Image courtesy Dot2Dot Communications
New research by the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada (OMAC) shows consumers are increasingly interested in using mobile devices—particularly their own smart phones—to participate in interactive out-of-home (OOH) advertising.
Out of all mobile subscribers in Canada, nearly five million (21 per cent) say they have interacted at least once with an OOH ad using their phones; and 3.5 million (15 per cent) have done so within the past six months.
These consumers represent an especially desirable demographic group for marketers. Nearly 50 per cent are between the ages of 18 and 34 and nearly 67 per cent are between the ages of 35 and 54. These age groups tend to represent the ideal combination of a willingness to purchase new goods or services and the financial ability to do so.
Also, smart-phone owners who have interacted with OOH ads tend to be fairly affluent, with 60 per cent earning annual household incomes of $75,000 or more.
The research further indicates those who have interacted with OOH ads are 45 per cent more likely than others to watch videos and TV programs on their mobile devices, suggesting advertisers could leverage cross-media synergies.
Canada is especially well-poised for such opportunities. According to ComScore’s MobiLens studies, the world’s growth rate of smart-phone adoption has slowed, but Canada’s continues to outpace other measured countries’. Total market penetration is now around 75 per cent. And nearly 30 per cent of all smart phones in Canada are enabled for near-field communication (NFC), allowing them to establish radio connections with nearby OOH ads.
As for the future, OMAC notes 42 per cent of consumers say they are interested in using their mobile devices to interact with OOH ads, suggesting greater potential to integrate mobile and OOH advertising efforts as time goes by.
OMAC expects these findings will help marketers identify opportunities to develop more effective OOH campaigns by capitalizing on the convenience and accessibility of mobile-enabled interactivity.
