Make the most of your OOH marketing campaign
Out of Home (OOH) marketing is a dynamic form of advertising that engages audiences in the physical world. Unlike online ads, it occupies real-world spaces, ensuring brands are present where consumers live, work, commute and socialise.
In today’s digital age, OOH brings together state-of-the-art marketing technology with the time-tested benefits of reaching audiences in everyday settings. Spanning the digital and physical worlds, OOH provides unconstrained creativity, the ability to complement online strategies, and a unique way to engage your target customers.
Making the most of your OOH campaign starts with understanding what’s possible through the medium. There are plenty of practical and creative ways to help your campaign stand out and create a lasting impact.
Understanding the current OOH landscape
The OOH landscape is evolving, with technology and data-driven strategies reshaping the industry. Omnichannel strategies are easier than ever to implement, providing cohesive experiences for audiences that strengthen brand recall and help amplify the impact of your marketing efforts.
While traditional OOH formats like billboards and bus shelter advertising remain powerful ways to reach large audiences at low cost, the introduction of digital displays has ushered in a new wave of creative innovation.
Advertisers now have an arsenal of tools at their disposal – from augmented reality (AR) to interactive elements and personalised content – all geared towards making their brand stand out.
Despite the move towards digital screens, some of the most successful campaigns we’ve seen in recent times don’t use technology at all. 3D billboards, optical illusions, scented panels and street art advertising are just some of the ways in which brands can captivate and intrigue their customers.
There’s no one way to nail the perfect campaign. But by embracing creative innovation, whether through digital or poster formats, designing a memorable experience for your customers becomes a whole lot easier.
From 3D installations to dynamic digital content, here are some of the most creative ways to make the most of your OOH marketing campaign in 2024.
Out of Home marketing ideas for 2024
Maximising impact through technology
Technological advancements have revolutionised the way that brands connect with their audiences through Out of Home.
Dynamic DOOH
Digital screens now offer the ability to display dynamic content that can be updated remotely, allowing advertisers to adapt their ads in response to real-time events or pre-programmed triggers. The available parameters range from static data like time of day, to changing conditions like weather or even breaking news.
This level of customisation makes it easier for brands to bridge the gap between what they need to say and what their audience needs to hear. Check out our favourite dynamic DOOH creative ad campaigns to get an idea of the ingenious ways in which dynamic DOOH can be used to maximise impact.
Programmatic DOOH
Programmatic DOOH is another exciting innovation. It automates the buying and selling of DOOH inventory, providing advertisers with the ability to ensure ad placements are always optimised. As the process is automated, programmatic campaigns benefit from enhanced effectiveness without expending unnecessary resources.
By delivering ads to the right people at the right time, the message is aligned seamlessly with its audience’s surroundings. This increases contextual relevance and makes audiences more likely to respond to what they see.
Augmented reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) is used to create new and immersive experiences for Out of Home audiences. AR overlays digital elements onto the real world to forge memorable, engaging interactions.
The technology that facilitates AR has been gaining traction over the past few years and has now broken into the outdoor advertising sphere. It can be used to reinforce messaging in a fun and unusual way, leading to positive brand experiences.
Find out more about how brands can change the game with AR.
Enhancing engagement with interactive OOH
Although OOH is one of the least saturated advertising platforms, it’s still paramount that brands create meaningful audience interactions if they want to reap the full benefits that the medium has to offer.
One of the most powerful ways to do this is by driving engagement with interactive OOH advertising. By turning a one-sided viewing experience into a two-way interaction, interactive OOH transcends passive viewing and encourages audiences to actively participate.
Both traditional and digital OOH mediums provide opportunities for interactivity. Traditional OOH can be enhanced with scented panels, tactile surfaces or by adding physical elements that are activated using buttons or levers.
Multi-sensory experiences compel viewers to get up close, capturing their attention and engaging them for longer. When it comes to Digital Out of Home (DOOH), the same concept applies, but digital technology is used to draw the audience in.
There are many ways of making a digital display interactive. Touchscreens are commonly used as a dynamic canvas for exploration, allowing users to navigate through content, play games and discover information.
Motion-activated displays create a playful environment by responding to gestures in real-time. At the more inventive end of the spectrum, digital vending machines provide a hands-on experience that leaves the participator with a physical reminder of their interaction with the brand.
QR codes are popular in both digital and traditional OOH campaigns. They are easy to implement and can direct audiences to a website, social media profile or competition entry form. They’re deeply versatile, serving as a bridge between brands’ physical and online presences.
Improving interaction with QR codes doesn’t just upgrade the customer experience – it also provides brands with valuable insights and the opportunity for cross-channel promotion.
Making the most of your campaign through retargeting and reinforcement
Retargeting is one of the simplest ways to make the most of your OOH marketing. By leveraging data-driven insights, brands can reach potential customers who have previously shown an interest in their products or have already been exposed to their ads.
Retargeting these people ensures that brand messaging is instilled firmly in their minds. Brand recall is improved so that when the time comes to buy, they think of your product first and foremost.
Using retargeting in DOOH campaigns isn’t just a way of reinforcing messaging to OOH audiences – it’s also an effective way of amplifying other channels. Consistency across online and offline channels helps to strengthen brand recall and foster a deep connection.
By using DOOH as part of an omnichannel retargeting strategy, brands can maximise impact, build lasting impressions and convert high-value customers.
Creative OOH advertising strategies
Capturing attention with showstopping installations
Advertisers have an extensive range of OOH advertising formats at their fingertips, spanning everything from traditional 48-sheet billboards to modern touchscreen displays. Outside of these ready-to-go formats, however, lies the world of custom builds.
Custom builds are the ideal solution for brands wanting to pull out the creative big guns for an extra special campaign. Designed to order, they can incorporate various features and elements, including:
3D posters
Illuminations
Soundscapes
Lenticulars
Spangleys and glitter
LEDs
Street art
We’ve seen some incredible bespoke builds that deliver serious wow factor and get people talking. Take a look through our 3D advertising guide to see some of the most inspiring examples.
As the digital and physical worlds of Out of Home collide, the room for innovation is only going to grow. Now is the perfect time for brands to showcase their relevance by experimenting creatively and placing themselves at the forefront of this revolution.
Creating personalised connections
DOOH is more powerful when ads are created with the aim of connecting directly with their audience. Leveraging user-generated content and using personalisation in the ad creative are two of the best ways of doing this.
User-generated content can help get people engaged with campaigns in a tangible sense. There are lots of different ways to implement it – showing a live feed of social media posts with a certain hashtag, for example, or hand-picked testimonials that put customers’ faces front-and-centre.
Leveraging user-generated content doesn’t just have the potential to boost campaign engagement, it’s also a great trust-builder. A creative that involves the audience directly can come across as more authentic than even the strongest brand messages.
Personalisation, on the other hand, builds connections through relevance. With the ability to tailor the ad creative to suit the audience, whether that’s based on their location, their habits, or something else entirely, ads can become more impactful than ever.
People pay more attention to ads that speak directly to their individual situation or needs. Knowing how to use personalisation in outdoor marketing allows brands to target those factors directly and granularly. The result is that campaigns generate a greater buzz and, more importantly, stick in the audience’s mind for longer.
Reaching your audience at the right place and time
The concept behind contextual advertising is simple. In our fast-paced modern world, people don’t have much time to sit and ponder. Life is busy and convenience is expected – which makes timing and context of crucial importance.
By tailoring the creative to its environment, brands inspire audiences to take action there and then. The advert is aligned with the audience’s desires at that given point in time and offers genuine value, creating a positive brand interaction.
Programmatic platforms and dynamic DOOH are the tools that enable hyper-contextual advertising. Brands can adapt their creative in real-time, crafting the perfect message for that specific moment.
However, by using location-based OOH advertising, it’s also possible to capitalise on context with traditional OOH. For example, a brand wanting to promote its new food product could advertise on static billboards placed on routes to supermarkets where the product is stocked.
Staying ahead of the game
OOH advertising is undergoing a creative renaissance. Whether through the use of technological innovation like interactive ads and augmented reality, or out-of-the-box creatives like 3D billboards and lighting installations, brands are opting for original ideas that make an impact.
Staying ahead of the game means embracing these cutting-edge approaches and infusing them into your OOH strategies – without forgetting to keep your audience at the heart of everything you do.
It’s easy to get carried away thinking up exciting ideas, but creativity should be used to enhance communication, not overshadow it. When integrating OOH trends for 2024 into your campaign, make sure to stop and ask yourself: what will my audience remember about this creative?
If the answer is ‘the method’ and not ‘the message’, it’s probably worth taking a few steps back and refocusing on your goals.
Unleash your creative potential with OOH
The transforming OOH landscape is redefining how brands communicate with their audiences in the physical world. Outdoor advertising now transcends traditional boundaries, marrying tech with reality and unveiling a spectrum of possibilities.
Creativity is the linchpin at the heart of this revolution. With inventive displays that capitalise on context and forge authentic connections, brands can solidify their relevance and leave an enduring mark on their audience.
Get in touch with us to lead the charge and get planning your creative campaign today.
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