Out-Of-Home (OOH) Advertising in 2021
With people spending so much time online, online advertising might seem like the best option (not to mention it’s so easy to use). So is Out-Of-Home advertising still relevant in 2021?
What is OOH Advertising?
Out-of-home advertising, also known as outdoor advertising or out-of-home media, is any type of advertising that people see when they are out and about. The most traditional OOH advertising format is billboards, but beyond that there is street furniture, digital billboards, place-based media (digital signage on gas pumps or in malls), ads on vehicles, and more. While billboards make up the majority of this, OOH can be used to refer to all of these.
What is DOOH Advertising?
OOH has been a staple in advertising for well over 100 years, but recently most of these mediums have been digitized. Everything from billboards to taxi-top ads, digital OOH advertising provides more flexibility. Digital OOH (DOOH) campaigns can be changed more frequently, advertisers can choose specific schedules, and dynamic content that changes in real time based off weather (and other triggers) can be used.
Why Use OOH Advertising?
With people spending so much time online, online advertising might seem like the best option (not to mention it’s so easy to use). So is OOH still relevant in 2021? With OOH being the only type of offline advertising growing year over year (even through the effects of 2020), it certainly seems so. In fact, tech companies like Facebook, Netflix, and Google are among some of the biggest spenders in OOH, so evidence points to OOH continuing to be an advertising staple that adapts to changes.
One major benefit of OOH advertising is how well it stands out. This is what draws in advertisers everywhere, from major tech brands to local mom and pop shops. Adding OOH to existing social media, online ads, etc. helps brands stand out from the competition. Studies have found a developing “ad blindness” among online users. OOH disrupts this by putting brands in front of potential customers in a new environment and boosting brand awareness. In turn, customers are more likely to engage with a brand online.
If you need more proof that OOH advertising works, look no further. The Nielsen 2020 Digital Out-of-Home Advertising Report found that 1 in 3 viewers of a billboard will end up searching for that brand online, 62% of people notice billboards, and nearly two-thirds of those people engage with the brand after seeing the ad. Facebook conducted a study that found using a combination of online and OOH ads in your media mix has a compounding effect on someone’s likeness to become a customer. Using a combination of Facebook ads and OOH advertising can take advertising to the next level by creating an environment where potential customers are encompassed by a brand.
Additionally, OOH can give a brand a greater sense of credibility. There is something about a brand being on a billboard that gives consumers a greater sense of trust in them. That one reason why online engagement is known to increase when using OOH. Online ads can appear scammy or less reputable depending on placement and creative, an issue you won’t come across with OOH.
Check out these out-of-home advertising examples to see how brands in various sectors have run successful OOH campaigns.
How to Buy OOH in 2021
Like many other industries, the internet has allowed OOH to change the way ad spend occurs. Traditional OOH media formats like static billboards are largely bought through campaign specific contracts. In the past, this was done either by reaching out to a large national billboard company or working with regional billboard owners. Now the process of getting OOH ads is much easier. Adkom is an aggregator of all the regional owners across the USA, not to mention the single source of independent OOH in America.
Digital billboards are another great way to invest in OOH advertising. In addition to contracted campaigns you can purchase digital billboards programmatically or through a self-serve marketplace (enter Blip!). Programmatic DOOH is purchased through a software that places ads on digital billboards. Although similar in nature, Blip is a self-serve online marketplace that offers advertisers total control over their campaigns. This works similar to Facebook’s or Google’s ad platforms. With Blip, advertisers build campaigns and schedule them on their own through our online platform. There are no contracts or minimum budget requirements. You are truly in control of every aspect of your campaign. To get to know this process better, create a free advertiser account with Blip.
_____
As OOH becomes more popular in 2021, we hope you will take the time to invest in some type of OOH advertising. OOH offers many benefits, and has the ability to take your brand to the next level. If you’re looking to get your foot in the door with OOH, Blip is a great place to start! To experiment with digital billboard advertising, run a campaign with Blip today!
