing a raft of innovations that will truly and finally modernise OOH for the performance age – from creative iteration and planning, through buying, attribution and conversion. We are the world’s largest independent OOH technology and managed services company for a reason, and our value and offerings are only getting stronger.

Nick: The move from being Mediabridge to billups was an evolution. We already had a strong brand and a talented team, but billups brought the global scale, a wider variety of tech, and a performance mindset that feels right for rising expectations. Many UK advertisers aren’t just after brand awareness anymore, they want results too. With billups, we’re giving them both: planning insight that ensures campaigns cut through, and data that backs it up.

How do you marry the creative power of OOH with the increasing demand for data, attribution and ROI?

James: OOH’s strength has always been its visual impact, but impact alone isn’t enough anymore. What we’re doing at billups is bridging that emotional connection with analytical rigour. It’s about turning creative storytelling across our cityscapes into quantifiable outcomes using our patented measurement and attribution capabilities. When you can show a client that a stunning campaign drove real uplift, you elevate the entire OOH channel.

Nick: It used to be a case of clients believing they could only have either/or: beautifully executed activations with memorable creative, or measurable media. We’re proving it can be both. Our campaigns fuse dynamic content with real-time audience data, and the results are undeniable. The blend of insight, execution, and creative confidence is where modern OOH excels.

When it comes to market execution, what are media planners and buyers asking for today that they weren’t 12 months ago?

Nick: Two words: accountability and agility. Buyers aren’t satisfied with post-campaign wrap-ups anymore; they want real-time visibility, predictive tools, and the ability to pivot fast. We’re being asked, ‘Can you optimise mid-flight? Can you prove uplift by postcode?’ That’s where our tech stack, and frankly our people, make the difference. The bar has been raised, and we’re embracing it.

What’s a bold prediction you’d make about the future of OOH? What are others underestimating?

James: The bold bet? OOH will become the most trusted medium in our messaging-saturated world. Its physicality, centred in those trusted environments where we come to work, travel, and play, means it represents a brand-safe, high-attention – and now increasingly measurable – medium of choice. billups is closing the loop with attribution and delivering business performance that will become a model for how OOH is built in the future. The underestimation? That the real power of OOH isn’t just scale – it’s outcomes.

What’s one thing media buyers, planners, or brand leads should start doing differently when it comes to OOH?

Nick: Treat OOH like you would other media, especially digital. Demand transparency, test performance, question and learn. But also lean into its strengths. OOH has cultural currency that no banner ad ever will. The smartest marketers today are fusing tech with texture and using location, data, and storytelling together. That’s the performance age of OOH. And it’s already here.