From traditional to transformational: Stellar Ace outlines 2025 evolution

In November 2022, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) made a monumental announcement of auctioning off the right to operate ad spaces at approximately 120 pedestrian overhead bridges, underpasses and covered link-ways in a 10-year contract – a true first for the entity.

One year later, the entity announced that out of seven proposals from four tenderers for the LTA, Stellar Experience, a subsidiary of public transport operator SMRT, had come out on top. LTA said the proposals were evaluated on their quality, whether tenderers were able to maintain the bus and taxi shelters per LTA’s requirements, as well as their ability to generate non-fare revenue from these road assets.

Stellar Experience, more commonly known within the adland ecosystem as Stellar Ace, was touted to have the strongest overall proposal. Under the leadership of Tony Heng (lead picture above, leftmost), president of Stellar Lifestyle, and managing director of Stellar Ace and Stellar Ace Outdoor, the team is actively looking to transform Singapore’s transit network into a vibrant advertising and retail hub.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Heng shared that in 2025, the corporation’s vision is to advance the Lifestyle 360 concept, and seamlessly blend offline and online activations to create a holistic experience for the millions of commuters who journey with SMRT daily.

Guided by SMRT’s vision – “Moving people, enhancing lifestyles” – Heng is dedicated to transforming Stellar Ace’s advertising ecosystem into an interactive brand experience through integration with retail spaces, event areas, and machine distribution points, along with versatile short, medium, and long-term spaces for retail promotions.

Islandwide reach and audience engagement

Stellar Ace plays a central role as the leading outdoor advertising media company in Singapore, with multi-format and wide-ranging advertising panels in ultra-prime public transport nodes and high footfall locations around the island.

Stellar Ace has been evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly changing media environment. The team is accelerating asset digitalisation by installing cutting-edge anamorphic digital screens at high-traffic MRT stations like Raffles Place, City Hall, and Orchard, offering dynamic advertising opportunities.

“It’s no longer just about placing static ads in high-traffic areas, but enhancing the commuter experience,” Heng tells MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

As such, the team is embracing out-of-the-box thinking. A prime example of digitalisation is Stellar Ace’s 3D Ad Crown, featuring creative executions on the roofs of bus shelters. The exciting innovation elevates traditional static panels by incorporating dynamic 3D elements in a conventional bus shelter.

This format captivates and engages commuters in new ways, providing brands with a unique and attention-grabbing platform while transforming a daily commuting journey into an immersive and interactive experience.

“We are continuously working towards ensuring the content reaches the right demographics, and in turn, creates maximum value and impact for advertisers,” he said.

Transforming Stellar Ace’s spaces into lifestyle destinations isn’t without challenges. With users saturated by digital interactions, Heng’s team is rethinking advertising through sensory authenticity and online-offline integration.

As consumers increasingly interact with brands across physical and digital channels, Lifestyle 360 aims to align with how consumers live, travel, shop, and play, explains Heng.

“This allows advertisers to engage their audience at multiple touch-points – whether through an immersive experience at a bus shelter, an interactive event at an MRT station, or a digital ad on a commuter’s smartphone via apps such as WINK+,” he shared.

Embracing the digital revolution for marketers

Not one to be left behind the digital revolution, the team is also harnessing data-driven insights through AI and machine learning to enhance audience targeting and ROI measurement.

This comes as many marketers investing in OOH advertising say they struggle to ensure their campaigns are targeted and relevant to the right audience. Traditional OOH, marketers say, lacks precise audience insights and engagement metrics.

“By shifting from traditional static formats to dynamic, interactive digital experiences, we’re adapting to the evolving OOH advertising landscape, where engagement is fuelled by technology and personalisation,” Heng said, addressing the challenge faced by marketers.

Endorsing his statement is Tjhin Poi Chung (lead picture above, rightmost), deputy managing director of Stellar Ace and Stellar Ace Outdoor, who leads the company’s digital transformation and media solutions expansion.

Since joining SMRT in 2022, Chung has leveraged his expertise in engineering, AI technology, and business leadership, honed at previous jobs in ST Engineering and the government sector, to drive innovation and enhance operations and the customer experience.

Under his leadership, Stellar Ace is advancing towards a tech-driven, integrated approach to OOH advertising, using latest ridership and footfall data, and interactive, multi-touch-point experiences, to deliver success for brands.

“We are leveraging digital data to enhance ROI measurement for marketers,” Chung says. By utilising AI and analytics, Stellar Ace can now provide precise audience targeting and real-time campaign tracking.

“Marketers gain actionable insights into audience behaviour, foot traffic, and engagement, ensuring campaigns reach the right people and deliver measurable results.”

Addressing the challenges marketers face, he shares the team is constantly brainstorming ways to help marketers tackle issues. “When it comes to creating targeted advertising, we use our ability to analyse ridership patterns and foot traffic data across the transit network, and our digital team uses this data to target the right audience at the right time, maximising campaign reach,” he added.

Stellar Ace also caters to commuters who prefer engaging with content via their smartphones through its widely recognised WINK+ app which enhances the physical OOH experience by providing a mobile-first platform for advertisers.

It allows brands to reach commuters through digital formats while offering insights into campaign performance on mobile devices. This creates a more interactive and personalised experience, extending connections beyond traditional OOH.

Where is OOH headed?

At the end of the day, technology is transforming the OOH advertising industry, with digitalisation at the forefront. AI is pivotal in this shift, enabling not just timely messaging, but also the analysis and prediction of consumer behaviour. By leveraging ridership patterns and foot traffic data, advertisers can effectively reach their target audience, resulting in more targeted campaigns and better ROI.

“The integration of more screens and digital platforms into public spaces enables dynamic, real-time content delivery and allows advertisers to tailor messages based on factors such as time of day, weather, location, or audience demographics,” Chung said.

As such, marketers must embrace these advancements, including digital screens and AI-driven insights, to stay competitive. Platforms such as its WINK+ app extend reach beyond traditional billboards, offering a mobile-first experience for commuters and engaging audiences on the go.

“Embracing these digital tools is essential for thriving in the evolving OOH landscape,” he added.

This article was written in collaboration with Stellar Ace.