We as consumers commonly face situations when we have to seek out experts or professionals to handle tasks we either are unfamiliar with, or don’t have the time to handles ourselves.

In the advertising world, ad agencies as well as brands can face the same challenges when it comes to planning and placing out of home media.  While many agencies and marketing departments have the ability to handle the task, using an out of home media expert can be beneficial in many ways.

Savings of Time and Money

Ask any agency media professional if it’s true that working with OOH is a cumbersome and time consuming process, and most will readily nod their heads in fatigued agreement.  When looking to place OOH in multiple markets, a few phone calls no longer get the job done.  Sometimes more than a dozen media suppliers exist in any given market.  Those familiar with using an out of home specialist know how mind-numbing this can be, and leave that work to their OOH partner so they can focus on where their time will be best spent.

To provide a sense of the detailed work involved:

  • The specialist spends time summarizing what’s needed in each market
  • Searches across multiple media platforms for appropriate solutions
  • Numerous back-and-forth negotiating of rates and better inventory
  • Gathering of multiple maps which are then re-formatted in one concise document
  • Analysis of how to practically deliver based on availabilities and budget
  • Managing occurrences of available inventory being dropped at the 11th hour and securing substitutions
  • Analysis and evaluation of incoming details and data in relation to the overall strategy
  • Then, all the information must be boiled down into a precise, strategic recommendation to deliver to the client

 

An out of home expert can deliver all of this in a fraction of the time it would take a buyer with less experience.  This translates into hours, if not weeks of time saved – time that can be spent on the areas your clients need your expertise delivered.

Not to get lost in these long OOH planning scenarios is the fact that your OOH specialist gives you more time to spend with your clients – to go deeper on the broad marketing plan beyond OOH.  Instead of billable hours being spent poring through the minutia, that time is given back to agency planners so they can deliver the most value to their clients.

Broad Expertise Across Markets and Media

Let’s say you want to utilize OOH in several markets, all at once or perhaps staggered.  What are the best OOH formats for each market?  What formats are going to best reach my client’s target audience?  Who are all of the available vendors in each market – urban or rural? What is the OOH landscape as it relates to commuter and target audience profiles in any given market? When it comes to experiential, what types of tactics can be executed in any given market?  Is there data to support the recommendation?

An out of home expert such as EMC has all of these answers at their fingertips.  Depending on the specialist, often many years of valuable vendor data have been gathered and inputted in their database, affording them the ability to quickly contact all suppliers in any market for expedited proposal delivery.

Distinct Specialties and Disciplines

Perhaps billboards aren’t going to be the best play for a particular campaign – maybe the coverage is too broad.  What other types of OOH strategies can be utilized?  Place-based tactics that target in a hyper-local fashion?  Experiential, consumer engagement campaigns that bring the brand to life, create a lasting impression and drive ROI? 74% of consumers say a branded experience makes them more likely to buy the products being promoted (EventTrack, 2016).

Or maybe the strategy might involve integrating digital or mobile with an OOH campaign.  Studies show that consumers are 48% more likely to click on a mobile ad after being exposed to the brand on OOH. (Ocean – Beyond OOH, Neuroinsight, 2015).  Just as important, engagement by consumers with mobile strategies is measurable, providing valuable ROI data and consumer behavior insights.

Whatever the OOH strategy is, your OOH partner should have the knowledge, expertise and ability to deliver these types of unique executions.  Give your experts at EMC Outdoor a call and we can discuss these strategies in greater detail.

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