What is Digital Out of Home Advertising?
Digital Out of Home advertising resulted from the much-needed evolution in the Out of Home advertising space. While Out of Home advertising has evolved drastically from back when it started, the linking of digital and OOH brought the best of both worlds together. The OOH industry was becoming rather outdated and stagnant with no major change, and the problems that came with OOH advertising, such as targeting and measurement, still continue to exist. The advent of digital in the OOH world didn’t only surpass these problems but brought along with its new solutions. It paved the way for customisation, personalisation, geotargeting, video ads playing, and real-time data to get greater interactivity with the audiences and ensure that relevant audiences view the advertisement.
Evolution of OOH Advertising.
OOH, advertising is one of the earliest forms of advertising. It dates back centuries ago when the Egyptians would carve their treaties on large stone walls to publicise them. However, OOH, as we know it, started in 1450.
It started off, eventually, in the form of handbills (flyers) which were handed out to the public. These often contained details of events, information about a product or any details that one needed to be publicised. Then came the illustrated posters. These were often hung by shopkeepers outside their shops and were graphic-heavy - to grab the attention of any passerby.
In the 1830s, billboards were on the rise. These were mainly used by restaurants and hotels on highways to grab the attention of those travelling long distances. In the 1960s, OOH diversified into bus stop hoardings, and over time, other forms such as kiosks, mall displays, advertising on transit modes etc. In the year 2005, the first digital hoarding was installed, making the dawn of DOOH.
The dawn of DOOH Advertising.
Initially, a digital hoarding just meant that an ad was displayed on a digital screen. This resulted in multiple ads from different companies being showcased on one screen. However, DOOH has evolved since then. Technology is being used more than ever now to make ads more relevant and to target the right audience.
For instance, before, ice creams were advertised more in summer and hot chocolate and other warm beverages in the winter. This makes sense as these are the times when these products would be consumed the most. However, with the current state of technology, we could use real-time data. For instance, based on the current weather at a particular place, one could advertise different products. A hypermarket could advertise umbrellas for rainy days, ice cream for hot days, and jackets and sweaters during the winter. These would make the ads more relevant to the audience viewing them.
The use of technology has also helped with monitoring the ads and measuring and retargeting. One now has more accurate figures when it comes to the number of impressions a particular ad has made, which customers to retarget with their ad through another medium and more. The evolution of digital has been pivotal in DOOH and can be leveraged in numerous ways to help a brand create a better impact.
Why choose DOOH as your advertising medium?
Targeting – Reaching the right target audience is often tough for advertisers. In an OOH medium, everyone who passes by a certain billboard will view the billboard (if it is or is not relevant to them). With DOOH, this is changing. AdOnMo created a campaign for the release of several movies. This campaign was carried out in Hyderabad to raise awareness of upcoming movie releases mainly and to drive audiences to the nearest box offices. The campaign was carried out in over 69000 households through 2000 DOOH screens. The campaign resulted in a daily unique reach of 278000 and a total of 10 million impressions.
Measurement – OOH ads are usually measured based on traffic. This means for a company with an OOH ad on MG Road, Bangalore, their method of measuring the effectiveness would be the average number of people passing MG road on a given day. With DOOH ads, one can have customised QR codes which can help advertisers gauge the effectiveness of the ad. Third-party GPS tools also help track how many “phones” pass by a certain DOOH ad, making it a more accurate form of measurement than just the traffic.
Retargeting – DOOH paves the way for effective mobile targeting. Geofencing tools can create a virtual geographic boundary that triggers a response on a mobile device when it leaves this particular boundary. This feature can be used to send customised messages to the audiences to create a lasting impression.
Greater Engagement – Digital OOH ads are not static. The human eye tends to perceive movement quickly, and this movement can help grab the audience’s attention. Full motion videos, real-time content and hyper-targeting of these ads are bound to increase engagement and create a greater overall impact on the audience. Through DOOH, one can also create interactive hoardings. These allow ad agencies to unleash their creativity and explore how the power of DOOH can be used to their advantage.
For a popular restaurant chain, AdOnMo executed a DOOH campaign during IPL. Around 150 digital screens were leveraged. On these digital screens, the score of the IPL match was displayed (which was updated in real-time) and where one could catch the screening of the match. This campaign caught the eyes of many cricket enthusiasts who were on the go and was even shared by the official ICC handle on Twitter.
Why does DOOH work?
People react better to ads that are the most relevant to them. DOOH gives agencies and brands the power to change in real time, making these ads relevant to the minute. DOOH ads are also cheaper and more cost-effective, making every rupee spent on them worthwhile.
The global DOOH market stood at $ 8.8 billion in 2021. It is expected to grow at 13.8% CAGR over the next 6 years. A DOOH ad will help your company stand out in a cluttered space, ensuring that you reach the right audience at the right time and in the right place. It is where most of the leading brands are expected to venture, especially when it comes to advertising. Through DOOH, a brand can give a customer information that is required when it is needed the most, and this is one of the few methods through which a brand can do that. Hence, one can expect more brands to get on the DOOH wagon, which is why the market size is predicted to rise to a whopping $54 billion by 2030.