advertising

Digital OOH: not your grandfather’s billboard!

How it works


When we were approached by OOH (out-of-home, i.e., billboard advertising) company AdQuick to sponsor our Research Tidbits, it made me think of my many drives between Palm Springs and LA, and how I’ve always thought billboard advertising could be so much better. It turns out, digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising (provided by companies like our sponsor) has revolutionized the field and provides marketers with tools to advertise far more effectively than they used to. Here’s what marketers need to know about how DOOH works:

  • Programmatic Buying: DOOH can be bought programmatically, like how online ads are purchased. Advertisers use data-driven platforms to purchase ad space in real-time, optimizing for the best placements and times.
  • Real-Time Updates: Advertisers can update content instantly based on various factors such as time of day, weather, location, and audience demographics. This ensures that the ads are always relevant.
  • Audience Targeting: Using data from mobile devices, social media, and other sources, advertisers can target specific demographics. This ensures the ads reach the intended audience more effectively.
  • Performance Metrics: Advanced analytics allow advertisers to measure the impact of their DOOH campaigns. Metrics such as foot traffic, dwell time, and engagement rates provide insights into ad performance.
  • QR Codes: DOOH ads often incorporate QR codes or NFC technology, allowing viewers to interact with the ad using their smartphones. This can direct them to websites, special offers, or additional content.
  • Augmented Reality (AR): Some DOOH campaigns use AR to create immersive experiences. For example, viewers can point their phones at an ad to see additional layers of content.

Some very memorable DOOH campaigns have been created by advertisers with large budgets, such as this campaign where Nike placed shoes on the feet of graffiti characters on the walls of Sao Paolo. But companies with smaller advertising budgets can also benefit from utilizing the above DOOH guidelines. Here are some examples of billboards where advertisers utilized data, context and creativity with great results.

Let’s discuss creative ways to get your customers’ attention! Email me at info at bureauwest.com

Sources: “Unlocking the creative potential of out-of-home advertising,” Ipsos, 20/2/24; “Five 2024 OOH Trends Shaping Up 2024,” Advertising Week; “OOH in 2024: 6 key trends defining the future of out of home advertising,” Marketing Beat, 12/7/23; “Air Max Graffiti Stores,” AKQA.com; “OOH Creative Best Practices Guide,” AdQuick.com

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

Marketing Shouldn’t Cost You Money. It Should Make You Money.

There’s an old quote from around a hundred years ago:

  • “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

The good news is that’s no longer true.  With digital marketing, we can tell exactly what’s working and what isn’t.  And that brings me to the point of this article: marketing shouldn’t cost you money.  It should make you money.

Small businesses that are getting started with marketing can start by spending small amounts – as low as $500 per month – and then take a share of the resulting revenue to ramp up their marketing and increase their income even further.

How does that work?  For example, let’s say a small solar energy company came to us for marketing.  We would start by looking at two things:

  • Who are their most likely customers?  (The target market)
  • What’s the best message to get their interest?  (Marketing content)

Based on discussions with the company, we might narrow the target down to people who live in a certain area, own their own home, and are at a certain income level.

Then we might brainstorm several different potential messages.  For example, we might focus on saving money. Or on the benefit to the environment.  We could then put content about each of those topics on the company’s website and social media pages and see which gets the most views.  And we would develop a few different ads with those different messages, run all of them, and see which get the most clicks.  We would then focus our advertising on the most successful messages.

Once the advertising results in increased revenue, the company can use that revenue to run the ads more often, creating a virtuous cycle that increases business.  This can work so well that some companies find they need to pause their marketing so they can keep up with the business generated.  That’s a good problem to have!

Would you like a “marketing machine” for your business?   Just answer some questions about your business below, and we will develop a marketing plan for your business at no cost to you.

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Posted on by Jay Zaltzman