Randy Otto, Pattison Outdoor’s newly appointed president, would strike many Canadians as clinically insane – how else could you explain why a successful marketing exec would abandon beautiful and sunny Orlando for the cold and slushy streets of Toronto in the dead of winter?

Previously the SVP of business operations with Ripley Entertainment in Orlando, Fla., Otto moved back to his native Toronto in mid-January to take over from Glenn McConnell, who has moved on to helm Pattison’s new and unnamed alternative media division.

Prior to joining Ripley in 2000, Otto spent 24 years with Pattison Outdoor in various positions, including VP and GM, Prairie region.

In his newest position, Otto assumes responsibility for all areas of Pattison Outdoor, including its Mall Media division. ‘I’m looking to be more innovative, more customer-service-driven, more partnership versus supplier-driven,’ he says, describing his vision.

Having spent the last four years in the U.S., Otto sees a lot of out-of-home trends starting to work their way north, particularly in the area of street furniture, which he says is an inevitable direction for the company given the increasingly stringent rules the municipalities are imposing on outdoor advertising.

While Otto is sure to bring a fresh perspective to Pattison, his personal approach to the business is perhaps most noteworthy.

‘I’m coming from working in a world of attractions. Our main purpose was to put a smile on your face…. If I can bring just a bit of that back to Pattison, the people around me and the clients, I’ll feel I’ve done something,’ he says.

Four days into the job, president Otto relished 30 seconds to expose himself to Strategy MEDIA.

Why did you leave Ripley Entertainment in warm, sunny Orlando to rejoin Pattison Outdoor in Toronto?

I came back to Pattison for the challenge of leading a company that I had been a part of for much of my career, to make Pattison Outdoor a fun, successful place to work and a fun, professional company to do business with.

Why did you leave Pattison after 24 years to work for Ripley in the first place?

Hello – Orlando! The weather! Sunshine! Orange juice!

How do you plan to advance business for Pattison Outdoor?

My past success in managing the Western division of Pattison was built on integrity; developing relationships rather than customers; under-promising and over-delivering. I am not naïve enough to think that attitude alone will win the day, but a good product, presented well by people who care about their customer, is a great place to start.

What are some of the most current and profitable advances in outdoor advertising?

There has been strong development in the industry over the last few years in street-level advertising. New designs in bus shelters, like the ones that I see in Toronto by Viacom, help to make street-level out-of-home more appealing to advertisers. As to its profitability, the market will decide that. In terms of measurability, the outdoor industry has developed an accurate reach/frequency model for advertisers called COMB Navigator. That’s a real advance in how outdoor is bought.

What are the challenges?

The Canadian outdoor industry needs to renew how it markets the medium, to be competitive but not each other’s enemy. If we as an industry can grow our share of the total advertising dollars spent in Canada by even half of one per cent, we will be successful. But that’s a big challenge right now….

What is the appeal of working in outdoor versus other advertising mediums?

Outdoor is large!

What’s the difference between the way Canadians use outdoor and how the Americans use it?

Canadians keep looking for the fine print.

What’s your favourite magazine, newspaper, TV show?

Favourite, like the way we spell centre and cheque? I’m loving Canadian print all over again. Do you think there are six degrees of separation between Canadian Geographic, Conrad Black and Six Feet Under? And did I mention how much I love my new subscription to Strategy magazine?

Boxers or briefs?

Stanfield’s, waffle weave, two piece long johns – because baby it’s cold outside and I AM Canadian!