Taking the OOH Road Less Traveled

We all know that out-of-home is the most versatile advertising channel because it offers such a vast array of traditional and digital media to display your ads. So we were pretty surprised to learn that fewer than 1 in 4 brands are taking full advantage of this wealth of inventory.

That’s just one insightful takeaway from our report, “The ROI of OOH Advertising.” Here’s how the inventory usage situation stacks up.

Digital billboards are the #1 most popular – 67% of respondents said they use this medium.

One-third or more said they also use:

• Billboards of various sizes
• Digital kiosks
• Place-based media in supermarkets, gas stations, etc.
• Airport advertising

Only one-quarter (or far fewer) reported using:

• Benches (street furniture)
• Subway advertising
• Programmatic DOOH
• Wallscapes or wall murals
• Static kiosks
• LED trucks/vehicles
• Taxi advertising
• Bus shelters
• EV charging stations
• Spectaculars

That means 75% of OOH advertisers are missing valuable connections with their audience.

We can perhaps discount the limited use of spectaculars. They are as expensive as they are huge, putting them beyond reach for most marketers. Still, that leaves a long list of other opportunities going wanting.

Why should you take the OOH road less traveled?

Using only a few tools in your toolbox wastes your investment and pretty much assures you won’t build the results you envision.

Today’s consumers — both B2B and B2C — are a demanding but diffuse group now that they are no longer stuck in front of a screen at home. You have to use every means at your disposal if you expect to reach them in the right place at the right time to make the biggest impact with your ad message.

Marketers have already figured this out when it comes to choosing advertising markets. They’re expanding their advertising campaigns into secondary and tertiary cities because that’s where much of the population has gone.

Promoting brands, products and services in Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations can be more affordable and more effective, depending on the intended audience and message. For example, account-based marketers are using OOH to great effect to build business in specific communities.

For bigger brands that want to make a local splash or smaller brands that serve a narrowly-defined marketing radius, lesser-used OOH platforms can serve as the backbone of hyperlocal advertising. That includes advertising at airports that serve smaller cities around the country.

Savvy brands can cash in while others dither

• Dodge the competition. With fewer brands using these media, you stand a better chance of getting the most valuable placements and the most favorable pricing. You can stand out boldly without breaking the budget.
• Own the space before your competition catches on.
• Test new campaigns or markets more cost-effectively.
• Expand content creativity and relevance with new types of “canvases” and locations.
• Introduce more ways to interact with your audience, even in real time.
• Augment and diversity OOH buys (and further boost ROI) with a wider variety of supplemental media to go even deeper with reach, targeting and contextual content delivery.

Although OOH marketers credit both traditional and digital ads with generating impressive ROI, only 8% report using both types of media in their campaigns. This represents another overlooked but potentially golden opportunity to connect with audiences in fresh, engaging ways. And to drive even greater results of already-successful ad campaigns.

OOH suppliers can cash in, too

Every media owner’s goal is fully-booked inventory. If your company offers OOH platforms that are currently under-used, perhaps it’s time to promote them more overtly. You have what marketers need to reach all the goals stated above, so start spreading the word.

With your help showing media buyers how and why to choose your “tier 2” inventory types, brands can confidently take the road less traveled to meet up with targets wherever they are in the real world.

Make a difference with your OOH campaigns

Robert Frost concluded his famous poem “The Road Not Taken” with these lines:

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Simply by making broader use of OOH inventory options, you can make a big difference in your advertising results, reaching more targets in more places with more (and more relevant) content.

OneScreen.ai makes it easy to chart a course that includes any and all types of OOH inventory. Our comprehensive directory gives you an all-in-one toolbox, and it’s free.