The impact of Out-Of-Home (OOH) marketing is a force to be reckoned with in this day and age of modern advertising achievements. Traditional media channels such as print, radio, and even static billboard advertising is losing its touch in a marketplace that is stepping in more nuanced directions. Even in digital advertising, web ads like banners or pop ups are having serious problems gaining attention because of ad blockers and banner blindness. But, there is a light at the end of the banner blockage tunnel. This is where another type of media channel advertising like OOH has started to become exceptional for marketers.
The Large Impact of Digital Outdoor Advertising
OOH media is tremendously booming and becoming digital. With the existence of digital OOH advertising, media formats become more innovative and inspiring. Digital OOH advertising is graphic heavy, using designs and patterns that traditional billboard advertising lacks. OOH marketing uses multimedia facets so consumers can better interact with the brand at play. Due to the dawning of small conveniences and handheld tech, people who walk on streets usually bury their face to their cell phones. However, DOOH( Digital Out of home) has an attractiveness compared to other traditional media channels and it demands attention leading to higher brand awareness. In Times Square in New York City, approx. 330,000 people pass through it each day, undoubtedly impressed by the extensive range of OOH displays.
Google on Board, Facebook and Amazon Run Digital
Large companies know that digital OOH advertising works really well and that is why they spend millions of dollars on their campaigns. Google, for instance, has spent upwards of 2.5 million dollars on a digital OOH ad that was only up for a few weeks and was near the same size as a large football field. Google and Facebook alike both know how to dominate the digital ad market and use it to their corporate advantage. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google’s U.S. revenue digital advertising revenue was expected to increase by 15% in 2018 to about $39.92 billion, while Facebook’s would take a 17% leap to $21 billion as highlighted by eMarketer’s forecast (Bruell 2018). A competitor in digital marketing to Google and Facebook, Amazon is proving itself to be a strong top company in generating buzz. However not using OOH displays, it is relevant to note that Amazon is the fifth-largest digital ad player on eMarketer’s list, and was likely to take over 2.7% of the U.S. market last year (Bruell 2018). So while OOH ads are still in question for these large companies, with the exception of Google, we cannot overlook their rising achievements in other digital displays of consumer attention.
Don’t Let the Big Guys Intimidate You
Not all digital billboard ads cost that much. Of course, when it comes to advertising in Times Square the cost is going to be extremely high. We can say that digital OOH advertising has higher view reach than any other media channel. Location and environment matters a lot in building a billboard. Nobody will want to build a huge billboard, for a large and networked company, in a suburban area of the city due to the lack of population. High populated places like city centers, business districts, and highways or main roads are where you’d get the most bang for your buck. However more expensive than static billboards, digital displays have the WOW factor necessary in this era of modernity.
Trends of Digital OOH Advertising
DOOH is increasing its share in media mediums with the technology of LCD and LED display. This is starting to happen because OOH advertising is expected to grow by 40% between the years of 2015 and 2020. This is a significant growth and only shows the impact of marketers utilizing this form of advertising. In city centers, large LED screens with great texture quality are being built in places like New York and London. Big screens with big resolution means massive brand awareness.
You may think mobile and billboards are two different advertising channels but they’re not. DOOH is also integrated with smart phone technology. Since smartphones became a significant part of our lives, and we’re using them when we’re out and about around billboards, the integration of the two mediums happened naturally. By using augmented reality, we can connect our phones with the digital billboards. A simple thought such as building a phone charger into the billboard is a great way to extend digital OOH creativity. And this will impress because people enjoy things that make their life simpler to navigate.
Creativity is the key element here. Touch screen billboards with WiFi connection will make your brand more personalized. Imagine a digital billboard which you can check the news, view a city map, explore the weather forecast and examine currency rates. Well, it probably exits.
Some Augmented Reality Examples
Since the marketers have access to consumer data, it is not very hard to find what people want and what they need most. If your brand finds a way to be personalized and picks up on consumer insights, there will be a perfect match of brand loyalty. Marketers are becoming more aware of the importance of digital OOH advertising and they are creating new ways to connect with the customers. By making consumer centric and cohesive campaigns, customers will embrace your brand.
References:
Bruell, Alexandra (19 March 2018). Rivals Chip Away at Google’s and Facebook’s U.S. Digital Ad Dominance, Data Show. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/rivals-chip-away-at-googles-and-facebooks-u-s-digital-ad-dominance-data-show-1521457321
