When explaining outdoor advertising to the ordinary person, it is a strategy that allows businesses to promote their products or services outdoors and there are many different forms of it to choose from. Allowing businesses to plaster their ads onto outdoor displays where their consumers are most likely to be is a strategic and effective form of getting your target to see your product or service in a non-invasive form. The consumer may seem to think it is a coincidence when coming across an advertisement and they have the choice to stop and take in the ad or continue on with their day. So below are a list of different types of outdoor advertising that is sure to catch the eye of your consumers.
Traditional Billboard (Static, Mobile, Digital)
When it comes to billboard or Out of Home advertising, there are three different types and those are static, mobile and digital. Static billboards are the billboards that are plastered with an ad you may see while driving on a highway or walking down the street as it is said that 68% of consumers make shopping decisions while in a vehicle. These ads are typically placed there for long periods of time and are not changed once placed. Mobile billboards are those that are plastered on a moving vehicle such as the type of ads you may see on trucks, cars, etc. Those types of ads have the option of staying static as a poster or made into a digital moving billboard that can display a video on a loop or multiple ads by various brands depending on the vehicle and agency. Finally, digital billboards are the type of billboard that have the capability to be interactive as well as displaying videos, gifs, or multiple videos by multiple brands digitally. They also have the ability to be changed in real time based on data from consumer feedback.
Transit Advertising
Many consumers’ form of transportation is taking transit and taking a bus is on average for the people of Toronto is about 52 minutes long. So the target is likely to be aware of their surroundings so what better place to have an ad than inside the bus. Transit advertising is typically placed above where the consumer sits and having a bold and eye catching ad is a strategic form of advertising. Ads may also be placed on the sides of transit for consumers to view while passing by as well as within subway or metro stations, trains cars, and airports.
Guerilla Advertising
This form of advertising is one that is made to blend into the surroundings. For example the advertisement below is for flea and tick spray and when seen from above, the humans walking on the surface look like fleas. This is a very effective form of advertising as it gets the consumer talking as you can see with the tweet below, as it is so unusual and clever that the target is drawn to it. The ads have a shock factor and that’s what gets the consumer to buy the product.
Point of Sales (POS) Advertising
This type of advertising is made to draw in buyers right when they are going to purchase to get them to impulsively make the purchase of said product. Taking the example of how Bic used their POS product to draw in consumers with clever copywriting and a celebrity endorsement. Making last minute purchases is the main goal for this type of marketing.
Retail Advertising
Retail advertising is the mother load of all places to advertise because the store can be a few steps away! Catching the consumer right when they are already in the environment as well as the mindset to make purchases has the most impact. Advertising in shopping malls and plazas are also strategic because you can even direct the customer exactly where to go and how far they need to walk to get there. As the industry begins to develop new and improved forms of advertising, there are better and more effective ways of catching the attention of your target and leaving with them a lasting impression. Interactive ads have become most popular as consumers have a chance to get a personal experience with the brand and learn something from it. This type of advertising creates a sense of immediacy for the consumer and will either hit or miss when it comes to convincing them to purchase your product or service.
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
Vehicle Advertising
As mentioned above with transit advertising and mobile billboards, ads can be placed onto any type of vehicle as a wrap around and anywhere the vehicle goes consumers will see it. Having a moving advertisement is much more effective than a traditional static ad as it reaches your consumer exactly where they are, be it walking down the street, waiting for a stop light, or even going into their favorite boutique. If the correct research is done on the target audience and their habits, truck, car, or van advertising is the most cost efficient and effective way of reaching your target.
Stunt Advertising
This final form of advertising is one that is the most out of the box, it requires more people, more supplies, and is a quick loud display and does not stay for long. Stunt advertising is when a brand creates a stunt as an ad in a highly populated area to generate the most attention and attraction towards the cause and then packs up everything like it was never there. An ad like that would need to be very clever and eye-catching but your brand must make sure to be careful how it is executed as some it could generate very different opinions and results.
The above examples are just a handful of the different types of Out of Home advertisements that could be used to effectively execute your brand’s vision for how to attract the most of your target. Having an effective campaign is to have clever visuals, a strong message and a strategic execution of it all and with any of these above forms of advertising, your brand can do just that!
