Out-of-home is one of the oldest, most traditional forms of advertising. In the early 1900s, brands like Ford, Coca-Cola, and Kellogg’s began to leverage the media type through billboard and poster advertising. Over the years, out-of-home advertising evolved to a wide variety of formats. Subways, buses, taxis, and airports became a blank canvas. Doctors’ offices, hair salons, and movie theaters created new environments on which advertisers could capitalize. Out-of-home continues to thrive – as advertisers and brands understand the core value proposition:

• Cost-effective, mass reach 
• Ability to deliver an immersive experience 
• Local market personalization

While out-of-home remains a tried-and-true advertising tactic, the channel continues to innovate with the digitalization of formats and the emerging use of data. From weather triggers to dayparting to countdown clocks – advertisers can now deliver with new levels of creativity across the board. 

Digital out-of-home further allows marketers to create personalized and interactive content relevant to people, delivered in real time. Using location data and mobile devices, movement patterns can be leveraged to understand on-the-go people. Third-party data enables marketers to segment busy families who often grab fast food, households in-market for a new vehicle, and new movers. It lets them reach the right person, at the right place, at the right time. Advertisers can also seamlessly activate across digital out-of-home screens via programmatic platforms – allowing for a true omnichannel approach. The unique advantage of out-of-home is that brands can now home in on their core but cast a net wide enough to engage with new audiences and the masses.

Putting into practice:

The Goal

• Maximize awareness and lease sign-ups for a luxury automaker’s launch of a new vehicle – reaching high-income earners and those in-market for a new auto

The How

• Leverage people-based audiences to define the two segments and seamlessly distribute to digital out-of-home partners across the media ecosystem. Location- and device-level data is utilized in conjunction with third-party data to understand where the desired audience is most likely to be, and that’s done in real time  

The Why

• Data-enabled, digital out-of-home activation allows the luxury automaker to deliver an increased focus on the audience that matters most, while still capitalizing on the outdoor one-to-many format to reach the masses – delivering on both KPIs (awareness and  new leases). Advertising that is interactive and eye-catching is more likely to register with people. With the enrichment of third-party data, out-of-home advertising is more relatable than ever.