A Marketer’s Guide to Outdoor Advertising
Out of home advertising continues to thrive
Outdoor / out-of-home (OOH) advertising is one of the earliest yet most adaptive forms of advertising. In OOH media, ads are viewed outside the home. Think billboards, bus stops, ads on the sides of trucks, and those you see in shopping malls. Digital out-of-home advertising (DOOH) is a younger relative in which ads themselves consist of digital programming elements and use digital technology to engage viewers.
Benefits of Outdoor Advertising
Because of an outdoor ad’s close connection to its surroundings, advertisers can use OOH media to establish a brand’s presence in a valuable geographic location. Outdoor advertising also promotes brand awareness through repeated exposure over a short period of time. According to Nielsen and OAAA, “46% of surveyed adults had conducted an online search after first seeing the object of their search in an OOH ad.”
Outdoor ads are also perceived as more trustworthy than online ads and can be a valuable asset in a multichannel campaign. A report from Ocean NeuroScience found that “consumers are 48% more likely to click on a mobile ad after being exposed to the same ad on an out-of-home ad first.”
“OOH is as relevant as ever because it offers high impact and amplifies all other media investments, including today’s largest ad channel – digital,” said Stephen Freitas, Out of Home Advertising Association of America’s chief marketing officer. “ROI, media mix optimization, and attribution research all prove OOH’s worth in today’s highly-competitive advertising environment.” - OAAA
Types of Out of Home advertising
OOH Billboards
Billboards promote brand awareness thanks to their high visibility and geographically-targeted marketing. Advertisers have the freedom to be more creative, too. Since motorists and pedestrians are only exposed to the ad for a brief period of time, billboard advertisements use minimal copy and opt for statement-making phrases and memorable graphics.
Billboards are effective for targeting wide demographics. Depending on the creative punch of the campaign, billboards often deliver a quick boost in sales. Due to their high exposure, these types of ads are best used for short-term advertising.
Cossette/Spencer & Jordan
Considerations for billboards include visibility issues (although these are usually minor), limitations on the amount of information you can convey in a single ad, and they’re best used for high impact over a short period of time. And while billboards are great for maximum exposure and some specialized targeting, you should explore additional outdoor advertising spaces if you’re looking to reach a more targeted audience.
Street furniture
Street furniture includes bus shelters, benches, urban panels and freestanding furniture viewable along a motorist or pedestrian’s commute.
Bike shares and Soofa Signs are modern examples of how technology and lifestyle improvements create fresh opportunities for advertisers to reach audiences within their communities.
Street furniture ads are more cost-effective than purchasing billboard space. According to digital advertising social media agency Dash Two, the average CPM for transit shelter advertising, for instance, is less than $3.50, a fraction of the CPM for television. Street furniture ads also offer longer dwell times than other types of OOH ads. Pedestrians lingering at a bus stop will have a longer exposure to the ads on a bus hut than billboard ads or ads passing by on the roofs of taxi cabs.
Street furniture also encourages social interaction within a community. When consumers take advantage of a branded bike share or snap photos in front of sponsored metro lights, they associate your brand with community-building efforts which can have a hugely positive impact on their perception of your brand.
Transit
Buses, subways, mobile and truckside billboards, and taxis are all options for transit OOH advertisements.
Transit ads are relatively cost-effective and deliver high-frequency exposure to consumers who view the ads every day during their commutes. Depending on the ad’s location, dwell time can also get a boost as commuters view an ad inside a train during their several-minute ride.
Proximity is another advantage. Consumers exposed to a transit ad for a retailer whose store they eventually pass are more primed to make a purchase.
The copy and design for transit ads should be simple yet eye-catching, since commuters are likely moving fast. Advertisers should also update the creative because viewers will eventually ignore the ad. You’re contending with a sometimes grumpy or distracted audience as they rush to their destinations, so you need ads that cater to a commuter’s unique headspace.
Ad created by Grey, Canada for Salvation Army
As you plan the designs of your OOH transit campaign, remember to optimize your creative strategy based on the type of ad. For example, advertisements on a bus stop get viewed for a longer duration of time. They can support more copy but should still be eye-catching to viewers walking by. On the other hand, an ad placed on the side of a bus will only be visible for a few brief moments, so it needs to make a clear impact fast.
Place-based
Arenas and stadiums, movie theaters, and shopping malls are all examples of strategic places where advertisers can host an OOH campaign. Placed-based OOH advertising allows marketers and media planners to leverage the power of specific locations to reach their target audiences at strategic times.
For example, advertising in a shopping mall catches consumers in a mindset already primed for shopping. According to the United Kingdom’s Outdoor Media Centre (OMC), 83% of people recall seeing an out-of-home ad within the last 30 minutes before shopping and 72% said they would be influenced to purchase a product.
Place-based ads also build positive brand association. Positive brand association is a psychological strategy used by marketers to connect their brand to an enjoyable experience or organization so the brand assumes any similar traits its consumers value.
Placed-based OOH advertising is most effective for brands who want to target audiences with specific interests who are also in a particular mood based on their environment.
How to Measure Your Out of Home Advertising Campaign
Deciding which OOH advertising channels offer the greatest return for your brand goes hand-in-hand with knowing how you plan to measure the ROI on your investment. Historically, measuring ROI on an OOH campaign has been a little (or a lot) tricky, but technology is bridging the online/offline gap faster than ever.
Get the Guide on Measuring Out-of-Home Advertising
In this guide, Soofa offers a detailed guide on today’s best options for tracking and measuring the success of your OOH campaign.