As the world moves beyond post pandemic and consumers are encouraged back outdoors, both digital and print out-of-home advertising is becoming ever more desirable. OOH attracts both the passive attention of consumers but also a growing wealth of conscious encounters as media partners invest in new technology to deliver ads. As marketers continue to seek efficient and effective ways to invest media budgets, OOH can offer (perhaps surprisingly) low CPMs. Low cost, when paired with the innovation in this space, can deliver a strong host of opportunities to explore in 2023.  

Choosing thoughtful locations and landmarks can attract high footfall and borrow brand equity. A prime example of this is London’s Marble Arch which will be offering a unique ad experience in 2023. Ocean Outdoor and English Heritage have struck a deal to place an advertising wrap around London’s Marble Arch to help pay for the landmark’s restoration. The ad space itself consists of six arches and four panels facing traffic and pedestrians on each side of the intersection next to the famous landmark. The inventory will be offered to advertisers on a solus basis, meaning only one brand will place their campaign on the arch cover at any one time. The income generated by Ocean will support the conservation and repair of Marble Arch. The impact of investing in this ad space will not only draw incremental reach but have great benefit to The English Heritage project. 

Not just brand building, but driving action 

A ground-breaking new study revealed that mobile searches conducted in out of home locations are 38% more likely to lead to a purchase compared to mobile searches conducted at home. “The Point of Search” was commissioned by Clear Channel UK, Global, JCDecaux UK and dentsu’s Posterscope, and used a combination of three research techniques in the most comprehensive study of its kind on the subject to date. The study highlights how search behaviour is a clear indicator of consumer needs and as a result creative can be optimised to positively impact search behaviour. Dynamic DOOH will further help OOH drive search through contextually relevant messages, such as location, weather and time. And with share of search emerging as a predictor of market share, there are good reasons to take all available opportunities to maintain or increase it.  

Opportunities to tie in data points and 1P data for mx impact 

Uber is a prime example of utilising rich data points for effective delivery - although currently only available in 7 US cities, we can still learn from their efforts. Their ad offering includes concert and event ads in-app, banner advertisements, controversial push notifications, and now taxi-like car-top ads. Their car-top OOH offering allows advertisers to create and display promotions when cars are in certain zip codes, even serving promos and personalised messaging based on location and time of day/week. Beyond this example there are many ways in which technology across the advertising industry is pushing the boundaries of what is possible such as delivering immersive experiences with AR driving engagement across hashtags & QR codes based on OOH location.  

With the return to live events and consumers’ willingness to spend time outside especially over seasons that hold major worldwide events such as the Women’s Football World Cup this year & Eurovision, marketers must assess opportune moments for brand alignment, as well as the data points available to them, to have the best impact and cut through using OOH