Out-of-home (OOH) advertising can intercept consumers near or at the point of purchase (POP) better than any other ad medium, according to a new study released by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).
The study was conducted by market research technology developer RealityMine, using data contributed by nearly 2,000 smartphone users over a 10-day period. Participants were tracked on the basis of their location, mode of transportation, activities, social settings, media exposure and purchase behaviour.
Out of all ad media, RealityMine found OOH produced the best combination of reach and consumer activity. Within their first half hour of exposure to OOH ads, the participating consumers reported ‘action responses’—including purchases, online searches and brand-related social media activities, among others—22 per cent of the time.
The study also found OOH was more likely than any other traditional medium to reach consumers shortly before their mobile online activities, including using e-mail, websites and apps, particularly those related to brand interactions, which are of interest to advertisers. In this sense, RealityMine reports, OOH is the ideal medium for reaching consumers when they are engaging with their smartphones. Further, in 82 per cent of OOH exposures, the participants reported positive emotions, alertness and/or purchase considerations.
“In today’s market, consumers are on-the-go more than ever before and they rarely leave home without their mobile devices,” says Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer (CMO) for OAAA. “OOH’s reach, interactive capabilities and captivating messaging are moving them to reach for their devices to learn more about brands.”
“We’ve long known OOH was often the first step on the path to purchase, but today we’ve learned brands can secure shopper engagement through an effective hand-off from OOH to mobile,” says Jim Spaeth, chief product officer (CPO) for RealityMine. “Our research provides strong quantitative evidence that ad dollars spent in OOH will positively impact purchase behaviour.”
