Marketing technology budgets are on the rise. In fact, marketers are on pace to outspend IT departments on technology initiatives in 2017.
As budgets shift to focus on new technology initiatives, many marketers are making the critical mistake of excluding out of home (OOH) from their marketing mix. Marketing departments cannot forget about OOH advertising as it’s an effective tool for catering to the on-demand consumer, optimizing exposure via memorable visuals and, ultimately, encouraging critical actions.
Let’s take a closer look at the value of incorporating OOH advertising into digital marketing plans:
Maximizes Exposure in Today’s On-Demand Economy
Today’s on-demand economy has created a breed of consumers that are primed for OOH advertising efforts. Consumers are more “on the go” than ever before. The travel habits of today’s consumer expose them to a great deal of OOH advertising, including billboards, bus shelters, taxis, digital signage and more.
In fact, 91 percent of Americans over the age of 16 who have traveled in a vehicle in the past month noticed OOH advertising in their travels (per a recent Nielsen study). Given those figures, marketers cannot afford to leave OOH advertising out of their marketing mix. There’s no denying that today’s consumer and “traveler” will not only notice, but retain the information featured on the advertisement.
So, you now know that you need OOH advertising, but how do you create OOH advertising that will stand out?
Creates Memorable, Engaging Advertisements
OOH advertising is much more than just billboards on the side of a highway. With today’s digital capabilities, marketers can create compelling OOH displays that leave lasting impressions on consumers.
Over 80 percent of billboard viewers look at advertising messages at least “some of the time” and over 60 percent notice video ads in public venues (per a recent Nielsen study). Thus, it is critical that marketers get creative with their OOH displays to ensure advertisement’s draw in the consumer eye to garner maximum retention.
Walt Disney Studios is one brand doing an exceptional job of incorporating OOH advertisements into its marketing initiatives. A recent case study produced by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America notes that the powerhouse studio recently leveraged OOH to broaden its target reach outside of the family audience for its movie, “Zootopia.” By connecting with consumers via OOH advertisements through a series of provocative and creative initiatives, Disney successfully broadened its audience reach. Those initiatives included digital mall kiosks, digital sky banners, and wraps on city buses and trains.
Encourages Action and Participation From Audiences
Finally, OOH advertising is proven to encourage action from audiences. With 77 percent of Americans cited as smartphone users, an overwhelming majority of potential customers have instant access via their mobile devices to engage with brands.
For example, 14 percent of consumers snapchat photos of brands they view in OOH, 35 percent use their mobile devices for an online search of the advertiser and 15 percent download the advertiser’s application onto their phone (per a recent Nielsen study).
Engagement goes beyond mobile devices as well. Consumers are encouraged to interact with brands via social media from OOH exposure. Additionally, more than 1 in 5 OOH viewers have visited a restaurant after seeing an OOH advertisement in the past year and 20 percent have gone to see a movie (per a recent Nielsen study).
In today’s “on-the-go” environment, marketers cannot overlook OOH advertisements as a key ingredient in an effective marketing mix. OOH advertisements are proven to reach audiences on the move, create lasting impressions and, ultimately, drive action from consumers. Brands and those that market them should consider how they can incorporate OOH’s unrivaled ability to encourage interaction on behalf of the consumer into their current digital initiatives.
Originally posted to TargetMarketing.
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