.Advertising can be broken up into two main categories: outdoor advertising, also known as out-of-home (OOH) advertising, and in-home advertising. The two different types of advertising have drastically different media forms, such as billboards vs. commercials, and as a result, there are benefits and disadvantages to both. In this article, we’d like to introduce you to what outdoor advertising is before discussing some key advantages of outdoor advertising.
What is Outdoor Advertising?
OOH, or out-of-home advertising refers to any advertising media that targets consumers outside of their homes. This is obviously an extremely broad category and covers many different types of advertisements. Therefore, it’s much easier to break OOH advertising up into 4 key categories: billboards, street furniture, transit, and place-based OOH. Many of the advantages of outdoor advertising depend on which kind you use.
Billboard-type advertising can include:
- Billboards
- Posters
- Wall murals
Examples of street furniture advertising include advertisements on:
- Bus stops
- Public benches
- Payphone kiosks
Transit advertising includes advertising in or on:
- Airports
- Buses
- Trains
- Taxis
Place-based advertising includes advertisements in:
- Stadiums
- Movie theaters
- Shopping malls
Globally, a lot of money is spent on OOH advertising every year. In 2019, more than $39 billion was spent on OOH ads. Many large worldwide companies such as Apple and McDonald’s, and even tech companies like Facebook and Google, still spend heavily on different types of OOH advertisements, even with the rise of other forms of advertising, such as ads on social media.
Each different type of OOH ad serves a specific purpose. For instance, a hotel company will probably benefit from having more advertisements in airports and taxis than on billboards. As such, although outdoor advertising is a broad umbrella, individual companies and products can inform the specifics of outdoor advertising campaigns.
Advantages of Outdoor Advertising
You may wonder why companies still decide to spend money on OOH campaigns like billboards or advertisements in subways in today’s global age. There are a few key benefits that OOH ads have compared to other forms of advertising.
1) More Noticable
One of the key advantages of outdoor advertising is that it is significantly more noticeable. Online advertising can be frustrating since so many consumers have ad-blockers in place and the ones that don’t are bombarded with so many ads, none really stand out. However, OOH ads don’t have these problems, so they’re basically “unblockable.”
In addition, it should come as no surprise that larger advertisements tend to be more noticeable. If you compare the size of a typical billboard ad vs. a Facebook ad, it’s pretty obvious which one is bigger, and therefore, is more noticeable.
2) More Accepted by Consumers
Recently, online advertising has been receiving large amounts of criticism from various regulatory parties and frustrated individuals. Online advertising is a relatively new form of advertising, and thanks to companies like Facebook & Google, is able to be extremely targeted to individual consumers. The reason why these big companies can be so effective with their advertising is due to the immense amount of data they collect on each user, something that many consumers have issues with.
On the other hand, outdoor advertising is definitely a more acceptable form of advertising to the individual consumer. For one, it has been around much longer than online ads. Consumers of all different generations have seen billboards, posters, or advertisements on the subway. Additionally, outdoor ads don’t coincide with intensive data monitoring of an individual’s online activity, something that privacy-minded consumers are extremely concerned about.
3) Helps to Benefit Other Advertising Campaigns
This benefit comes from the fact that people tend to be more perceptive of their surroundings outside of the home. Humans are made to be more alert, aware, and perceptive in both unfamiliar locations and louder, busier locations. This increased alertness means that consumers can take in your advertisements, even if they’re not consciously aware of them. This effect can boost your other advertising campaigns.
According to research from Ocean Neuroscience, consumers were 48% more likely to engage with a mobile ad when exposed to the same out-of-home advertisement first.
5) Helps with Brand Building and Recall
Outdoor advertising has shown to be very effective in building brand awareness and brand image. Since customers can’t “ignore” outdoor ads the way they can with online ads, they have very little control over what ads they see outside of the home. In addition, many consumers will travel by and frequent the same locations and the same advertisements every day, which helps to build a level of familiarity with those advertisements. Well-placed and nice-looking outdoor advertisements can make this benefit even stronger.
Therefore, working with a company that can help you intelligently design ads and properly locate them where your desired consumers will see them. In Puerto Rico, there’s no better outdoor advertising company than bMedia. bMedia will work with each individual business to design and plan outdoor advertisements, before ensuring they’ll be placed in the best possible location for your specific company.
6) Cost Effectiveness
Another key advantage of outdoor advertising, especially for companies with limited marketing budgets, is its cost-effectiveness. In this current environment, outdoor advertising is often cheaper than print or digital advertising. Additionally, outdoor advertising is more long-term than print or digital ads. Companies often have to repeat payments to carry out campaigns. Paying to have an advertisement on a billboard for a month can be a much better use of funds than repeatedly paying for a commercial campaign.
Outdoor Advertising with bMedia
Ultimately, OOH advertising can be extremely profitable for your company. In order for this to occur, you must develop a creative and memorable campaign. The benefits of working with an established, reputable advertising agency are numerous. They can help with devising content, doing market research to determine optimal advertising locations, and will help you analyze the effectiveness of your outdoor ad campaigns.
If you are advertising on the island of Puerto Rico, there is no better company to work with than bMedia. bMedia is Puerto Rico’s leader in OOH media and advertising and will work with you to ensure your advertisements are seen and remembered. They are true experts in the outdoor advertising world and employ a variety of sophisticated solutions to ensure maximum advertisement exposure and effectiveness. Contact us today!
787 792 4113
