Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising allows brands to meet people where they are in the real world and drives them to take action. Although down in numbers last year since so many Americans spent unusually high amounts of time at home, OOH recovered swiftly in 2021. Recent figures from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) revealed that outdoor advertising revenue increased by 38% — or $1.75 billion — in this year’s third quarter compared to 2020 spending.
With OOH poised for continued growth, what’s the best way for brands to catch their audiences’ eyes and effectively engage them? It starts by being strategic and creative. Here’s how to do this in 2022:
1. Think beyond the billboard
Billboards may be the quintessential OOH format, but they’re just one element in outdoor advertising’s expansive inventory. Don’t feel like you have to limit your brand to billboard advertising alone when the medium’s possibilities are endless. Instead, consider utilizing a wide range of outdoor ad formats to drive brand awareness, share eye-catching calls to action, and get consumers to visit websites, apps and storefronts.
In the traditional outdoor media catalog, you have street furniture, kiosks, mass-transit wraps, wallscapes and wild postings — to name a few. But lesser-known options should be on your radar, too. Try taking your message airborne by leveraging blimps, skywriting and drones. Another way to get noticed, especially during events, is by having your ads cruise the streets through digital mobile billboards. Or, take your brand messaging to local waterways in the spring and summer with floating billboards.
2. Consider various touchpoints
There’s no such thing as one and done when it comes to OOH. Advertisers should utilize multiple types of OOH in their target market to connect with consumers. Creating multiple touchpoints ensures your audience will remember your brand. It also increases the likelihood they’ll act. Frequency and diversity in what they see are key to achieving impact.
Let’s say you are looking to amplify event marketing, be it a conference, concert, parade or trade show. The first touchpoint on your audience’s journey starts at the airport. You can then leverage taxi toppers, transit wraps and mobile digital billboards to connect with attendees moving around the local market. Next up: place-based advertising to engage event-goers at restaurants, attractions, retail stores and the like. With OOH offering low costs, you can extend your marketing budget by working in a mix of ad formats to connect with audiences at various points within their journey.
Related: 5 Digital Advertising Tips That You Need to Know
3. Remember: Design and strategy go hand-in-hand
The design process doesn’t start with artwork; it starts with strategy. First, ask: Does the design align with your goal? Second, does the design make sense in the context of where it’s placed? To be effective, OOH ads need to center on a specific goal or immediate action. So, while you initially have a blank canvas to work with and endless creative opportunities, the direction needs to be clear. Do you want consumers to sign up for an app? If so, make sure a clear call to action is prominently displayed.
As for context, think about how your message informs your media and vice versa. For instance, a QR code might work well for a transit station or wild posting, but not a billboard next to a highway. OOH can seamlessly fit …….