Photos courtesy of OMAC
By Rosanne Caron
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising revenue increased by 5.5 per cent during the first half of 2014, compared to the first six months of 2013, according to data from Nielsen, with the largest spending increases in Canada coming from the telecommunications, financial services, media and alcohol advertiser categories. Further, OOH outpaced other media, as the total ad spend during the same period was up only 2.5 per cent. The share of total media dollars being allocated to OOH signage increased from 6.8 per cent in 2013 to seven per cent in 2014.
Digital OOH (DOOH) advertising is a key growth area. Members of the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada (OMAC), for example, have experienced double digit growth across outdoor, indoor and transit-based DOOH networks.
As businesses continue to invest in the OOH industry, 2015 will be an exciting year with more new initiatives to inspire advertisers and agencies.
More relevant and valuable
While other types of paid media are faced with increasing fragmentation and growing levels of ‘ad avoidance,’ the attention being paid to OOH advertising remains high. A 2014 survey of more than 100,000 Canadian shoppers found slightly more than eight out of 10 shoppers (83 per cent) noticed OOH ads. Further, nearly three-quarters (71 per cent)
of them noticed more than one type of OOH format. These findings reinforce OOH’s ability to create brand connections with consumers throughout the day.
Moreover, a consumer’s state of mind when viewing or hearing an advertising message has an effect on his/her attention level and receptivity to the message. A recent study in the U.K. recorded people’s skin conductance, to measure their emotional or cognitive arousal, and eye gaze data, to show what they were actually looking at in different environments, activities and contexts. In this way, the study was able to link people’s levels of attention arousal with cognitive and emotional processes and a recording of their visual experience.
The results of this research showed people are 33 per cent more alert when they are outside of their homes. The implications for the OOH environment are faster engagement, higher attention levels and higher receptiveness to advertising.
Thus, OOH advertising will continue to be an effective medium for generating awareness quickly. Impactful, focused communications can help build an emotional connection with a brand and motivate consumers to take action.
The advent of digital technologies and the integration of mobile and social media have created new opportunities for consumer interaction and immersive brand experiences. Evidence in this respect, showing the changing role of OOH ads, was seen in the entries for the 2014 Cannes Creative Effectiveness Awards, where analysis by the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) showed 92 per cent of the shortlisted campaigns used OOH media. WARC also observed such trends as the integration of OOH ads and social media, the use of OOH campaigns with smaller budgets and the addition of OOH ads to achieve mass coverage in markets where TV audiences have become fragmented. (Only 58 per cent of the shortlisted campaigns used TV commercials, compared to 83% in 2013.)
