In our rapidly advancing world, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the future of out-of-home advertising (OOH) in order to survive. Traditional OOH advertising cannot compete with online advertising, due to the accuracy and relevance online. Hence, the importance of AI in this space is clear, its more than just digital displays, as it delivers engaging content sure to capture the attention of any audience.
Using AI, advertisers can track the effectiveness of their OOH media. Consumer data is collected from sensors around displays to improve the brand. From there, brand leveraged personalized advertising creates more entertaining and effective displays.
Artificial intelligence has the power to analyze large sets of data very quickly. By working through the data, AI improves its predictions over time, and it is able to complete tasks that require human intelligence.
For OOH advertising this means more accurate and relevant displays for specific audiences.
How AI Is Changing OOH Advertising
Just one way AI is changing OOH advertising is with object recognition. AI can help detect facial features and determine whether a person is happy or angry. It can also help predict the demographic characteristics, such as age and gender of a person. This allows brands to better understand the performance of an OOH ad. Based on this information they can improve their existing media. Certainly, advertisers continue to be mindful of privacy concerns, and do not store or share any camera images and data when using AI technologies.
Furthermore, AI-based smart cameras can measure the number of vehicles that pass by an OOH display to optimize space. This information can be valuable to brands, helping them place their advertisements in busier areas. In addition, with real-time data produced displays can change depending on the audience viewing.
AI continues to build better brand awareness, loyalty, and increases sales by transforming OOH advertising into a smarter medium.
How Brands Are Currently Using AI
Artificial intelligence may sound like a thing of the future, but its already being used it all around us.
For example, Gmail now uses AI to read text and suggest what to write next with Smart Compose. Even Facebook uses AI to detect who is in your photos, and then recommends who to tag. AI continues to be used in a wide range of fields to improve current technology.
McDonalds has been known to use AI for enhancing their OOH advertising in the past. When kids walked by a McDonalds add, Happy Meals were shown, compared to burgers or salads when adults walked by. This made sure only the most relevant potential customers saw the ads. Consumers love interactivity and personalization as it makes the advertisement feel special and unique.
Another notable example of bridging AI technology with OOH advertising is IBM’s AI bot, Watson that has been developed to optimize sales. The results of media buying by Watson show a 71% reduced cost per click. More and more brands are eager to adopt AI-based advertising strategies. Furthermore, a 2018 Deloitte survey of over 1,000 US executives showed that 82% of them saw a positive return on their AI investments.
OOH Media and AI in the Future
The future is nothing but bright for AI in the OOH advertising space. New technologies emerging in addition to AI include machine learning, voice technology, location data and augmented reality – all offering different strengths. These mediums will work together to change the OOH landscape, creating more accurate and relevant displays for audiences. For example, in Sweden, a pharmacy used voice technology to create a smart, responsive billboard that coughed to encourage citizens to stop smoking. This unique display left a greater impact on its viewers, compared to a traditional static billboard. There are various text to speech voices softwares that can help brands in creating different voices in different forms of media. With this approach, brands can reach a wider audience globally.
Every day, new innovations are being introduced to help deliver creative and engaging advertising to consumers. It is evident that AI in the OOH industry is becoming more popular, and now is perfect time to dive into it.
Takeaways
Companies are now utilizing AI to engage consumers in a more personalized way, which results in increased sales and brand loyalty. This intelligent technology is producing real-time data to improve existing advertisements to maximize efficiency. Rest assured, AI will continue to advance and change the OOH landscape for years to come.
