You Can't Skip a Billboard, Phil Clemas on 10 Years of LUMO
In July 2016, LUMO had no screens, no sites and no customers. Just an idea and two business partners, Phil Clemas and Kent Harrison.
Ten years on, we run 121 digital screens across New Zealand. Phil sat down with Simon Bridges, CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, on episode 32 of the Chamber Business Podcast to talk about how we got here and where we're going next.
Here are five things worth knowing from the conversation.
1. You can't skip us
In a world of ad blockers, skip buttons and endless scrolling, out-of-home is different.
“We are a passive media. We are in the landscape. You can't skip us, you can't channel change, you can't ignore us.”
That's the core of why brands keep coming back to the big screen in the street.
2. Digital has taken over outdoor
When LUMO started, around 30% of New Zealand's out-of-home revenue came from digital screens. Phil puts that at 80% today. Digital has turned a billboard from a weeks-long print-and-paste job into something far more flexible.
“With digital, you can give me an artwork file today and I can have it up in 10 minutes on a screen.”
3. Creative that moves
Digital also opens the door to creative static never could. Phil talks about a car brand that wanted one of its vehicles to appear to drive out of the screen, using subtle animation.
"Our in-house studio, LUMO Labs, builds ideas like this, alongside creative that changes with the time, day or weather."
4. The hard part isn't the technology
Asked about LUMO's biggest challenge, Phil didn't hesitate: regulation. “It tends to be that the first answer is no to a resource consent application.” Building a network means working patiently with councils and communities, site by site.
5. Why we're investing in AI
LUMO bought a smaller digital billboard business last year and is now bedding that in. The next big investment is AI, in people, time and money.
“The AI technology play for us is about gaining more time back, allowing us to be a better supply partner to our clients, allowing us to be more innovative.”
For the roughly 75% of our business that comes through media agencies, and 25% that comes direct, that means faster answers, smarter planning and more time on the ideas that make a campaign work.
A lesson for other founders
Phil's advice is simple: know your gaps and find people to fill them. “I personally prefer to operate with others, with a business partner, not so much on my own.”
Listen to the full episode
The full 23-minute conversation is on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Thanks to Simon Bridges and the Auckland Business Chamber for having us.
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