OOH advertising, or Out-of-Home advertising has been around for decades.
Part of traditional marketing, this form of promoting has stood the test of time and has progressed alongside technological innovations.
It is still a popular mode of advertising used today, as statistics show that, domestically, OOH makes around $8.3 billion in revenue and $34.25 billion internationally.
Social media promotion has become the norm ever since lockdown restrictions were implemented and people were forced to stay at home.
It was a cost-effective way, especially for startups, to attract new customers and keep regular customers in the loop.
But, as the world returns to normal, traditional marketing is making a comeback once more. Offline forms of advertising like OOH are starting to become a growing force when it comes to creating better brand awareness once again.
With OOH, the concepts and methods of marketing are endless. If you want to use this kind of advertising to help grow your startup, here are a few ways you can do so:
When people think of billboards, they normally envision the ones seen along highways and in the middle of Times Square. But, there are smaller versions as well that startups can use.
Digital billboard kiosks are screens that can be found in many metropolitan areas and are some of the most used OOH marketing trends.
While traditional billboards are still effectively in use, as proven by companies like Yeti who became known for a billboard that looked like a cooler, there is no assurance that the people who see them are actually looking at and processing them.
Having an eye-catching digital billboard kiosk that also has interactive elements can engage more people.
For one, you can attach a sanitizer dispenser to them, which is super necessary right now while we are in a pandemic.
You can also have it display pertinent information like a weather forecast, so it remains relevant to the vast majority of passers-by.
In one recent example, Indonesian medical equipment supplier, Danendra Abyudaya Adika, has tied up with Moving Walls supply side subsidiary, Location Media Xchange (LMX), to equip its automatic hand sanitiser dispensers with contextual ad-serving capabilities.
For startups, renting a digital billboard can be a bit pricey. Another OOH practice you can try instead is to have a moving advertisement.
This is commonly seen on vehicles wrapped with ads. There are also trucks like Unicom Marketing in Malaysia and Ming Media Promotion in Indonesia with LED screens attached to them which function as mini billboards.
Companies like The Polyclinic and non-profits like March of Dimes have utilised this strategy over the past few decades. You can see their logos and promos on buses and trains.
Bigger companies like McDonald’s also have their trademarks plastered on their shipment vehicles so their brand remains in the consciousness of commuters who pass by them.
Following the lead of a major food giant can be expensive for a start-up, but if you have a company car, you can have your branding features detailed onto it as a cost-effective method for innovative out of home advertising.
You can also rent out specialised LED trucks to create more eye-catching ads.
Last on this list is not a single form of OOH, but a strategy you can add to your marketing campaigns instead. Dynamic ads further incorporate technology in OOH practices.
Adding certain features will not only make your advertisement more interactive, but it can help you monitor and measure your audience and engagement.
One way you can do this is by adding QR codes to billboards or other offline mediums. Every smartphone is equipped to open them, so they will be extremely accessible to the public.
The QR code will then give you data on which locations are garnering the most interaction, what demographic is most interested in your company, and even how long they stay on the page you linked the image to.
Adding a simple QR code can make a world of a difference for your startup, as it will give you useful information on the audience and community you serve as well as increase ad engagement.
OOH advertising has remained popular through the years because it has evolved with the times and current technology.
The digital transformation of outdoor advertising has given the channel exciting new capabilities, making it an essential part of the marketing mix for start-ups.
Be sure to make your ads interactive and visible to garner the right kind of attention from the public.
With the added improvements to DOOH, start-ups can now enjoy improved accessibility and granular insights into their audience.
Learn How To Grow Your Brand’s Presence in the Real World with our DOOH eBook for Startups!
Exclusively written for Moving Walls
By: Rozlyn Jaslyn