OOH Advertising: The importance of impactful visuals and simplicity

by all | 3 December 2015 2:57 pm

By Rosanne Caron
This is an exciting time for the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry. For one thing, the world’s oldest advertising medium is still growing; revenue increased by 7.6 per cent in the period of January to July 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. For another, OOH is being transformed by emerging technologies into a more dynamic and interactive medium than before, ensuring it remains relevant, effective and integral to marketing communications.

While many advertisers are drawn to the new opportunities of new technologies, however, this does not mean every OOH campaign must have a mobile or interactive component to attract consumers’ attention and motivate actions. The keys to success are still compelling visuals and simple messages.

One example would be the ‘Shot on iPhone 6’ Apple World Gallery campaign, which won the prestigious ‘outdoor grand prix’ at the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, simply by showcasing iPhone users’ photos on billboards and posters, creating a much larger impact than when those same photos are simply viewed on a smartphone screen. And at a different scale, Sonic Drive-In’s Big Slushes billboards, which appeared drinkable thanks to the addition of a three-dimensional (3-D) straw, won a 2015 Obie award from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

The power of digital
The use of digital OOH (DOOH) advertising screens continues to grow. While it is important to keep in mind they still represent less than 10 per cent of the total OOH inventory across Canada, despite this relatively small share, studies show almost six out of 10 Canadians in the country’s three largest cities are able to recall DOOH ads on a weekly basis. Even more of them (roughly two-thirds) say they sometimes or always pay attention to DOOH ads, which suggests the medium is not just visible, but also highly engaging. In the U.S., recent studies by Nielsen have shown similar DOOH engagement levels motivating consumers to take action.

There are many creative ways to take advantage of DOOH’s technological capabilities. A recent campaign for Réno-Dépot, for example, illustrated its wide range of in-stock Sico paint colours by attaching a time-lapse camera to a digital billboard to capture photos of the sky, then uploading the images to a server, where software compared the colour of the sky to Sico’s spectrum of paint colours; when the software found a match, it sent an image and a message back to the billboard, so it could display the name and colour of paint closest to the colour of the sky at that time.

Another campaign for Vicks, which ran on digital screens over subway platforms, combined local temperatures and flu data to alert consumers to seasonal symptoms and direct them to the nearest Walmart store to buy DayQuil and NyQuil medications.

Mobile integration
According to ComScore’s MobiLens survey, Canada has one of the world’s highest rates of smartphone adoption, at 79 per cent. This provides a strong opportunity for the context of OOH ads to serve as a stimulus for smartphone-based interactivity. Already, studies show four out of 10 mobile subscribers take some type of action after seeing an OOH ad, such as looking up the promoted product on their phone.

One recent campaign that tapped into mobile interactivity was for John Casablancas Institute (JCI), a private educational facility offering fashion and beauty classes. In May and June, ‘Selfie Check’ posters encouraged prospective students commuting through two Vancouver SkyTrain stations to “apply right now” by snapping their own photos and posting them on social media with the hashtag #JCISelfieCheck. In each station, one poster served as a call to action, while the other featured a ‘makeup mirror.’ Then, JCI staff contacted the interested parties to arrange course applications.

Another example is American Express’ ongoing Cloud 10 OOH and wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) program at Toronto Pearson International Airport, which offers complimentary songs and electronic books (e-books) for download before travellers depart.

Documenting value
Beyond the studies already cited, there are some that have documented the value of OOH advertising. A global ‘econometrics’ study conducted by BrandScience, for example, found for every dollar spent on OOH ads, there is a return on investment (ROI) of $2.80 in sales. The same study also explored how adding OOH to the marketing mix can help improve the performance of other paid media.

Meanwhile, an Ipsos study commissioned by the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada (OMAC) examined the impact OOH ads have on engagement, brand recognition, spending and recall. It found OOH generally outperforms TV ads, as it requires a smaller investment to achieve a given level of recall. Over the years, OMAC has also commissioned ‘day in the life’ studies, which have helped calculate the significant amount of time consumers spend outside their homes, where they can see OOH ads.

Ipsos TouchPoints, a new consumer-centric cross-media study, will provide single-sourced behavioural data to address more detailed questions about who consumes media when, where and how, along with how they feel and what else they are doing at the same time. This will be an important study for the Canadian OOH industry, as it will measure many factors that ad agencies and advertisers will be able to compare against other media.

Also, it will follow in the wake of a 2015 U.S. TouchPoints study, the results of which showed OOH advertising tops all other media in terms of connecting with consumers at the point of purchase (POP). The medium was also found to reach more consumers in the hour leading up to their mobile activities—including e-mail, app use and online shopping—than TV, radio or print ads. Specifically, four out of 10 respondents indicated they had been exposed to OOH ads within an hour before engaging in mobile e-commerce.

Some preliminary results from the Canadian TouchPoints study have already appeared, showing how OOH reaches consumers at various points throughout their day, providing an opportunity to influence their decisions on the ‘path to purchase.’ The full study is scheduled to be released in early 2016.

Unfortunately, many ad industry studies in the past have ignored OOH networks, possibly because they were undertaken with little or no understanding of how to measure the medium’s performance. Indeed, one of the biggest challenges facing the OOH industry is the need for education.

Boosting education
As the OOH industry continues to go through rapid changes, it needs to play a more active role in educating media planners and buyers about the value and effectiveness of the medium. While OMAC has offered an ‘OOH 101’ course to hundreds of media planners, there is a need to establish a more formal training program.

So, in 2016, based on consultations with industry stakeholders, OMAC and the Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau (COMB) plan to launch an OOH certification program. Available to media planners, buyers and schools with advertising and marketing classes—which have all expressed initial interest, suggesting the time is right—this new program will offer the fundamentals of OOH product knowledge and hands-on training with planning tools like COMB’s Navigator application, which provides reach and frequency (R/F) data.

Inspiring new ideas
OMAC has also sponsored the Activate OOH conference, which brings industry leaders together to discuss best practices and the evolving role of the medium, including how digital signage, social media and other emerging technologies are transforming campaigns and driving further growth. Agencies and marketers provide real-world examples of creative and innovative OOH ads delivering engaging, interactive consumer experiences and successful business results. The most recent conference took place in Toronto in late October and the next will be held in Montreal in fall 2016.

Rosanne Caron is president of the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada (OMAC) and the Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau (COMB) and a member of the Sign Media Canada editorial advisory board (EAB). For more, contact her via e-mail at rcaron@omac.comb.org[5] and visit www.omaccanada.ca[6].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/ooh-advertising-the-importance-of-impactful-visuals-and-simplicity/

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