Think static out-of-home (OOH) advertising is a marketing medium of the past? Think again.
OOH is actually the fastest-growing advertising medium of the last few years, showing consistent and steady growth while other forms of media are declining.
All the elements of a marketing mix influence each other, and a healthy balance can lead to a thriving business. But are you giving OOH enough attention?
Adding OOH to your marketing mix is a chance for small and large businesses to up their game and stay in the league. Here’s are five great reasons why:
The reason OOH complements digital and traditional media so well is thought to be because OOH is seen to be a more credible medium that boosts brand trust, according to industry experts.
In addition, advertising associations report that OOH is a strong sales activator and action motivator, key to the “last window of influence”, that critical time before a primed consumer takes action or makes a purchase.
1. OOH boosts your other channels
In fact, OOH especially boosts digital channels by up to 31% for online advertising, 56% for paid-social, and 80% for search, according to the Canadian Out of Home Marketing and Management Bureau (COMMB). That’s pretty impressive for a simple billboard.
Adding OOH to your marketing mix can amplify your other media channels and drive consumer action or sales.
Other triggered actions after seeing OOH advertising include using a search engine to search for something advertised in an OOH ad or visiting or posting a message about it on social media, among many others, according to Nielsen OOH Advertising Study.
2. OOH effectively builds brand awareness
Even digital didn’t win the war on creative advertising when it comes to OOH.
OOH continues to offer great opportunities for strong, bold, and creative advertising that drives brand awareness.
Adding OOH advertising to your brand awareness campaigns is a smart move that can elevate your brand and familiarise consumers
and target audiences with it.
As we’ve mentioned previously in this blog, consumers are more receptive to and trusting of this type of advertising than other mediums, which makes it perfect to build and solidify a brand.
Strong graphic design and simple, creative concepts help create effective brand recognition in consumers who are otherwise inundated with advertising clutter. The right message at the right time and to the right people can cut right through the noise and provide far better brand memorability.
COMMB studies show that we’re 33% more alert when we’re outside our home, while its American counterpart the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) reports that OOH can boost brand esteem and fame by 62%.
By placing ads in other mediums, you risk your ad getting diluted by other messaging, as other brands vie for consumer attention. But place some rink boards in the middle of an ice-hockey rink, and you’ll be one of very few large, attention-drawing ads.
3. OOH delivers mass reach quickly
OOH is highly effective in reach large numbers of potential consumers quickly for a broad, in a format that’s hard to miss, with a narrow focus.
With OOH advertising in parks, indoor and outdoor arenas and sports venues, you have a chance to reach a captive audience that can otherwise also be hard to reach, both in urban and rural markets.
And when it comes to OOH advertising at Rec Media, you already know the audience based on the venue, which means you have more chances of creating advertising that connects with or speaks to them. You’ll also have a fair idea of the numbers of people reached by the nature of the location of the OOH ads.
Thousands of people will see your ads, without the option of dismissing or ignoring your ads, as is frequently done on mobile and desktop ads. You can’t fast-forward the ad, skip it, or even pay more to avoid it.
There’s more impact for longer periods of time, and with our decreasing attention spans, OOH advertising can only be a good thing for the memorability of an ad or brand.
This means that if you focus on strong creativity, relatability, and impact, you have a chance to truly connect with your audience in a meaningful and memorable way.
4. OOH is here to stay… and is
growing!
It’s one of the oldest forms of advertising, but it’s as relevant as ever. Despite it being a digital-savvy world, OOH is having a moment.
While TV, radio, newspaper and magazine advertising have all been on the decline in recent years, OOH advertising has been growing since 2017 and is billed to show continued, steady growth through to 2023, as latest figures of the OAAA show.
Other forms of advertising are on the decline in reach and consumption, especially with younger generations, but OOH has built on its strength in the last 10 years—and reaches those younger audiences in ways online and TV ads don’t.
Imagine your family at a soccer game, where impactful OOH ads can be seen all around the field, with every move of the teams. There’s no doubting the power that OOH ads can have by comparison to the ads your kids will skip, dismiss, and forget on their smartphones.
Not convinced yet? Consider this: OOH is forecast to continue to grow steadily over the next few years, with no indication of slowing down.
5. OOH delivers consistently high ROI
OOH is thought by many to be the golden goose of advertising these days. It’s highly effective—but it’s also cost-effective in comparison to other ad mediums.
The OAAA and Outdoor Media Association report that OOH advertising delivers more activity per ad dollar spent than print, TV, or radio ads, and for each one of those dollars, there’s an average profit of $5.97.
Not only that, COMMB states that OOH advertising outperforms TV ads in relation to undiluted recall levels, and connects and engages with consumers effectively.
OOH simply yield a higher return on investment. The higher the investment, the higher the return.
So what’s the point? OOH shouldn’t be overlooked or be an afterthought in your marketing mix: allocated sufficient budget so it can drive your advertising and provide bottom-line impact. You can reach more people (the right people) in the right place at the right time, which should be a prime consideration in today’s competitive market.
Over to You
Are you taking advantage of the strengths of OOH advertising to reach your ideal customers? Please explore our arena advertising opportunities, or contact Rec Media today, so that we can design an effective OOH campaign to meet your marketing objectives.
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