The billboards are a great way to advertise your business. They can be funny, weird, or just plain stupid. We have compiled a list of some of the funniest and most interesting ones over the years. Check them out!
As technology continues to advance, companies are finding new ways to reach out to potential customers. The traditional advertising methods of radio, television, and newspapers are still around, but more companies rely on digital marketing strategies to spread brand awareness.
Of course, as the marketing world changes, the way people interact with advertisements is also evolving. Customers have more control than ever over the ads they see, and some technology companies are working to make this even easier. Apple’s recent update has blocked third-party cookies that measure cross-site traffic from Safari, making meta-data more unreliable and harder to use for targeted ads.
Companies that want to stay agile, need to return to more traditional OOH advertising and embrace innovative ways to incorporate digital technology to improve it. This article will provide an overview of how out-of-home advertising is keeping up with the future. But first, what does OOH offer?
The Benefits of OOH
The practice of renting out traditional billboards has been around since the 1860s, but OOH still thrives today because it offers numerous benefits. Not only can it increase brand awareness and with highly visible ad space, but it is also a viable way to engage with your target audience in virtually every market across the country.
Consumers who see an OOH ad are far more likely to research or visit a brand than those who come across an ad online or while watching TV because they don’t interrupt them in the middle of entertainment. Additionally, out-of-home advertising campaigns have been found to lead directly to sales and conversions, all while reducing costs per viewer. They offer an average return-on-investment of 497% and can cut through distractions to reach your potential customers.
Companies use these types of advertising that appeals to millenials because these customers can’t skip or block them. In many cases, they provide a welcome distraction while they wait. More importantly, OOH gets your message to reach customers when it matters most: when they’re outside with time to absorb information from your ad. Savvy marketers can use strategies to continue the conversation online with QR codes, special offers, or thought-provoking questions that get your target audience to your website.
Is OOH advertising growing?
In a multi-screen world where viewers might be watching a TV show on their computer while surfing Facebook and following a brand on Twitter, digital advertising is easily ignored. Meanwhile, OOH can appear on billboards, bus shelters, taxis, or rideshare apps, following customers wherever they go. The OOH industry is increasingly becoming an essential part of any company’s marketing plan, and the opportunities for ad placement are growing by the day.
Current market forecasts project that the digital OOH advertising industry will grow by over 5 billion dollars in the next four years, so if you want to get the best value for your ad campaign, it’s best to invest sooner. A lot of this growth is related to companies rearranging their strategies due to the pandemic, and planning for a rapid recovery where profits can soar once again.
COVID-19 Impact
Covid-19 transformed the economy overnight. Customers flocked to curbside pickup, delivery options, and online shopping to avoid the spread of disease. Restaurants focused on take-out, while movie theaters, bars, concerts, and other entertainment venues shut down entirely. On top of that, companies cut back or suspended millions of jobs. While things are back on the upward trend, the supply chain continues to face disruption, and consumer spending habits are still feeling the effects of the previous year. Many experts say it will be another decade before we return to anything resembling a normal economic cycle.
Businesses that shifted to meet consumer needs during the pandemic thrived, while others either had to wait it out or shut down altogether. But Covid-19 had a major effect on how advertisers reached customers. With air travel down, fewer subway riders, and less commuting on the highway, many outdoor advertising efforts scaled down to focus more on the digital ad campaign.
While many companies struggled to keep up with the times and deliver relevant messaging, others, like DoorDash and Amazon, thrived, even while embracing outdoor advertising. But with the global vaccination campaign well underway, many businesses are left wondering what comes next.
Has “Normal” Returned?
Now that many places are opening back up again, people are thrilled at the chance to travel, shop in person, and congregate at large events. Most of them are happy to have a break from their screens, which means they are more likely to take in the sights, and the ads, around them. The New York Subway has seen a major increase in riders, though it hasn’t fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, box office sales have climbed, and concerts and festivals have largely resumed around the country. At least, for now. Setbacks caused by variants or supply chain issues can create panic buying or sudden halts in spending. The possibility of further restrictions related to rises in cases can also complicate spending habits in key market areas.
Companies will have to stay more focused on short-term plans than ever before, which can make traditional forms of OOH difficult to implement. Because of the ever-changing OOH landscape, it’s crucial for a marketer to consider the ways that technology enhances the flexibility of their OOH ad campaigns.
Incorporating Technology into OOH Advertising
OOH media has come a long way from the static billboards of the past. The digital screen allows the marketer and media planners to use programmatic OOH to change their messaging for more relevancy. With smart billboards, you can quickly update your ad to reflect the season, the amount of traffic, or even changes in the weather, for virtually no production costs after your initial investment.
Digital ads can also communicate with mobile devices within a certain range, allowing you to integrate your digital ad campaigns with people that passed a particular ad. This technology can also let you embrace the power of storytelling for your brand to deliver a more personalized message and increase your authenticity. By strategically planning your ads by location and time, the customer isn’t seeing the same image over and over – they are following different parts of the story while they go about their business, ensuring they will remember who you are and how you can serve them.
You can further embrace technology into your campaign with experiences. Experiential OOH focuses on creating unique experiences to attract attention and prolong engagement with your brand. Technology such as virtual or augmented reality can captivate your audience and give them the opportunity to meet with brand ambassadors or even see your product in action.
By integrating your OOH and digital ad campaigns seamlessly, you can expand your reach and maximize the impact of your messages. With the price-per-impression of outdoor advertising, not only can small and medium-sized businesses afford it – they can’t afford to ignore it.
How to Invest In Outdoor Advertising
If you’re interested in purchasing digital outdoor advertising but don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone. Many small businesses don’t have the manpower or experience to find and place outdoor advertising effectively. They have to contact OOH media owners individually, track quotes, and compare data about the number of impressions they can make at each location. They’ll also have to find ways to define the target audience at each location if they want to tailor their advertising for the biggest impact.
These issues are further complicated if you want to advertise across multiple channels, such as an airport advertising campaign that leads into transit advertising, you may need to work with separate companies, and you may not retain control over how the ads are delivered.
Unfortunately, many businesses will give up before they exploring all their options, or worse – settle on ineffective spending with incomplete data. Luckily, there is an easier way to plan, track, and spend on OOH opportunities so you can keep up to date with the latest changes, even if you can’t predict them.
Put More Power Into Your Ad Spend With True Impact Media
At True Impact, we’ve simplified the process of purchasing outdoor advertising. Our media buying platform will help you compare costs and offer data-driven strategies for more targeted ads, and you’ll maintain total control of the implementation of your campaign. We’ll handle the printing, shipping, and posting of your campaign – and provide proof of posting and performance reports.
Our platform features no upfront cost to use, and the price you see is the price you’ll pay, so you can make the most of your budget and easily scale up your investment once you see the results. We can help you find millions of opportunities for digital OOH and help your marketers embrace all the possibilities for creative campaigns.
We are advertisers and technology enthusiasts that have created a smart, flexible, and efficient way to manage every aspect of your OOH advertising campaign with no contract. Ready to get your business seen? Reach out today to give it a try.
