In the realm of advertising, a powerful medium continues to capture the attention of audiences worldwide – Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), OOH advertising is the preferred choice for consumers, providing marketers with a unique opportunity to engage potential customers in their daily lives. Whether it's a busy city street, a grocery store queue, or a commuter's train journey home from work, OOH advertising is ready to make an impact.
However, the world of OOH advertising is crowded with many formats and possibilities. The challenge lies in selecting the proper form to optimize your marketing budget and achieve exceptional results. Here, we'll explore ten distinct types of OOH advertising, each armed with unique examples and strategies, to help you unlock the full potential of this dynamic medium.
Defining Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising represents a form of mass media strategically positioned in public spaces to expose your message to potential consumers. Depending on your campaign objectives, this medium boasts a diverse array of formats, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Exploring the Diverse Landscape of OOH Advertising
OOH advertising can be broadly categorized into two key groups: static and digital.
Traditional OOH Advertising Often referred to as "classic" OOH, traditional advertising comprises static placements. This category includes iconic formats such as Billboards, Wallscapes, Posters, Transit Ads, and more.
Billboard Advertising: Billboards, or "Bulletins," are larger-than-life static units designed for optimal visibility from a distance. These enduring placements, often becoming integral parts of a geographic landscape, offer exceptional exposure, making them a cost-effective advertising choice.
Digital Billboard Advertising: The digital era has ushered in a new age of OOH advertising with electronic displays that revolutionize the medium. These dynamic digital billboards allow advertisers to update content swiftly, target specific audiences programmatically, and even employ 3D digital displays for an immersive experience.
Wallscape and Mural Advertising These formats encompass a wide range of sizes, from expansive Wallscapes for maximum visibility to smaller murals that seamlessly blend into local neighborhoods.
Wallscape Advertising: Wallscapes are vinyl posters strategically affixed to prominent walls in high-traffic areas, ensuring long-distance visibility and maximum impact.
Mural Advertising: Often hand-painted, murals provide a canvas for creative, custom OOH designs that generate long-term exposure and mass-market awareness, particularly in neighborhoods and areas where alternative formats may be limited.
Poster Advertising Static and digital posters weave themselves into the fabric of local neighborhoods, aligning your brand message with specific audiences and local culture. Posters extend brand awareness cost-effectively and are commonly found on surface streets and secondary roadways.
Street Furniture Advertising Street furniture, such as bus shelters and benches, offers public amenities and advertising opportunities. Whether static or digital, these displays engage pedestrians at eye level and influence vehicular traffic.
Urban Street Furniture Advertising: Target shoppers on the street at eye level with urban street furniture placements like bus benches, news racks, phone kiosks, and more. These placements excel in minimal advertising locations, ensuring your brand stays top of mind.
Bus Shelter Advertising: Follow urban bus routes to connect with consumers in high-traffic areas, providing 24-hour visibility to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Transit Advertising Transit advertising capitalizes on mobile audiences, reaching people on the move through various formats, including airport advertising, bus advertising, and rail and subway advertising.
Airport Advertising: Airports offer a variety of format types strategically placed throughout terminals, providing an extended dwell time for viewers to interact with your message.
Bus Advertising: Buses serve as dynamic canvases that follow audiences throughout their daily journeys, making them an excellent choice for reaching neighborhoods with limited OOH options.
Rail and Subway Advertising: Commuters and observers alike are exposed to your brand on trains, with lengthy dwell times on platforms and interior placements offering prime opportunities for engagement.
Arena and Stadium Advertising Stadiums and arenas provide advertisers with precise demographic targeting, massive visibility, and the potential for additional exposure through television broadcasts. Options, including scoreboards, dioramas, facade units, dashers, and replay screen spots, abound.
Shopping Mall Advertising Shopping malls present advertisers with a captive audience actively seeking products. Placements can be strategically located at entrances, anchor stores, escalators, food courts, and high-traffic areas.
Place-Based Advertising Place-based advertising encompasses various locations, from interior environments to exterior placements.
Interior Place-Based Advertising: Dynamic display units captivate audiences in prime locations such as convenience stores, health clubs, restaurants, and event spaces, offering opportunities to build brand awareness and reach targeted audiences.
Exterior Place-Based Advertising: Utilize static and digital displays in areas where people congregate, including campuses, military bases, convention centers, and more. These placements are designed to reach specific target audiences and enhance exposure.
Experiential Advertising invites viewers to actively participate in the brand experience through pop-up displays, aerial banners, or innovative campaigns. The novelty and interactivity of experiential advertising leave a lasting impression on audiences, often generating buzz on social media.
Guerilla OOH Advertising Guerilla marketing, often intertwined with experiential advertising, is a low-cost, nontraditional approach encompassing various format types. While it can be highly effective, it may also have associated fines and challenges in measuring its success.
Projection Advertising: This high-impact form of nontraditional OOH advertising illuminates the night sky for one-night-only events, offering a powerful but often costly option.
Street Team Advertising: Engage your audience directly with street teams that interact with consumers and increase brand awareness.
Wildposting Advertising: Capture the authenticity of neighborhoods with wildposting, a nontraditional inventory that can mimic traditional formats. It's a practical choice for creating local buzz and awareness.
Understanding Outdoor Advertising Attribution
Now that you're acquainted with various OOH formats, understanding your creatives' impact is crucial. OOH attribution involves identifying the audience exposed to your campaign and tracking their subsequent actions, whether online or offline. This data is typically collected through location observation data from mobile devices, providing valuable insights into audience behavior in the physical world.
Why Invest in Outdoor Advertising?
The possibilities in outdoor advertising are limited only by your imagination and your team's expertise. Crafting a comprehensive campaign often involves strategically integrating multiple formats to reach your target audience effectively. To select the ideal designs for your campaign, consider your goals, strategy, and budget. Don't hesitate to consult with experienced OOH specialists to create a memorable, measurable, and meaningful OOH campaign. Reach out to one of our OOH specialists or submit an RFP today to learn more about impactful OOH advertising.