Tantalize Your Audience with OOH Advertising

With out of home advertising blossoming as the newest (yet tried-and-true) marketing channel, media buyers have to make the most of every placement in order to reap the multiple benefits that OOH can bring.

Many factors fuel success — choosing the right inventory types, geotargeting the where and when, etc. But in the end, success comes down to what viewers see.

You need design that's right on the money.

Billboards are a big deal within the OOH category. They are not only the largest potential placement opportunity, they are the one that comes to mind first for most people. There's no doubt that billboards can be a key component of your omni-channel strategy — the flagship, you might say — but roadside signage is just the beginning.  

We all know that consistency across channels is critical in advertising, to boost memorability and response. The same is true as you consider the plethora of OOH and DOOH inventory choices — a wealth of canvases in shapes and sizes and locations that fit your place-based campaign goals. Our CEO and Co-founder Sam Mallikarjunan likes the idea of a wrapped ice cream truck. No doubt he's hoping it will stop and offer up samples. (And what a great pop-up OOH marketing idea!)

Billboards offer some unique opportunities and challenges due to their massive size. Nonetheless, the fundamentals of roadside signage design are the best starting point when it comes to design because many of the essentials apply to every type of inventory:

• Big, bold font that's easy to read
• Simple, concise message that’s easy to grasp
• Colors that contrast sharply
• Clear branding, because a cool design that isn’t firmly attached to your brand name isn't worth squat

The symbiosis of design and strategy

Don’t start drawing quite yet, you need a clear strategy first. Your strategy will determine which inventory items and placement locations you choose as well as ad content. So . . .

• What's your goal? Brand-building, educating viewers, introducing/promoting a specific product or service, support a conference sponsorship?
• Who's your audience? If you are targeting millennials (an excellent audience for OOH, by the way), you'll want to craft different content than if you’re targeting your Grandma.
• What's their CTA? The point is not to be seen, it’s to inspire a response from the viewer, right? So what do you want them to do? Make it obvious and easy because the simple act of following up connects them to you.

Context is critical. How viewers interact with your OOH depends on the setting. For example, a short URL on your billboard or a fleeting digital message would work nicely, whereas a QR code that requires proximity for accessibility would not.

Digital differences

If your strategy includes digital as well as printed displays, you'll have to think in terms of pixels and their spacing instead of inches and point size that relate to text fonts. Digital screens can accommodate both static and dynamic creative, and today's high definition screens generate maximum impact in terms of bright visibility and vibrant colors, so you can be even more creative. But remember that with programmatic scheduling, your message will rotate among other brands' content. You'll have a fixed but limited viewing time, not unlike the time it takes someone to see and pass your billboard.

Every placement an arresting presence

What makes for a D/OOH ad that leaves an indelible impression and invites engagement? Creativity, as seen through the lens of your goal, audience and desired response. Check out these two entertaining examples:

• Cadbury used 3D for a mouth-watering presentation of their famous chocolate bar. Will the next bite be yours? No doubt! 
• Puns are perfect for OOH, delivering a simple but unexpected visual guaranteed to capture a double-take and force viewer to contemplate your content. A second or two is all you need as Posh Peanut proved with this humorously memorable campaign. 

The last thing you want to do is copy someone else's advertising too closely. Really, all you’ll accomplish is reinforcing their marketing, which would be nice for them but a waste of your marketing dollars. On the other hand, seeing the outstanding – and sometimes outlandish – ways in which other brands have created an unforgettable OOH/DOOH presence can spark great ideas within your team as well.   

With that in mind, we offer our top 5 picks for out-of-this-world OOH — campaigns in which brands pulled it all together to achieve great design that worked! We can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with.