Outdoor advertising, or out-of-home (OOH) promotions, refers to a broad scope of advertising formats and solutions that display branding, communications, messaging, and offers to consumers when they are out and above—hence the name.

While in-home formats like print, TV broadcast, and online advertising also work well, outdoor advertising is unique in that it reaches the viewer wherever they happen to be, ensuring people absorb and digest messaging without any intrusion or disruption.

Billboards and public transport advertising are great examples. Rather than hoping a viewer will actively engage in an advert, brands use dynamic and immersive displays that provide entertainment during periods when commuters, pedestrians, motorists and passengers are going about their usual routines.

This type of advertising is proven to be effective and strategic. It is often used in conjunction with cross-channel campaigns that are geared toward repeat exposure and brand recognition across as large an audience as possible.

Is Outdoor Advertising Effective?

Part of the reason outdoor advertising works so well is that it reaches huge audiences on a daily basis and is commonly seen multiple times per day. For example, a classic 48-sheet billboard in a prominent location will be viewed by roughly 170,000 people every fortnight without commanding a huge expense.

Research shows that trust in billboard advertising is 5% higher than for TV ads and 21% higher than for print-based adverts in newspapers, indicating that the larger footfalls and impressions are augmented by positive perceptions.

However, to generate the greatest responses and returns, outdoor advertising also needs to be strategically designed with careful media planning and an analysis of the demographics and locations that best align with your objectives.

We often consider three aspects when advising clients on the right outdoor advertising campaigns based on the reach they can achieve in each location, the way the promotion intends to engage and incentivise customers, and how the graphics and text shown add to brand awareness.

The scale, prominence and simplicity of outdoor advertising design are also beneficial, where brands use the size of billboards, bus supersides and metro advertising to expand their advertising, ensuring that short messages are easy to read and instantly memorable.

What Are the Different Types of Outdoor Advertising?

We've mentioned billboards as a well-known part of the background, landscape, and street architecture in any city or town, but there are multiple possible options, always based on the research and consumer data analysis we've talked about. 

Billboards also come in varied sizes, placements, and traditional or digital screens, which adds to the diversity of outdoor advertising campaigns.

Outdoor ads can include:

• Moving, customisable, and digital screens are shown on bus stops, billboards, and other locations. The images shown can adapt based on the weather or the time of day or feature a scrolling carousel of different graphics.
  

• Smaller, concise posters and displays are used throughout the public transport network, using entertaining, humorous and emotive messages to increase brand recognition.
  

• Murals and street-level advertising can be any size and are usually placed in specific locations with high footfall, including pedestrian tourist traffic, commuters, or local residents based on your ideal customer.
  

• Transport advertising can range from onboard ads shown in taxis, buses, trams, and trains to promotions within stops and stations and even vinyl graphics and decals printed on the exterior of public transport vehicles.
  

• Place-based promotions leverage the traffic and dwell time of visitors in areas like retail centres, stadiums, and event spaces to promote brand advertising. They can be indoors or outdoors, digital or static, and of any size.

While this list is a snapshot of the ways brands use outdoor advertising and is far from exhaustive, it gives you a flavour of the thousands of potential ways you can promote your business, products, or services and the number of locations and advertising formats available to choose from.

Why Is Outdoor Advertising Beneficial to Brands?

Outdoor advertising is more accessible than many conventional forms of advertising, with one billboard next to an iconic landmark, visitor attraction, or busy commercial district costing a fraction of a similar-scope campaign broadcast on TV, radio, or in print.

The public and visible nature of an outdoor advertisement also means you can capture the highest possible impressions without needing to repeat the same promotion across several channels or broadcasts to reach more of your target demographic.

Affordable, high-profile advertising is the goal, where brands of all sizes can buy media space in their preferred location. Outdoor ads are wholly customisable, whether you need a short-term, low-cost campaign in a strategic placement or want to keep your ad running over several weeks or months to aid in brand familiarity.

Advertising Directly to Consumers

We pointed out earlier the importance of advertising coming to your consumer, not the other way around. Outdoor advertising does just that because viewers don't have to proactively do anything to view your messaging, and it presents a familiar, normal part of their routine.

The size and locations of outdoor advertising make billboards, transport ads, or street-level promotions unmissable, but they do not compete for attention or try to stand out on a full page packed full of other ads and graphics.

Expediting Brand Advertising Outcomes

Most businesses find that campaign design and strategy take significant time and effort, something few have available. Outdoor advertising acts as a passive form of promotion; once your ad has been launched, you don't need to do anything else aside from monitoring responses.

It's also well worth working with an experienced, fully integrated marketing agency that can handle the intricacies of measuring outcomes and tracking footfall on your behalf, ensuring you can focus on running your business.

By selecting high-response placements, you can be assured that your advertising is reaching thousands, if not millions, of potential customers without any of the negative perceptions associated with other forms of advertising that interrupt viewers when browsing online.

For more information about outdoor advertising, the numerous formats and placements available, or to arrange a time to discuss your advertising objectives, please contact One Day at your earliest convenience.