Oricom Honored with Yoshida Hideo Memorial Award for Advancing OOH Measurement Standards

Oricom Co., Ltd. has announced that members of its organization have been honored with the 61st Yoshida Hideo Memorial Award (Group Award), presented by the Japan Advertising Agencies Association (JAAA), for their contribution to the “OOH New Common Measurement Standard Development Project.”

The Yoshida Hideo Memorial Award, established in 1964, recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of Japan’s advertising industry. It commemorates Yoshida Hideo, the former president of Dentsu, who played a pivotal role in modernizing the sector and elevating its professional standards.

Launched in January 2021, the OOH measurement project set out to establish industry-wide standardized metrics to quantify the advertising value of out-of-home media. The initiative emerged in response to structural challenges within Japan’s OOH market, including the absence of audience-based reach metrics, fragmented media formats, and shifting mobility patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking a comprehensive approach, the project addressed the full measurement ecosystem—from defining key performance indicators to developing scalable methodologies and building a sustainable operational and funding framework. Stakeholder coordination across media owners, agencies, and research firms was a central component of its execution.

The initiative led to the formation of a preparatory committee in April 2023, involving 12 companies, and culminated in the establishment of the Japan OOH Measurement Association (JOAA) in September 2025, with 13 participating organizations including Video Research.

Industry observers view the development as a landmark step for Japan’s OOH sector, providing a unified foundation for planning, trading, and evaluating campaigns in an increasingly data-driven media environment.

Three Oricom executives—Mitsuro Okamoto, Masahiro Yamamoto, and Akihiro Furusawa—were recognized as part of the project team.

Oricom stated it will continue to support cross-industry initiatives aimed at strengthening the long-term value and sustainability of the advertising ecosystem.