The importance of out of home advertising in Nigeria is known to every Dick & Harry in the marketing and advertising industry. There is arguably no city around the world where out of home advertising is not being used to grab consumers’ attention.
Studies have shown that advertising is the best way to reach out to the target audience and communicate with them. And by the virtue of being seen every day by millions of people is one of the reasons why no medium does it better than out of home advertising.
Be that as it may, there are different marketing means and tools that help raise the graph of out of home advertising goals, such as mobile billboards, advertising on trucks, on buses, vehicle wraps, banners, billboards, etc.
Why Out of Home Advertising?
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, which is also called outdoor advertising, or outdoor media, and out-of-home media, is advertising experienced outside of the home.
This includes billboards, walls capes, and posters seen while “on the go”. However, it is important to understand that the major reasons many brands deploy out of home advertising include sales, brand activation and brand building.
Sales activation aims to trigger a purchase by targeting consumers who are looking to purchase on the spot. It is what happens when a prospective customer decides it’s finally time to make a purchase. It focuses on activating sales by helping customers make their decision.
It encourages people to purchase a product right there and then but does not build long-term growth and loyalty towards a brand. It is a short-term tactic but very important because it generates revenue.
On the other hand, brand building targets people who do not yet feel the need to purchase a product by trying to educate them about a brand or reinforce their engagement with the brand.
It increases sales growth by creating awareness of the brand and its products. And as the name implies, it builds the brand by creating a visual shortcut in people’s minds.
How to Increase Reach and Engagement with OOH Advertising?
- Keep it short and simple
Out of home advertising should be as simple as possible so that the information can be absorbed quickly. Your audience may only have a brief moment to take in your message, so keep your text short and simple. Images should tell the story and grab the attention of your customer.
Imagery that creatively communicates the core message will also have more chance of being shared and talked about. On-point branding, short, simple messaging, and consistency across other media channels will combine to create a campaign that gives you the best return on your investment.
- Consider your location
If your business is literally hidden from busy centres or difficult for people to find, you need a geographically specific billboard with a directional message for you. If your objective is brand awareness and reach, then consider a rotating billboard campaign where your message rotates to multiple locations for maximum exposure.
It’s important to consider both your artwork and the location when designing your Out of Home campaign.
- Repetition
People are creatures of habit, they commute to work via the same route every day. Want to put your business on a billboard? If so, it will be seen multiple times throughout the day by the same person.
This will lead to a greater memory recall of your company and what it has to offer. Another key stat to remember is that 90% of the urban population will see an out of home advert every week; which is a staggering number and highlights the impact out of home advertising can have on a business.
- Your campaign should be shareable
To stand out from the competition you need to make sure you are making an impact and your advertisement is sharable. Consider bold marketing strategies with creative digitals and experiential advertising, and, with the right mix, your out of home advertising will be shared on social media.
This is a great way to increase reach and engagement with your target audience. If people are willing to talk about and share with others what they have seen, then your advertising generates organic growth for your brand.
- Study the competition
Look at your competitors’ marketing strategy. Who are they designing their marketing for and who do they want to purchase their products or services? Viewing your competitors’ target market, or a company within the same industry can assist you with identifying your target market.
In conclusion, it is important to realize that psychologically, we are more alert when we are out of the home. Our awareness is heightened by 33% when we are out and about. This means we are more likely to absorb the message of an OOH advert.
With this in mind, it goes without saying that out of home advertising is surely an efficient method to publicize products and services anywhere and anytime.
Recall that in earlier days, advertising was generally done by painting the billboards by hand, and that was high-priced and time-consuming.
However, with today’s cutting-edge computer technology, they can now be designed with the aid of computers and printed on vinyl paper, and then fixed onto the backcloth. This results in a good advertisement in very less time and at an affordable price.
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