Think about the possibilities behind that question.  Recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine who is the CEO of a new mobile apps company and he said by their measurement there are roughly 5 billion active cell phones around the world today.  This number includes people in certain parts of the world, who cannot afford a laptop or desktop computer, yet they still have a cell phone.

Undoubtedly, many (Android, iPhone, Blackberry — just to name a few) also realize this and are actively placing their bets on the notion of cell phones becoming the next face of the internet.

So what can the Digital Out-of-Home industry leverage from this knowledge?  In my opinion, it means we all must push for more interaction between DOOH screens and cell phones.  Should viewers be able to opt into what they see on the screen and simulcast the content to friends via social networking sites like Facebook or micro-blogging sites like Twitter?  Or perhaps viewers can send a SMS code to receive a coupon or take a snapshot of themselves and send it to the screens?

The exact combination that adds real clout to our industry remains to be seen.  But, one thing is certain. Everywhere I go, people love to brag about how great DOOH is because it is not like the old traditional forms of media like Print, Radio and TV, rather DOOH is more new age, like the web.

Well, if that is true, (and I believe it is) than we must keep up with where others are saying the web is headed and that is cell phones.

Do you believe cell phones are the missing link for the digital out-of-home industry? Why or why not?

-Matthew Olivieri