…of consumers and advertisers alike

New OOH techniques are turning the heads of users, and continued growth in OOH is catching the eye of advertisers too.  Projections call for total spending on OOH to leap between 9 and 13% in 2008.  Multiple trends are fueling this growth:  (1) consumers are spending more time away from home, (2) technology advancements (mostly digital) are making OOH ads more engaging to consumers and flexible for advertisers, and (3) more reliable measurement data is being collected.

Some Of The Newer Trends In OOH Advertising…
New “Audio Spotlight” technology whispers to consumers:  A recent article in Ad Age mentioned a gimmick used by A&E to promote its new ghost-themed series, Paranormal State – a billboard in SoHo, equipped with speakers, whispers “Who’s that?  Who’s there?  It’s not your imagination…” to passers-by.  The Audio Spotlight system projects an isolated beam of sound down onto a targeted area of the sidewalk – startling, and entertaining, people who pass by the billboard.  Court TV used the same technology with a campaign in 11 Manhattan bookstores to promote its new series, Murder by the Book.

New places for OOH:  In line with national trends, Empower’s OOH team is using more non-traditional outdoor for clients than ever before.  In the past several months, ads have been placed in health clubs, laundromats, check cashing locations, coffee shops, elevators, Wal-Mart Check-Out TV, university digital networks, and trade shows.  Also during Q4, two “experiential marketing” initiatives were implemented for a client: relaxation stations (5-minute massage booths at targeted events) and high school events.

Why Advertisers Are Drawn To OOH
More and more studies are showing the success of techniques such as digital OOH signage, and new measurement tools are making it easier than ever for advertisers to gauge the success of their OOH advertising campaigns.

OOH is getting noticed:  Digital out-of-home signage – whether in gyms, malls, college campuses or elsewhere – gets consumers’ attention, according to results of a new study from online research firm OTX.  Among those who have seen digital signage ads in the past year, digital signage caught more consumers’ attention (63%) than any other measured medium.  (The next-highest scoring media were magazines at 57%, and TV at 56%). However, TV and magazines slightly edged out digital signage in attentiveness.  Still - the fact that consumers are noticing digital ads in new environments bodes well for this fast-growing segment of the OOH industry.

More digital billboards:   At the end of 2007, there were approximately 1000 digital boards in the US.  This will grow as quickly as companies like Clear Channel can get zoning approvals to convert more vinyl bulletins over to digital.  More advertisers are changing offers by time of day, or encouraging consumers to text a reply to the boards. Advertisers with digital programs should take advantage of digital’s ability to make outdoor campaigns even more compelling, and at least run multiple creative executions during the course of a buy.

Improved measurement:  Studies are demonstrating that new non-traditional / place based ad platforms are performing even better as the ads go digital.  The latest:  Arbitron completed a study of advertising in bars and nightclubs, and the Ecast digital jukebox ad platform had good recall scores.  Average brand recall was 43% for ad banners accompanying music selections.  Ecast is an OOH ad-serving network, with banner ads available on 10,000 digital jukeboxes across the country.

As you can see, this is an exciting time in the OOH industry for consumers and advertisers alike.  Contact your Empower representative to discuss how new OOH methods can help you turn heads.

By:  Alison Lang, Out of Home Director