Love or hate it: WOO lays bare the good and the bad of OOH creativity
The debate over creativity in out-of-home (OOH) advertising is gaining fresh momentum across the global industry. As concerns grow that creativity is being increasingly diluted, OOH—often described as the “last broadcast medium”—is once again challenging the global creative community to fully embrace its unique strengths and real-world impact.
Just months after Tim Bleakley, Chairman of Ocean Group, issued his rallying call to “Make Outdoor Creative Again (#MOCA),” the World Out of Home Organization has reignited the conversation with a deliberately polarising message: love it or hate it. The intention is clear—to confront both the promise and the pain points of OOH creativity head-on, rather than celebrating its potential without acknowledging its constraints.
At the centre of this initiative are two internationally recognised creative figures, Katy Hopkins and Dino Burbidge, invited by the World Out of Home Organization to present contrasting but complementary perspectives on working with OOH.
Katy Hopkins is one of the most awarded creatives in the industry, with accolades from Cannes Lions, D&AD and The One Show. She has also been named by Campaign as one of the top 30 female creative trailblazers shaping the industry for the better. Hopkins is a firm believer in the power of strong ideas, regardless of the medium in which they appear. That philosophy has seen her deliver work across a wide range of platforms and brand experiences, including projects featured in Time magazine’s list of the world’s top 50 inventions.
From her perspective, OOH holds a unique emotional and creative appeal. “OOH is my advertising crush,” she says. “TV can be sexy and social can be cool, but there is something totally wonderful about seeing your work in the real world.” For Hopkins, the physical presence of OOH—and its ability to intersect directly with everyday life—remains unmatched by any other medium.
Offering a more critical counterbalance is Dino Burbidge, an independent consultant who works with OOH clients to develop and deliver innovative campaigns. With a background spanning advertising, creativity, marketing, technology and strategy, Burbidge is known for his ability to connect disciplines and solve complex problems others often overlook. A multiple award winner in OOH, he is also a vocal advocate for the medium within the wider creative industries and a regular speaker on the international circuit. He currently serves as Creative-in-Residence at the World Out of Home Organization and President of the Pikasso d’Or Awards.
Burbidge is unequivocal about OOH’s strengths, but equally candid about its shortcomings. “Let’s not beat around the bush—OOH is an awesome creative medium to work in,” he says. “That said, it definitely has its issues too.” From operational complexity to inconsistent evaluation frameworks and the under-recognition of creative contribution, he argues that the medium still faces structural challenges that must be addressed if it is to realise its full creative potential.
Industry reaction to the dual perspectives has been largely positive. OOH media consultant Ron Graham described the pairing as both motivating and instructive. In his view, Hopkins’ role was to highlight the undeniable creative upside of OOH, while Burbidge provided a practical guide to the pitfalls creatives need to learn from. Taken together, Graham said, the “do’s and don’ts” offer a powerful stimulus for better, braver OOH creativity heading into 2026.
Tim Bleakley added his own contextual example to the discussion, pointing to the medium’s unique ability to deliver timely, location-specific messages. He suggested that if Specsavers had run a “Welcome to Sydney” message at Heathrow Airport aimed at the returning England cricket team, it would have perfectly demonstrated the power of contextual relevance in OOH. The comment underscored how precision in timing and place can elevate OOH creativity beyond what other media can realistically achieve.
Neil Morris, an innovator and entrepreneur in digital OOH creative services, also welcomed the initiative, describing the insights as a useful primer on OOH creativity—from the conventional to the more outlandish. He echoed Burbidge’s concern about the lack of robust creative evaluation, noting that creative effectiveness is often only acknowledged when work wins awards—a sample size he described as “hardly useful.” According to Morris, pre-campaign quality assurance metrics for OOH creative are either non-existent or overly subjective, reinforcing the need for more rigorous and objective assessment tools.
By putting these perspectives into the open, the World Out of Home Organization is actively inviting the global creative community to respond—whether in agreement or dissent. What do these arguments get right? What is missing? And what needs to change?
Whether loved or criticised, OOH remains a medium capable of delivering creativity at scale, in public, and in context. The current debate suggests that its future as a true creative canvas will depend not just on bold ideas, but on the industry’s willingness to confront its own limitations and evolve accordingly.