US OOH Media Buying Houses Merge

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

Two of the oldest and well-respected out-of-home media leaders have joined forces to create what they claim is the largest, independently-owned, out-of-home media buying service in the U.S.

Out of Home America, East Hartford, Connecticut, has acquired Wilkins Media, Atlanta, Georgia, fusing the out-of-home media capabilities of both shops and forming a leading team in the industry.

“Out of Home America is thrilled to be combining with Wilkins Media to fully realize the growth opportunities available in the out-of-home advertising industry, including digital technology, new measurement systems, and add-on acquisitions,” says Jon Selame, OOHA/Wilkins president and CEO. “Our clients are served by the strongest team of out-of-home media specialists in the industry today, along with the industry’s most sophisticated research and measurement technologies.”

Selame says that the combined agencies boast proprietary digital, mobile, and traditional media tools for an industry that includes millions of advertising units.

Daniel Wilkins, who was CEO of Wilkins Media Company, now leads the combined firm’s digital out-of-home division, n2Media LLC, which focuses on the planning and integration of digital, placed-based, mobile and social media programs.

Agency management says that clients of OOHA/Wilkins will benefit from the expanded media planning/buying and strategic planning resources of the new firm.

“The need for sophisticated planning and buying tools in delivering results through out-of-home media is critical,” says Dana Burleson, senior vice-president, research. “OOHA/Wilkins is one of the very few firms that have made a hefty investment in the latest research tools.”

OOHA is enjoying its strongest year in its 30-year history. Wilkins, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, has seen growth as well, with a coast-to-coast presence in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and New York.

“Out-of-home media is significantly under-utilized relative to traditional media formats,” says Tom Flood, senior vice-president of business development for OOHA/Wilkins. “As traditional media continues to fragment, the services of an out-of-home specialist will become increasingly critical to successful execution of a media plan.”

Lisa Weaver, senior vicepresident, client service, says, “The proof is in client retention, where our client relationship averages more than 10 years. The merger of these two client service-centric organizations provides our client partners increased access to customized media planning, leading research, digital out-of-home capabilities and our 50 years of OOH experience.”

Wilkins Media, an award winning media agency, and OOHA have developed best-in-class marketing initiatives for nearly 50 years. The two agencies have served every industry vertical and operate through dedicated industry coverage teams. The senior team is comprised of industry leaders in the fields of research and measurement, digital out-of-home, and non-traditional media formats. OOHA/Wilkins client base serves many of the leading advertising agencies as well as a number of the fastest growing Fortune 100 brands.


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