Static, Digital, and Measurement That’s “Poorly Understood” (with Premesh Purayil) | Ep. 32

Halloween costumes, bunny ears, and a candid take on out-of-home set the stage as Greg Wise and Charlie Riley welcome Premesh Purayil, CTO at OUTFRONT Media. Prem shares how he “actively avoided out-of-home” for years, then—after a three-month audit—shifted from “non-believer” to “hardcore believer.” He points to measurement that already exists but is “poorly understood,” the reality that the industry is still “bought, not sold,” and why digital and static share the same core measurement tech. The conversation covers CTV-era parallels, fragmentation, and the gap between “time and space” selling versus outcomes. Prem explains OUTFRONT’s AWS work—leapfrogging “phone calls and emails and pigeons”—and why modern buyers burn the channel with tiny, unmeasured tests. He argues for consistent measurement, education, and IRL experiences you “can’t skip,” tying it to enterprise brand solutions, cultural moments, and a foundation that makes transacting “easier” and “more connected.”ㅤ👤 Guest BioPremesh Purayil is CTO at OUTFRONT Media with “about 20 years” in ad tech and software engineering. He cut his teeth in online media—early programmatic and header bidding—worked as CTO at Freestar, consulted, then joined OUTFRONT after auditing the stack and the perception gap around measurement, audience, and transactions in out-of-home.ㅤ📌 What We CoverThe journey from “actively avoid[ing] out-of-home” to “hardcore believer” in three monthsWhy digital out-of-home gets confused with “CTV out-of-home” (Atmosphere, Gas Station TV, Reach TV) vs. digital signageStatic vs. digital: same core measurement tech, different limitations and advantages—plus street furniture and experiential“Bought, not sold”: selling “time and space” vs. selling solutions aligned to outcomesSmall, self-serve buys that don’t scale, no pixels, and why unmeasured tests burn the channelAWS partnership and an agentic step to “leapfrog” manual buying (beyond “phone calls and emails and pigeons”)Measurement fragmentation, GeoPath’s next iteration, and the need for a defacto standardEducation and exposure: from Adweek presence to changing perception outside out-of-homeIRL value you “can’t skip”: enterprise brand solutions, building wraps at the Super Bowl, drone shows, and the Severance activationFixing the foundation first; then programmatic/digital “fun ad tech things” as OUTFRONT gets “easier to transact with and more connected”ㅤ🔗 Resources MentionedOUTFRONT MediaPremesh PurayilAWS (mentioned)GeoPath (mentioned)LiveRamp “RampUp” (mentioned)Adweek (mentioned)Atmosphere TV; Gas Station TV; Reach TV (mentioned)HubSpot (mentioned)Apple’s Severance activation (mentioned)ㅤLow-Tech, High-Impact Account-Based MarketingIf you’re ready to trade expensive, tech-heavy account-based marketing for a repeatable, revenue-driving ABM program, check out Scrappy ABM. Led by a team of Scrappy ABM experts, they specialize in low-budget plays and programs that deliver high impact—no shiny tools required. Scrappy ABM has built account-based programs that have delivered millions in revenue, and you can build your first successful ABM program with their help.Start with a pilot program or launch an account-based podcast. Learn more at scrappyabm.com. Let's get scrappy.