How Out Of Home Strengthens Other Forms of Digital Marketing

2019 brought advancements in many metrics that affect marketing of all types. From advancements in location data to time stamping, from eye tracking to cross-device promotions, considerable advancements have been in marketing as a whole. So how does this affect Out of Home marketing?

We've discussed in the past how outdoor advertising, (or out of home advertising) is the only traditional media category in existence to have shown positive growth in 2018. Additionally, tech brands especially are allocating more and more of their ad budgets towards physical advertisements like billboards, mobile billboards, programmatic OOH ads, and Commoot ads. Google, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Hulu, and other large players in the tech space are turning to OOH advertisements to recapture their audiences offscreen and offline.

If these tech-savvy brands are prioritizing Outdoor advertisements, why aren't you?

A question we get a lot at Commoot is "Why would I run OOH ads when I can just put more dollars towards my current campaigns?". While it is true, of course, that advertisers do have the choice of putting all of their eggs (in this case, money) into one proverbial media basket, we live in an age where multi-channel campaigns are really the only way to full submerse a consumer in your advertisement in ways that make them pay attention to your message. If 89% of consumers are also on their mobile devices while watching TV, they very likely will not be paying too much attention to your ad. Likewise with streaming, if users are shopping for fall sweaters on amazon while watching Great British Bake Off, chances are very low that they will see you ad, let alone feel compelled to act from it.

The Rule of 7 in Advertising

In advertising, the Effective Frequency is the number of time a consumer must 'see' (used in quotes here because attention is key, not mere sight alone) an advertising message before they respond to the ad and before the repetition of this message becomes redundant and counterproductive. It's said that, in general, the expected effective frequency is around seven individual views or interactions. This means that a consumer will likely need to see your ad SEVEN times before they are most likely to be compelled to take an action.

That means if a consumer first sees your brand on a social media channel, then again on the TV/streaming service, again on their train ride to work, on a search engine, once more before they watch a YouTube video, and again on the train ride back home, they would still need ONE MORE VIEW of your brand before they are most likely to take action.

You can see how OOH marketing increases the rate at which consumers interact with your brand, but its true power lies in utilizing several marketing campaigns while also running OOH advertisements.

OOH Supports Multi-Channel Promotion

Today, adblockers and the population's general stimulation overload means that it's getting harder and harder to get noticed by consumers. OOH ads are un-skippable, are visual appealing, and create a real-world experience in a way that digital ads can't. The last 20 years have been a huge push towards devices; the next 10 years will likely see a push to get away from screens and back into the physical world. OOH advertising has regained the edge that it lost when digital media first began to rise, taking back consumer view times and capturing audiences where they are actually paying attention.

OOH's beauty is in its multi-channel power. Outdoor ads can serve as physical 'retargeting' advertisements, reminding audiences of your brand and calling to mind the last time they encountered your message.

Commoot Out of Home ads support nearly every other marketing strategy, including (but not limited to) social media, e-commerce, email marketing, ppc, retargeting, and other forms of media advertising. While impression-based ads like ours can be relatively tough to track, new tech is emerging every day that gives advertisers more clarity into what happens after the viewer sees an OOH ad.

What channels can OOH support?

OOH and Social Media

If OOH is peanut butter and Branding is jelly, social media acts as the plate that this delicious combination is served on. Social media advertising campaigns rely on exponential reach and advanced targeting to deliver advertising messaging. As users begin to feel less confident in social channels privacy settings and the general feed, they turn their eyes towards closed groups, followed hashtags, and smaller audiences.

OOH ads and Social Media ads can and should utilize the same creative to create an experience that stays memorable regardless of where the consumer is looking. Secondly, wit and eye-catching humor are rewarded on both OOH ads and Social Media ads, which means that something that is eye-catching on the road will likely also be eye-catching on social. Lastly, social media insights can provide an even deeper look at the audiences your brand targets.

OOH and E-Commerce

It's likely obvious why e-commerce and out of home compliment each other well. With so many e-commerce brands online today, it can be nearly impossible for a brand that is not a household name to become well-known to a number of people. OOH provides additional branding power and awareness IRL, which strengthens the interaction when you do reach these audiences online. Showcasing products in the physical world, while not removing the convenience and ease of online shopping, make OOH and E-Commerce a flawless duo.

OOH and Web Development and Email Marketing

OOH campaigns can be a great way to compliment what you're already doing with your email marketing audiences. Email marketing makes the reader feel exclusive and valued in some way. By getting creative with the 'content' that the general public sees, you can get your audience excited about checking out your products of services. If you've successfully piqued the consumer's interest enough for them to visit your website, you've already won half the battle.

Once on your site, you might (read: should) cookie that user to retarget later. You should also attempt to funnel them into joining your email marketing lists (if applicable to you). Resound the same messaging that was found on your OOH ad on your website. Resource the same messaging that was on your OOH advertisements to your email audiences, offering extras or loyalty rewards that go beyond what the average person received.

Get your audiences excited about your brand with OOH, then reel them into your community (your website + your email lists) once they find out more about you.

There are many other ways that OOH can be used to support all other forms of marketing, digital or otherwise. Commoot ads reach audiences where they can't click out and they can't look away - without distracting or annoying them. Learn more about the only media industry to see steady growth. Learn more about Commoot today.