Ben Baker, Managing Director APAC at Vistar Media
For more than a decade, digital channels have defined performance marketing. The promise of precise targeting, real-time analytics and measurable ROI made digital the dominant force in media strategy. Yet after years of chasing clicks, impressions and short-term metrics, marketers are beginning to see the cracks.
Across Australia, audiences are tuning out, privacy expectations are tightening and brand loyalty is harder to win. The idea that performance can be engineered purely through data and optimisation is starting to look outdated. True performance is not about visibility or speed. It is about trust; and the channels that can build it may not be the ones marketers expect.
The illusion of performance without trust
Australian consumers have never had more choice or more control. They switch between channels, devices and platforms constantly, and their purchase journeys rarely follow a predictable path. Yet many brands continue to measure success using the same narrow KPIs that prioritise immediate action over long-term impact.
At the same time, public trust in digital advertising has weakened. Between concerns about privacy, fatigue from constant retargeting and the growing presence of AI-generated content, consumers are becoming harder to reach in authentic ways. The temptation to measure everything has created a marketing environment where visibility is often mistaken for value. But being seen is not the same as being trusted.
Trust is not a vanity metric. It is the foundation of every brand relationship. When consumers trust a brand, they are more likely to listen, engage and act, often in ways that go beyond what can be captured by dashboards or attribution models.
Out-of-home is built on credibility
Among the many channels competing for attention, out-of-home stands apart for its ability to earn trust rather than demand it. It occupies real, physical spaces and meets people in the real world, creating shared moments of relevance.
In Australia, out-of-home has not only rebounded since the pandemic but continues to grow faster than other traditional media. According to the Outdoor Media Association, the channel contributed more than $1.3 billion to the local economy in 2024 and remains one of the most trusted advertising formats among consumers. That trust is grounded in transparency. Every placement is public, every message is visible and every impression happens in the open.
Programmatic digital out-of-home builds on this foundation. By pairing data with context, it allows advertisers to deliver creative that feels timely and useful, not intrusive. Dynamic campaigns that respond to weather, time of day or local events connect with audiences in the moment. The effect is subtle but powerful because consumers feel seen rather than targeted.
At Vistar, we have seen this shift first-hand as Australian brands embrace programmatic out-of-home to achieve both brand and performance outcomes. Campaigns such as Lifeblood’s Blood Supply initiative have demonstrated how real-time creative and data-informed delivery can drive immediate action while deepening brand credibility.
Building loyalty through storytelling and transparency
Building trust is not a short-term exercise. It requires brands to communicate with consistency, authenticity and empathy. Emotional storytelling remains one of the most effective ways to achieve this. When creative connects to shared experiences, whether it is a message of resilience during summer bushfires or a reminder of community during major sporting events, it fosters loyalty that outlasts any single campaign.
Transparency is equally essential. As Australia moves toward stricter privacy standards, marketers must ensure that data is collected and applied responsibly. Channels such as programmatic out-of-home are leading the way, combining data-driven precision with consumer anonymity. This gives marketers confidence in performance without compromising integrity.
The metrics that matter most — trust, loyalty and relevance — are not the easiest to measure, but they are the most valuable. Brands that invest in these qualities will find that performance naturally follows. In the end, trust is not a soft concept or an abstract goal. It is the most reliable measure of success in modern marketing, and no amount of targeting or optimisation can replace it.