With much of the marketing world focused on artificial intelligence and the latest developments in martech and adtech, innovation within traditional media channels can sometimes go unnoticed. Yet it was precisely this evolution that took centre stage at the first CMO Assembly, a new initiative by the Malaysian Advertisers Association curated exclusively for its members.
The gathering brought together senior marketers, agencies, media owners and technology providers to explore how out-of-home (OOH) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising are evolving through better data, smarter planning tools and new campaign approaches.
More than a technical discussion, the session created a platform for candid conversations on how brands can adopt emerging methodologies to integrate outdoor media more effectively into today’s marketing mix — while also examining what capabilities the industry will need in the future.
Opening the session, Claudian Navin Stanislaus, President of the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), said, “The CMO Assembly is the latest of MAA’s knowledge-sharing platforms, curated to help bridge the gap between research, technology, media expertise, and brands. It is meant to create a conducive space for open, balanced conversations that allow for better understanding across all sides.”
“MAA hopes to create more opportunities for marketers to hear different perspectives and gain exposure to expertise beyond the usual boundaries of our industry; expertise that may well hold practical value for marketing and advertising. In a landscape that is evolving quickly and blurring lines by the day, what feels like ‘rocket science’ today could easily become part of the marketer’s everyday toolkit tomorrow.”
Navin said, “OOH and DOOH are strong examples of how traditional media continues to evolve through data, technology, and new approaches to campaign thinking. At a time when so much attention is placed on the newest trends and emerging media opportunities, it is equally important to recognise that transformation is happening across the wider media landscape, and brands need to stay alert to it.”
Among the presentations at the session was a demonstration by Karan Chhabra of Virtual Retale, who shared how platforms such as PLAYDOOH are enabling advertisers to plan outdoor campaigns using aggregated data across outdoor, retail, transit and indoor digital screens.
He noted that tools like these represent one of several approaches currently being explored by the industry to better understand audience reach and campaign performance.
“Today, planners may receive different reach figures for the same site depending on the source of data,” he said. “What technology can do is provide additional layers of information — such as traffic data and anonymised mobile signals — to help advertisers make more informed decisions when planning campaigns.”
The platform uses traffic counts from monitoring points along major roads and highways, combined with anonymised mobile data, to estimate audience volumes and profiles. All data is processed in accordance with Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010, with no personally identifiable information disclosed.
Beyond technology, speakers at the assembly also highlighted the continued role of outdoor media in delivering scale and credibility for brands.
Hussain Bin Karim Ally, Head of Marketing at Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad, said OOH remains an important complement to both in-store and digital campaigns.
“Digital may dominate budgets, but OOH is still the right platform to get real eyeballs and brand visibility beyond the store,” he said. “Retailers like Mydin focus heavily on in-store and social media, but outdoor extends that reach into everyday life, where attention is less fragmented.
“From a marketing standpoint, every ringgit must show ROI, and when OOH is measured properly, it amplifies digital and delivers impact at scale.”
Industry figures shared during the session indicated that OOH remains the second-largest advertising medium in Malaysia after digital, with annual spending exceeding RM800 million.
Another topic discussed was the growing integration between outdoor media and digital ecosystems.
Melinder Virk, Head of GrabAds Malaysia at Grab, said advertisers are increasingly connecting city screens with mobile engagement to create a more seamless consumer journey.
“DOOH remains highly relevant because it delivers scale and visibility in the physical world,” she said. “Through GrabAds, we’re seeing how brands can extend that impact by connecting city screens with the Grab ecosystem — from vehicles on the road to engagement within the app.”
While the CMO Assembly is the third event organised by the MAA in 2026 so far, the association is already working with subject matter experts and strategic partners to curate several more sessions, which will be announced on its LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/malaysianadvertisers/ ) in the coming weeks.
Navin added that the association welcomes collaboration and partnerships across research, innovation, and technology, both from within the industry and beyond, for those keen to contribute to the initiative moving forward.
He said, “We want these sessions to be more thoughtfully curated, more personal, and above all more relevant; giving brands and their custodians a space to exchange ideas openly about what is already working, what innovations are beginning to emerge, and what capabilities marketers will need for the road ahead.”