Darren Greene, Director, PML with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home
There’s growing momentum behind Retail Media in marketing circles driven by the rise of digital networks, instore screens, and the promise of closed-loop measurement. But while much of the current conversation focuses on what happens at the point of sale, we believe there’s just as much value in what happens before it. This is the first in a three-part opinion series exploring the evolving role of Retail OOH Media in shaping consumer decisions across the path to purchase.
In this series, when we talk about Retail Media, we’re referring specifically to Out of Home formats that influence the shopper journey; before, near, and inside the store. It’s the physical, public-facing layer of Retail Media. The kind that connects with people in the real world.
At PML Group, we don’t see this as a trend. We see it as a way of planning. One that follows people as they move, think, and decide – on commutes, in car parks, while grabbing a coffee or planning dinner in their heads. And it’s something we’ve been doing for years. Because brands that show up early and often, well before the checkout, are more likely to be remembered when it counts.
That’s how we approach Retail Media. Using layered data to map shopper journeys, blending mobility and mindset research, and understanding not just where people go but why. Someone heading into a supermarket might be focused and time-pressed. But that same person, ten minutes earlier at a bus stop or walking through a retail park, is in a different mindset entirely. That context shapes what cuts through.
Great Retail Media reflects that. It builds presence through classic formats that influence the shopping list. It meets people with reminders near store; on forecourts, high street panels, and in retail environments. And it reinforces that presence right before the decision, whether through mall digital screens in shopping centres or 6 sheets by the entrance.
Take Cadbury Snack, where a playful in-aisle takeover was backed by wider visibility across the shopper journey. Or Cheez-It’s recent launch, which used Luas columns, retail panels, and large-scale front-of-store takeovers to stay in the frame from weekday commute to weekend shop. Even National Lottery campaigns show how a simple prompt outside a convenience store can drive behaviour in seconds just when impulse and reward are top of mind.
These campaigns work because they’re matched to behaviour. Our OCS research shows that 71% of Irish adults visited a supermarket in the past week. Over half went to a convenience store or forecourt. A third spent time in a shopping centre. But it’s not just about location. It’s about mindset. Malls invite browsing and exploration. Supermarkets demand focus and speed. Both offer chances to connect if the creative fits.
When Retail Media is planned as a journey rather than a single touchpoint, it earns attention differently. It helps a brand show up more than once, across formats and moments, reinforcing memory in ways that make the final decision easier. Because when someone’s finally standing at the shelf, they’re not weighing up every option. They’re choosing from memory. And if your brand hasn’t already been part of that process, it’s probably not getting picked.
That’s the version of Retail Media we’ve always backed. Not as a bolt-on. As a connected, behavioural planning model. One that starts in the real world, not just the retail world.
Next week, we’ll explore how creative relevance powers this model even further—showing how campaigns adapt to time, place, and mindset in ways that make the message feel like it belongs. Then we’ll close the series with new research from our 2025 Mall Scene study, looking at what drives attention in shared retail spaces, and how brands can earn their place there.
Red Bull and LUAS bring summer to the streets
Whether gliding past Sandyford or pulling in at St Stephen’s Green, this tram doesn’t just go places. it brings a mood with it – one that says summer has landed. In a fine shade of pink.
Red Bull’s latest OOH is a head-turner. In partnership with Bauer Media, PHD and Source out of home, the brand has taken over a Green Line Luas with a full wrap celebrating their new Summer Edition: White Peach. The tram becomes a moving burst of colour, part product drop, part rolling artwork, part shoutout to festival season.
The creative is all high energy, with peachy pink visuals, illustrated music motifs, and iconic branding that taps into the mood of the moment. It feels alive, like it’s en route to something. And in a way, it is – and that’s the real strength of the placement. The Green Line doesn’t just cut through the heart of the city, it connects people to the moments they’re living for this summer. Whether it’s heading or connecting passengers en route to stadiums or concert-converted parks, the tram carries the buzz on the way there and the stories on the way home.
Luas formats offer strong visibility, long dwell time, and regular exposure to a young, mobile audience. Our iQ research noted 51% of Dubliners plan to attend an outdoor concert or festival this summer. That rises to 61% of 16–24s. Public transport usage is up as well YoY with more than half of Dubliners and younger adults using it weekly.
And it works. Out IMPACT Attention research shows that 64% of people take action after seeing an OOH ad with 84% saying special builds like tram wraps stand out more, and 75% believing they make brands seem more exciting.
Breaking the 50 million barrier for the first time last year, Luas passenger journeys at 54 million, had a 53:47 split between the red and green lines. Luas has experienced a 66% rise in passenger journeys over the last decade.
