Out of home advertising, or OOH, is the most enduring and oldest form of advertising. So it is unexpected that it is only gaining renewed popularity in the age of digital marketing. When combined with ubiquity of digital devices OOH advertising can be made into an unstoppable force with virtually limitless potential for marketers.
According to an out-of-home advertising study, 91% of US citizens over the age of 16 are exposed to some type of OOH advertising campaign. Furthermore, 82% of the people who see a message on a digital billboard take the time to digest the messaging.
For many businesses, large and small, out-of-home advertising can be a valuable tool for attracting the attention of potential customers. Large enterprises can benefit by utilizing full-motion digital billboards and digital spectaculars to drive their message to densely populated and high foot-traffic metropolitan destinations.
What is Out of Home Advertising?
As the name suggests, out of home advertising is a type of advertising found outside a consumer’s house. More often than not it comes in the form of billboards. Beyond that out-of-home advertising can include advertisements on street furniture like benches or bus shelters, place-based ad media, such as the one in the cinema or at a stadium, signs and billboards, and ads in transit locations, such as train stations or airports.
Types of Out of Home Advertising
1. Retail Advertising
This is the kind of advertising that takes place around or in retail surroundings, such as shopping centers and stores.
Thanks to the enhancement of printing technology, there are more alternatives to advertisers and marketers, from plain, printed adverts to noticeable displays with a more significant impact on consumers.
Examples of this out of home advertising method are mall media, lift graphics, and floor graphics.
2. Construction Advertising
Whenever there is construction underway, protective barriers, such as scaffold covers and hoardings, do much more than protecting the construction crew and public. They provide a rare opportunity for out of home advertising.
Such forms of advertisement can feature promotion for the companies involved in the construction process or a preview of the project at work.
Examples of construction advertising are scaffold wraps, hoarding graphics, and building wraps.
3. Billboard Advertising
Of all the out of home advertising methods, billboard advertising is the most recognizable form. They first stepped into the public limelight in the 19th century, and after the success they delivered, there was no turning back.
The materials used to build and construct them may have evolved over time, but the strategy has withstood the test of time.
Types of billboard advertising are digital billboards, static billboards, and mobile billboards.
Benefits of Out of Home Advertising
Out of home advertising is prospering more this year than it did last year. But that is not the only reason why it should be at the top of your advertising-options list. Here are other advantages of OOH:
1. Has a Stronger Impact
Whenever consumers view out of home advertising messages, they feel excited, happy, positive, confident, and hopeful. The creativity applied in the mode of advertising stirs up these strong emotions.
Most consumers believe that OOH is a trusted source of information, while others believe that billboards offer useful information.
2. Yields Faster Results
According to research, upon seeing an ad on a billboard or a public bench, a majority of consumers will act upon the message delivered in the ads.
OOH has power over the brain and can motivate consumers into action. The fact that they are prevalent in public areas where the streets are always full is a reason for their success.
3. There is Creativity
With out of home advertising, there is almost no limit to the level of creativity you can use as you put your message across.
OOH allows your creative team to leave their creative mark on the big canvas that billboards offer. For a better chance of getting consumers’ attention, using catchy headlines and combining them with bold visuals is the way to go.
You have the power to experiment with your creativity levels as long as you stay true to your brand.
4. Reaches More People
As we saw earlier, out of home advertising is done outdoors where most people spend a large portion of their day.
Since the advertising tools are strategically placed and the messages on them are easily noticeable, the point is put across many people at once easily. They cannot be deleted, skipped, seen by bots, or blocked.
5. Affordable
Out of home advertising gives you national reach at a reasonable price. It has highly competitive CPM rates, which, when combined with wide market coverage and scalability, provides an advertiser with a valid reason to choose out of home advertising.
