Out of home is a constantly evolving medium, made of hundreds of media formats, with new formats, strategies and tactics launching throughout each year. So, what’s happening now in out of home? Here’s a status update.
Digital OOH:
Digital out of home is one of the big OOH stories happening at this time. There are always new digital locations rolling out, and the online and mobile tie-in is ripe for creative brands and their agencies to capitalize on in a big way. The entrepreneurial spirit of the OOH industry is driving this innovation and tie-in, and EMC Outdoor is beholden to our clients to stay on top of these developments. There is a huge variety of media opportunities to choose from, from digital billboards to digital street teams. Advertisers are taking advantage of multiple creative changes on displays, environmental and day-parting relevancy, and mobile media that can drive, walk, float, and fly to consumers — digital drone-vertising anyone?
Out of home: more than ever, more than billboards:
For us, OOH media is so much more than billboards and traditional outdoor advertising media. Newer OOH media is where we see growth and excitement happening as new advertisers and agencies dip their toes in the media channel. The majority of OOH media buying is still in the traditional area (billboards, transit, airport etc.), but our clients demand that our expertise also cover the additional non-traditional, creative, and innovative techniques available to out of home advertisers.
Embrace the change:
Our vision of the future of OOH is built on the premise that you cannot stop change. You must embrace digital OOH, you must embrace the ever-growing entrepreneurial wave of non-traditional media, and you must learn to creatively connect OOH with the online world —especially the device in all of our back pockets that allows us to interact with outdoor advertising media as we approach, view, and pass it. The change is already here. Are you embracing it?
OOH Ratings links OOH to other media channel plans:
For agencies, the future of OOH also includes better accountability and justification of their out of home plans and buying. The outdoor advertising industry is embracing this change with OOH Ratings that combine demographic profiles per location with visibility, traffic patterns and other quantitative data. As this system rolls out, out of home planning will integrate seamlessly with other media plans allowing for a holistic media view. The roll out has already begun in a big way and the industry is completely dedicated to this change.
Ready for the big roll out:
Finally, OOH is becoming ever more present and relevant to the lives of consumers as brands and agencies pay more attention to it. The media is already poised for incredible growth, with locations strategically placed throughout the USA and international markets at the points where consumers live, work and play.
As new OOH media forms continue to bubble up, this huge opportunity for brand engagement and visibility will only grow more. The only missing element is brands and agencies considering OOH more —and earlier— in the creative and planning process.
The stats are on our side and ready to grow:
According to the OAAA (Outdoor Advertising Assoc. of America), people now spend 70% of their time away from their home. This stat reveals a relatively untapped market between social / mobile / online, and out of home — and makes OOH and mobile / online the prime candidates to speak with consumers during their time outside the home.
Agencies and brands are all over social / mobile / online. However, most brands and their agencies still only allocate 4 to 5% of their media buying to OOH. As that changes and agencies truly start thinking creatively and holistically about OOH media, this will change and the mobile / digital / OOH tie-in will create huge opportunities for brands to be seen, creatively engaged with, and relevant to the communities and demos they want to reach.
