Interim Chief Executive Officer & Director, Outfront Media
Search every verified Nicolas Brien interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. At the 2025 OOH Media Conference, Nick Brien, Interim CEO of OUTFRONT Media, discussed the state and potential of out-of-home (OOH) advertising. He stated that the medium faces ongoing frustrations from its members, including a lack of scale, complexity, and poor measurement)Skip. Brien argued that OOH has an opportunity to differentiate itself from competitors by focusing on "reach and influence" rather than simply doing things better. He noted that top brand advertisers spend $67 billion annually on linear TV and cable, and suggested that a small increase in OOH's share could significantly shift spending away from traditional media. Brien also addressed broader industry trends, stating that AI is eroding trust and that Gen Z is increasingly seeking less time on devices and platforms, which he described as a significant opportunity for "real life marketing." He cited a projected $380 billion global creator economy by 2027 and noted that 60% of TikTok users are more likely to trust a brand after hearing about it from a creator. Brien emphasized that OOH can own the "real universe" where most businesses and consumer shopping occur, positioning the medium as a place where culture and brand trust are formed.
“AI is eroding trust, which builds on the fact that we had a Gen Z who have been increasingly wanting to spend less time with their devices and more less time with access to the platforms because we're seeing toxic echo chambers online. This is a significant opportunity for us in real life marketing.”
“An increased focus on operational efficiency and short-term performance tactics over mid- to long-term potential has cost the world's most valuable brands three and a half trillion USD in cumulative brand value equating to $200 million of lost revenue.”
“Unilever will switch to a social first advertising model, increasing media spend on social channels from about 30% to 50% of their budget and working with 20 times more influencers, reflecting that modern consumers are suspicious of traditional corporate messaging.”
“The global creator economy is projected to be worth $380 billion by 2027, and creators are highly influential, with 60% of TikTok users more likely to trust a brand after hearing about it directly from a creator via a standard post.”
“Top brand advertisers are spending $67 billion this year on paid linear TV and cable, and if we increase our share by just one percentage point, we can significantly shift the needle away from these traditional media.”
“Mark Zuckerberg can own the metaverse, but we are going to own the real universe where 80% of businesses are in real life and 90% of consumer shopping is in real stores. We own collectively the last water coolers on earth where culture is shaped and trust and loyalty to brands is born.”
“We are in the business of reach and influence. Influence is the ability to command attention. Our great sites, great experiences, and transit all have the opportunity to create attention, relevance, messaging, immediacy, and most importantly, trust.”
“The biggest frustrations for our 1,265 members are lack of scale, complexity in all aspects, and poor measurement. These ongoing frustrations with this medium cause us to suffer as a consequence.”
“The level of scale towards platforms and AI decision-making on who to target, how to plan, activate, create, measure, optimize, and even billing is moving so fast. Major tech companies are deciding to spend between three and 400 billion dollars on AI development over the next five years.”
“You can't look at the competition and say we're going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say we're going to do it differently. We can because we are in the business of reach and influence.”
Nick Brien, Interim CEO of OUTFRONT Media, took the stage to spotlight out of home's unmatched ability to drive brand impact, ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Nicolas Brien.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →