People talk about multichannel or digital marketing these days but is advertising really impactful through these selected channels? As a brand they should focus on various mediums of advertising rather than sticking to one. Imagine a scenario where you were informed that out-of-home (OOH) publicizing can offer brands a ‘speaker impact’ over the other advanced and customary showcasing channels they currently use.
Outdoor advertising is one of the most underrated mediums of advertising. It is a good medium for driving brand awareness outdoor and has created a lot of impact on consumers. Outdoor advertising is cheaper as compared to other media, such as television and print media. It includes billboard advertising, point of sale advertising, retail advertising, vehicle advertising amongst others. Outdoor advertising is getting more and more creative and edgy through installations and interactive outdoor advertisements.
Digital media is shifted peoples mind from outdoor advertising it’s important to remember that outdoor advertising is far bigger than other media. It is a common misconception that outdoor advertisements do not target any specific group. Outdoor advertising has the ability to be customized and directed to a specific cross-section of the population by using tools such as location, verbiage, and design.
For example, an outdoor advertising placed near a college would be consumed more by the students and thus, is a good location to promote a youth-oriented brand. On the other hand, and advertisement placed near workspaces would appeal more to the working class. Similarly, the use of vernacular customization would help connect with the locals of a certain region while it will not work for someone who can’t understand the language.
In today’s era, marketing has shifted to digital platforms and many advertisers are shifting to these platforms to create and promote their brand content. In spite of the growth in digital, outdoor reaches those who may not be reached through digital, giving both these platforms different audiences. Out-of-home advertising is such that a consumer comes across it multiple times by passing by the said advertisement. This creates recall and has the power to build brand consciousness and affinity.
Outdoor advertisement initially comprised of print flex but has grown tremendously over time. Digital boards which have LED screens that allow digitally animated advertisements to be displayed have created opportunities to showcase brand ethos to the audiences. The various methods of outdoor branding include station media,
Bus shelter, Hoardings, Skywalks, Transit boards etc. At first, plastic print was used, however, now prints which are made on cloths are used as the advertisers have become environmentally conscious.
When looking to optimize a brand’s reach and visibility, outdoor works wonders and is considered a trusted form of advertising by the audiences. Using a marketplace to procure outdoor media placement and collect data for campaigns saves time and money that can be used to promote a certain brand in other ways. Out-of-home can prolong a campaign’s life, and any brand, big or small, should review the benefits of outdoor while creating a marketing plan.
Ashish Birajdar || PGPBM&A
ashish.birajdar@northpointindia.com