by PrintipyOut of Home(OOH) advertising has grown exponentially in the past few decades holding a place among the oldest forms of advertising globally with spending on OOH reaching over 34 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2021. This alone spells just how much impact OOH has on brands and customers. Even though OOH advertising took a huge hit in 2020 due to the raging pandemic, causing fewer people to spend time outside, it is gradually rising back on its feet as lockdowns and restrictions are being deactivated all over the world.
Anywhere in the world, more than 70% of commuters notice OOH adverts. They cannot be hidden from the human eye, making the medium an incredibly effective way for brands to connect with potential consumers, increase sales, introduce a new line of products or build awareness. Indubitably, the demand for OOH advertising is ever constant even in the face of digital consumerism.
Today, OOH combines its traditional methods with digital to reach more audiences. In this piece, we take a look at what Out of Home Advertising means, its prominent types and examples and how valuable it is to any brand out there. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
What is OOH or Out of Home Advertising?
Out-of-home (OOH) Advertising also called outdoor advertising, outdoor media, or out-of-home media, are advertising channels that reach consumers outside the confines of their homes. This type of advertising typically includes anything from billboards and buses to digital signages at airports and cabs. The primary goal of OOH is to reach consumers while they are on the go, whether commuting, running errands, waiting for a bus, shopping at the mall, or simply walking down the street.
Digital technology is now being merged into traditional OOH advertising as the number of digital screens and signages increase all over the world, thereby adding more effectiveness to the media. Big brands in many sectors make use of OOH creatively to connect with their customers. Such brands include McDonald’s, Apple, Coca-Cola, Netflix, and Google.
Types of OOH Advertising
1. Billboard Advertising: Billboard Advertising is the most popular kind of OOH advertising out there. Billboards are used by hundreds of brands in the world and since they come in various sizes, they aren’t too costly to run. Their effectiveness depends on location, places with the highest number of commuters.
In 2020, McDonald’s ran its ‘Bitten Billboards’ campaign by TBWA\Paris, which was basically billboards with huge “bites” taken out of them.
2. Transit or Vehicle Advertising: This type of OOH advertising includes signs and images on the interior and/or exterior walls of buses, railway cars, taxis, subway cars, and transit shelters. An example of Transit is Absolut’s Bloody Campaign by Absolut vodka. The company’s advertisers changed several bus marquees with a better and more sophisticated outlook.
3. Point-Of-Sale Advertising: Point-of-sale advertising includes communication materials used to draw consumers’ attention at the moment of purchase. The primary goal of POS is to encourage customers to make last-minute purchases.
In 2020, Starbucks’ Zhuhai, China, utilised innovative POS ideas to display its promotional branded merchandise and for customers to see the available drink sizes available.
4. Street Furniture Advertising: Street furniture ads include bus shelters, benches, urban panels and freestanding furniture viewable along a motorist or pedestrian’s commute. Such ads are more cost-effective than purchasing billboard space.
One popular example of this is Netflix’s human-like mannequin incubating in plastic at a West Hollywood bus stop designed to promote Netflix’s new show, Altered Carbon. The ad garnered great attention from passersby.
Why is OOH Advertising important for brands?
Fundamentally, OOH advertising is important because it gives brands a chance to communicate with a large number of consumers with powerful messages. Brands need to build awareness and get exposure for their products/services. OOH delivers a strong brand awareness message to those who are the move every day.
Furthermore, OOH advertising is location specific and thus targeted. Each location is strategically selected to aim your message at the precise audience you’re trying to engage. Brands stick to OOH advertising because it is budget-friendly and highly scalable. Moreover, OOH media has a much longer lifespan than online ads and is well-perceived by people. In fact, next to print, people perceive OOH as a very credible source of information.
Closing Thought
The value of OOH advertising is clear and cannot be overemphasised. Brands do not hesitate to use OOH advertising and its creative tools to create awareness, gain a wider reach, drive sales among other goals. There are several agencies that handle OOH advertising campaigns, but Printipy Agency utilised
Printipy is a Branding Agency that reveals the uniqueness of every brand to its target audience in a classy, professional, and highly creative way through our specially tailored branding services. We drive value and establish a sustained differentiation by strategic positioning and visibility of ideas, brands, individuals