As OOH continues to transform, the synergy with other media, namely mobile phones, has enabled OOH growth through digital innovation. Over time, Out-of-Home advertising (OOH) has seen notable growth compared with other media formats, and according to a Magna Intelligence and Rapport report, it has been the only form of advertising to see constant growth globally over the last ten years. This is due to the capabilities of digital innovation provided by this media along with its ability to effectively complement other media channels.
OOH and mobile cross-media campaigns
Mobile phones have come a long way, from the simple function of calling, to the Blackberry connecting to other devices in ways beyond calling, to today, where smartphones are an essential part of our daily lives with 4 billion of them used globally by people over 15 years old. They are used for bookings, taking photos, sharing with friends, navigation and endless other functions, which has built up a bank of data over the last 18 years, making it easier for brands to understand consumer trends and target their audiences accordingly.
OOH and mobile are increasingly being used together since it is the optimal form of interaction with an audience and an efficient way to maximise reach; increasing the likelihood of store visits by up to five times, compared with people that have not had any contact with both forms of advertising (Compedium, Out-of Home & Mobile, WallDecaux, MMA, 2019 – section 2). Danone’s campaign for ‘Les Deux Vaches’ in 2018 ran across OOH, Facebook and TV specifically to acquire new customers. It reached 85% of all households, proving that the greatest synergy here was OOH and Facebook, with purchase likelihood being 13% higher than expected. Germanwings also proved that by doing a multichannel campaign, using mobile and OOH, brands can maximise reach of their target audiences, and improve brand awareness, with a 35% uplift in click-through rate after the campaign (Compedium, Out-of Home & Mobile, WallDecaux, MMA, 2019 – section 2).
With 96% of people worldwide accessing Facebook on their smartphones, using cross-media campaigns proves to be an effective way to reach an audience. Furthermore, a study by Lumen has shown that digital OOH (DOOH) has an even bigger effect on attention span when seeing the ad via mobile, increasing dwell time by 52% (Lumen 2019- slide 21). Data has become the main resource to target an audience in a purposeful way, and as mobile phones and OOH are the most connected out of other media, mobile seems to be the way to meet this objective.
Although mobile opens up another channel for brands to reach their audience, a challenge they are facing is that we are becoming more tech-savvy and getting better at blocking adverts. Therefore, brands need to make sure they reach their audience at the right place, time and mood, to ensure maximum efficiency is reached (Compedium, Out-of Home & Mobile, WallDecaux, MMA, 2019 – section 2).
DATA AND THE FUTURE OF MOBILE AND OOH
With continuous growth in the number of people globally using mobile for day-to-day functions, this growing bank of mobile data provides an analysis tool for brands to take advantage of targeting their audiences with outdoor and mobile advertising campaigns (Compedium, Out-of Home & Mobile, WallDecaux, MMA, 2019 – section 5). “Insight shows in this two-screen world, OOH can supercharge the effects of Social Media” (Mike Follett, the Managing Director of Lumen Research). Brands are becoming aware of this, as functions specifically to attract smartphone interaction are increasingly added to panels; starting from QR codes and Wi-Fi, to hashtags with imagery displayed specifically with the intention to be uploaded on social media channels; and digital innovation, such as Augmented Reality, shown via smartphones. It is clear that brands are establishing a connection with their customers through cross-media campaigns as “OOH activates towards social media more strongly than other media” (Compedium, Out-of Home & Mobile, WallDecaux, MMA, 2019 – section 6, page 50).
