Image source : Google
Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a noticeable increase in investment in out-of-home advertising. However, by the end of 2020, revenue from these advertisements had decreased by almost 30% in just one year. As businesses and consumers begin to emerge from the effects of social distancing and lockdowns, it is anticipated that spending on advertisements intended for outdoor and other non-home settings will rise.
To successfully grab the attention of target audiences through out-of-home (OOH) advertising in 2023, having a well-planned strategy and highly creative tactics is essential. Without these, it can be quite challenging to make an impact. Luckily, this article by Movia experts shares innovative and unique ideas for OOH advertising campaigns that brands can confidently adopt, based on successful strategies from 2023.
QR Codes In Transit Ads
Image source : Reddit
In the context of transit advertising, people are often in a rush to catch a train or bus, or they’re about to get off and head to work. As a result, they may not have the time to fully engage with your out-of-home (OOH) ads and offers. However, with solutions like PostReminder, your OOH prospects can easily scan a QR code and receive a text reminder about your ad. This way, they can respond at a more convenient time and not miss out on your offer.
Interactive DOOH Ads
Digital OOH advertising can be transformed into a dynamic and interactive experience by utilizing pop-out units. These cutting-edge units not only increase visibility, but also maximize conversions, making them an essential tool in any successful OOH campaign. Don’t settle for static ads when you can elevate your brand with the power of pop-out units.
AR Billboards
In the year 2023, brands utilized augmented reality (AR) billboards as a means of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising. This allowed them to create more engaging and immersive experiences for viewers. AR technology can be utilized to include interactive games, virtual tours, 3D animations, and can also be used to collect information from viewers, which in turn can be used to further target ads and measure success.
Contextual OOH Ads
One of the most effective ways to advertise outdoors is by making it contextual. Thanks to the advanced data and production tools available today, we can tailor our outdoor ads to suit the specific spaces and locations where they are placed. This contextualization not only adds relevance to the ads but also boosts engagement with the audience.
Bold Experiential Ads
Image source : Oberlo
To make your OOH advertising truly innovative, it needs to be experiential for the consumers. You should think outside the box and try guerrilla marketing to make your message bold and impactful enough that people will be jumping to capture it on video. With creative and powerful OOH ads, you can be confident that they’ll go viral organically and generate the buzz your brand deserves.
Case studies
Intersection & Elle Eyewbuzz
Image source: New Image Eyewear Optical Shop
Intersection, a leader in smart city technology, launched digital storefronts in November 2020. The aim was to provide a safe and convenient shopping experience in a world affected by the global pandemic. Brands partnered with Intersection to implement creative and interactive QR marketing campaigns. These campaigns use QR codes to reach consumers via out-of-home (OOH) advertising across kiosks, bus shelters, digital walls, and digital urban panels.
According to the company, the demand for QR codes has risen by 600% since the COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses in March 2020. Moreover, 80% of consumers now prefer shopping on smartphones. However, even though e-commerce has increased significantly during the pandemic, customers still desire a safe and in-person shopping experience that OOH (Out-Of-Home) advertising can provide. These QR code campaigns are effective as they enable brands to reach out to customers who are already on their smartphones.
By providing a safe and convenient way for consumers to interact with Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, brands can better serve their customers. As we discussed earlier, using QR codes is an effective strategy to increase consumer engagement with brands. QR codes can simplify transactions by eliminating the need for cash or in-person payments. By providing a contactless way for consumers to discover new products and make purchases, brands can improve the overall success of their OOH advertising campaigns.
Clear Channel Outdoor & HSBC
Image source: google
When using QR codes, it’s important to make the scanning process easy and accessible for all users while keeping your campaign goal in mind. It’s crucial to be intentional with the placement of QR codes to ensure they enhance your messaging rather than confuse it. To better engage your audience, it’s recommended to provide clear instructions on where the QR code will direct them.
It’s also important to set the consumers’ expectations beforehand, as demonstrated by the HSBC campaign. Overall, QR code marketing efforts should be designed to complement the main message of your campaign.
In a recent out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign, Europe’s largest bank has prominently placed a call-to-action requesting donations. The campaign utilizes classic OOH design techniques, with a bold headline that captures your attention. If you require additional information, you can easily scan the supporting text below. Additionally, the QR code on the billboard is placed directly at eye level, taking advantage of the viewer’s captive attention and directing them to take the desired action as instructed by HSBC.
HSBC successfully transformed a traditional placement into an interactive piece of media. This has allowed the company to reach users on a familiar medium and make it easy for them to take the next step towards the campaign goal. By incorporating QR codes into their current marketing efforts, HSBC demonstrated how it’s possible to integrate them naturally. Most importantly, this campaign highlights how QR codes can be incorporated into marketing campaigns without compromising on creative concepts or brand identity.
A Lot Media & Rise Coffee
Location is an important factor when it comes to advertising. A Lot Media showed its understanding on this and targets consumers in high-traffic areas such as parking decks. They use QR code promotions on billboards, signs, and other OOH formats to reach consumers in convenient and contextually relevant locations. For instance, the company used a QR code to target coffee lovers who may be searching for a caffeine fix while parking their car in the morning.
A Lot Media Is an OOH media company that specializes in place-based advertising, specifically in parking lots and garages. They target consumers during high-impact times such as daily commutes or before/after shopping. However, since consumers may be in a hurry during these times, it is essential to engage them with creative, intentional ads that are easy to act on. A Lot Media helped make it easy for consumers to know precisely what to expect by positioning this promotion for Rise Coffee in plain language.
Top OOH campaigns of 2023
Coca-Cola’s game-changing tech
Image source : google
Coca-Cola revolutionized the advertising industry with its groundbreaking collaboration with Dooh.com and JCDecaux, OOH advertising media firms like Movia. Their innovative technology allowed consumers to redeem codes via their mobile phones, triggering a unique change in ad creative on poster sites, making it a first for media. The potential game-changing technology unlocks fresh creative opportunities for brands, and Coca-Cola is leading the way with its campaign.
Uber’s big, bold campaign on rail
Image source : Google
Uber has emerged as the undisputed champion of the OOH (out-of-home) advertising space in nine of the UK’s largest rail hubs. The campaign was designed to promote the new rail-booking capabilities of their app, and they left no stone unturned to achieve this goal. With the deployment of immersive zones, digital screens, and 4m-high Uber destination pins that featured location-specific messaging, the campaign was executed to perfection.
Programmatic drives sales using StoreBoost
With the help of footfall, weather, and Strava data, an extremely precise and targeted campaign was executed programmatically to focus on the most popular running routes which resulted in a significant increase in both engagement and sales. This data-driven approach played an absolutely vital role in the highly successful launch of the brand’s very first store in the UK.
TfL launches the Elizabeth Line
Transport for London (TfL) ingeniously harnessed real-time train schedules and flight arrival data to expertly customize their promotional content for the new Elizabeth Line, which seamlessly connects Heathrow Airport to central London. The result was a highly successful campaign, that delivered a personalized and engaging experience for visitors to London. By incorporating the native language of arriving flights, TfL confidently ensured that their message was both welcoming and impactful, leaving no doubt that the Elizabeth Line is the undisputed best way to travel between Heathrow and central London.
Portrait of Britain champions diversity and inclusion
Portrait of Britain and the British Journal of Photography join forces every January to convert screens across the UK into a national portrait gallery. This annual exhibition boldly champions diversity and proudly celebrates the essence of British life today. It is an inclusive event that is open to everyone and serves as a powerful display of the exceptional quality and national reach of DOOH.
Live data fuels Women’s World Cup success
Mars Wrigley and Dunnhumby took charge during the Women’s World Cup by bringing live scores to Tesco stores across the UK. Fans were kept up-to-date with the latest scores and given the opportunity to win prizes by scanning the QR code displayed on the screens. This initiative was a resounding success, engaging fans and creating a buzz around the tournament.
An effective out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign demands exceptional creativity, strategic positioning, and the potential to go viral. Recent times have witnessed some fascinating OOH campaigns, ranging from branded buses to unconventional alien billboards. We firmly believe that such campaigns will significantly drive the projected 6.5% YoY growth in US OOH ad spending last year, which was expected to reach $9.51 billion.
Transit transformation of 2023
The city bus and NYC subway train utilized OOH to advertise the new “Mean Girls” remake and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” film, respectively, effectively drawing attention to these well-known brands. This approach was a great way to increase brand recognition and reach a wider audience.
Why it worked
According to a study conducted by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America in May 2023, the advertising expenditure for public transportation, hotels, and resorts in the US increased by 40% in Q1 2023 in comparison to the same quarter of the previous year. After several years of remote work, employees are returning to offices, resulting in a higher number of people seeing transit ads.
Hear ye, Sphere ye
The Las Vegas Sphere, which opened in September 2023, has undeniably served as a striking billboard for various successful campaigns. With its prominent presence, it has effectively showcased Target’s Bullseye mascot, Android’s robot during CES, and Heineken’s beer during a Formula 1 race, among others.
Why it worked
Las Vegas is a popular destination for tourists and events, making it an ideal location for targeting people attending conventions, sporting events, and concerts. While advertising on the new Sphere can be expensive, the 360-degree billboard has the potential to go viral on social media, meaning that campaigns launched in Vegas have the potential to reach a wider audience beyond the city.
Out of this world
MoonPie boldly launched a series of OOH ads with confidence, specifically targeting extraterrestrials in various alien hotspots across the US. The ads utilized a made-up language and futuristic graphics to captivate both aliens and curious humans, leaving no doubt that they were the most innovative brand in the galaxy.
Why it worked
MoonPie leveraged the ongoing congressional extraterrestrial hearings to promote their brand through advertisements. The ads were intentionally strange and left viewers curious, driving them to seek more information about the content. While effective ads are usually simple and easy to understand, MoonPie took a risk by using confusion as a tool to generate buzz. This approach was successful as the UFO sightings demonstrate.
Public disruption
Oatly ingeniously crafted an out-of-home (OOH) campaign that brilliantly incorporated street art. They created signs that boldly proclaimed their awareness of the fact that ads are not appreciated in that particular locality, but the message swiftly transformed to confidently announce their presence, accompanied by an image of their signature Oatly carton.
Why it worked
Oatly strategically placed English-written ads in Paris with the intention of going viral online and not solely targeting passersby. Despite some perceiving it as a cultural catastrophe, the OOH ads were expertly crafted to maximize their impact on social media.
Conclusion
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising can be a great addition to your marketing efforts, whether you are running a national brand campaign or focusing on local lead generation. It offers more benefits than just increasing brand awareness. If you’re interested in learning more about OOH advertising, fill out our form, and one of our team members will get in touch shortly to answer your questions and start working on your next campaign.
