Out of home advertising (OOH) is one of the oldest forms of marketing for companies. It has taken a hit over the last few years as digital media has grown and caused a stagnant demand. OOH is still a great option for companies to build brand awareness, but digital options for direct action have taken the lead in advertising.
Out of home advertising is a medium typically found in high traffic areas that consumers can’t avoid. However, if you want a strong ROI, digital has proven to be a better option for more specific targeting. In this post, we will go through the evolution and advancements of OOH to determine if the investment is still worth it.
What is Out Of Home Advertising?
Out of home advertising is basically explained in its name. Advertising found outside your home. Common types of OOH are billboards, bus shelters, transit ads and point of sale displays.
The price points vary for outdoor advertising, some being more feasible than others. Billboards are the most common type and also the most expensive. Depending on the campaign you are running, you should explore your options.
What are the benefits?
Truthfully, OOH advertising is hard for consumers to avoid. The ads are everywhere. Your advertisements will be seen by people while they’re working, shopping, traveling and any other time they’re leaving their house.
Outdoor advertising offers many benefits to companies and consumers. The main benefit being that these are everywhere outdoors. For companies, this is a great opportunity to get your name out there and be creative in your campaigns.
A downside to OOH is the lack of a call-to-action. Consumers are not going to absorb your message as well as they would through digital advertising due to the lack of targeting. While OOH is great for building brand awareness, it is important to remember that these advertisements may not always generate a direct response.
You will reap the most benefits from your advertisements when they are directed to the right demographics. Be deliberate with the location of your advertisements and make sure that your message is relevant in order for OOH advertising to be a successful component of your marketing campaign.
The Evolution of OOH
OOH was a major success when it was first introduced. According to Blue Line Media, OOH is the second fastest-growing ad media, passed by digital marketing. As digital marketing has taken over, outdoor advertising has begun to fall behind.
Coca Cola is a great brand to follow in the evolution of OOH. From the 60s to the 2000s, Coca Cola has embraced the form of advertising and found new ways to market their campaigns. In 2004, Coca Cola was among the first to create a digital billboard in Times Square.
This began the era of Digital Outdoor Advertising (DOOH). The digital billboards were exciting and new. They allowed for a boost in the OOH advertising market and made the form of advertising relevant again. DOOH allowed for real time advertising, making live updates and accurate information more achievable.
In 2017, Coca Cola brought the very first 3D robotic billboard to Times Square. The message of the ad changed throughout the day and moved to make different displays.
Virtual and Augmented Reality was introduced to the advertisers world and created all new opportunities for OOH. Now, consumers have the ability to interact with the advertisements.JCDecaux explains that VR and AR speak best to the consumers when they focus on the experience rather than the brand.
With a new wave of DOOH, advertisements have become more shareable and more impactful.
Is it still worth the investment?
Out of home advertising should be seen as an investment. For smaller companies, this may not be the first channel of advertising to turn to. OOH ads will benefit larger campaigns with bigger budgets as it is a good complement to other forms of advertising.
In the current climate of coronavirus and quarantine, OOH advertisements have lost demand and impact. Less people have been leaving their homes to see advertisements. However, it is predicted that the business will pick up quickly when we return to our old habits.
People will return to the streets and begin traveling again, eager to spend time outdoors. OOH will be plentiful as companies return to this form of advertising once again.
To compare the downsides of outdoor advertisements to digital advertising, OOH is always less effective and targeted. In a large scale campaign, OOH will still be a beneficial form of advertising in order to increase brand awareness but it will not deliver conversions that you need as business.
If your company is running a large scale campaign, out of home advertisements can provide a good return on investment and a successful campaign. Discover if DOOH is worth the investment for your company.
Inner Spark Creative
Inner Spark Creative takes pride in our ability to help companies with their marketing and ad campaigns. Our staff has over 30 years of combined experience in marketing, public relations, website design, graphic design and photography. If you want to bolster your marketing efforts, need a new website, or are unsure about how to proceed we’d love to schedule a free consultation. You can reach out to us at (334) 826-7502!
