A lot of us already know what out-of-home (OOH) advertising is. It has been here for a long time and now with varied digital breakthroughs and technology it is revolutionizing the way we view content. Traditional billboards can still be seen but gradually digital out-of-home is becoming more and more widespread. It brings in innovative ideas that are making marketers more capable. Modern technology has let digital signage owners come up with highly engaging and customized content for their consumers.

DOOH Delivers More Dynamic and Engaging Content

DOOH advertising lets you establish an immediate connection with your viewers and with the ability to integrate third-party technologies what you get is the endless number of creative possibilities. According to studies conducted in the UK, their OOH industry is worth over £1 billion. With Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) reaching almost everywhere including shopping centres, cinemas and restaurants and bars, cafes, malls and petrol stations, ad spending is currently growing at a staggering rate of 47%, in 2018 that is. It is believed that the data that can be collected from our mobile devices, smart watches, computers and other wearable/non-wearable tech gadgets has the capacity to change the way Out of Home advertising functions. It is helpful in creating ads and promotional strategies that are highly relevant to the audience.

DOOH advertising when accompanied by other technologies such as facial expression tracking, gaze tracking, gesture tracking, etc., would expand to include mood awareness, gender recognition, identifying user commands, and more. This will further allow DOOH marketers to sense their audience’s emotional state and serve a more relevant advertisement. Experts say that retargeting customers across OOH and DOOH platforms and formats will be the new norm and more relevant ads will follow them as they move.

Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) Ensures Interactivity and Continuous Engagement

With time the fine lines between out of the home advertising, mobile and digital technologies will merge, and along with augmented reality (AR) they will become a part of our real world. Some perfect examples of DOOH advertising that have raised the level of interactivity between consumers and the marketer:

  • The NHS virtual blood donation ad campaign
  • The Reebok outdoor ad with integrated speed camera that encourages audience to run past
    the advertisement so that in their attempt to beat a 10.5 mile / hour pace
    they get a chance to win a pair of trainers
  • Netflix billboards where the viewers can tweet to support their favourite characters
  • British Airways’ ‘Look Up’ posters

It’s All About Data

A recent study says that Out of Home advertising in the US accounted for 31% share of the total OOH spending in the year 2015 and it was expected to grow to 40% in 2017. As the scale of Digital OOH continues to grow we can see that now, there are more than 7000 digital billboards, and above 1.25 million digital place based screens across the US. By the time we reach 2020, digital Out of Home spending in the US will likely account for more than 50% of their OOH spending.

What Is Causing This Move?

Data!

Yes, data is being used increasingly to feed every out of home campaign in the world. Data is and will continue to be used to inform great creative. Here data is not just the statistics that we see in reports or numbers on the tickers in our news channels. It is business intelligence that has taken a new form. It does more than just inform OOH. Out of home advertising companies of today are busy equipping LED displays with custom made software and technologies that will be super fast in collecting relevant data about their target audience. Several technologies are being used as we speak to overcome downfalls of the various previously prevalent techniques so that they can come up with more data points that will provide them with a perfect picture.

For example, today’s software technology is capable of recognizing customers in front of it. It will obtain information relating to headcount, sex and age, and then make changes to the content being displayed on the screen. All this data will be put jointly and all the brand new and stimulating technologies mentioned here and more that are still in the making will be used by leading advertising firms to better understand consumer behaviour and get the most benefit out of their promotional activities.

Greater Metrics and Higher Transparency

Advertising agencies that provide out-of-home promotion are increasingly focusing on increased transparency and better metrics. They readily embrace third-party, cloud-based technology. Couple that with quick reporting and analytic tools, the advertisers can easily get greater transparency and true campaign insight. The most reputed advertising companies across the world are partnering with independent technology platform providers in order to standardize their reporting. This is going to be a huge game changer for the out-of-home advertising industry. Partnering with a tightly secure, IoT (internet of things) powered, cloud-based platform means that the agency can easily get near real-time data for their OOH campaigns. And this applies to both traditional and digital formats.

Expected Trends In Out Of Home Advertising

The Ongoing Alliance Of Out Of Home Advertising And Digital Marketing Strategies

Marketers will keep on combining out of home advertising and digital media and that will help them come up with more relevant content and their digital efforts will bring more focused audience into their digital ecosystem.

Smartphone Technology

Many advertisers will continue to use smartphone technology to understand individual behaviour and demographics. They will then mine this information to derive stronger metrics.

Geofencing

Geofencing and when applied to out of home advertising will provide real-time data to the marketer and this can be quickly sorted through, evaluated and used and reused as actionable intelligence on which to base their future campaigns.

Location Based Marketing

DOOH will reach the individual at the most relevant time. This will turn out to be a highly personalized advertising strategy aimed at driving desired consumer behaviour. Location based marketing or geo-local digital strategies invites a direct response via search, action, sharing and final a purchase decision by the buyer. Marketers will be required to collect all the digital data they can and combine it with physical time and place. This way they can come up with more personalized advertising that will break through the ad clutter and allow their brand to make a strong connection with their audience.

In The Mood For Experiential

With The growth of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) we are looking into a future that expands the experience of the audience that will include entertainment, education, or cause-based programs. Experiential ad campaign and programs will create one-on-one engagement with the user and also allow brands to deliver highly personalized messages effectively.

DOOH is undisputedly the next big thing. The trends that we currently see are in its favour and they will continue to make it bigger because of the immense level of versatility, creativity, wide reach and adaptability that it brings to the table. It is a relatively low-cost media option but the creative choices it offers are limitless. As we progress in technology we are becoming more and more able to drive and/or support social media engagement. Marketing companies of today are more than able to deliver more personalized messages and one-on-one experience to your customers. This makes DOOH one of your best partners when it comes to formulating a robust media plan.