Out of home (OOH) advertising is more effective in driving online activity when compared to online banner ads, according to a new study released by Nielsen. The study found OOH delivers more online activity per ad dollar spent compared to online banner ads and other offline media.

According to the Ads Driving Online Activity survey, online activations including search, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram activity generated by OOH advertising indexes at nearly three times the expected rate given its relative ad spend. For example, OOH media accounts for 22 percent of gross search activations generated by television, radio, print, OOH, and banner ads combined, but it only accounts for 7 percent of the total combined advertising spend.

“OOH’s connection to digital media is stronger than ever,” said OAAA’s Stephen Freitas. “OOH campaigns boost online search and social media activity more than other traditional media and even online banner ads. OOH and digital ad spend is on the rise because the media perfectly complement each other, working to drive people in the real world to go online.”

Nearly five in 10 US adults (46%) have used Google, Bing, Yahoo, or another Internet search engine to look up information after seeing or hearing something advertised on a billboard, bus shelter, or other OOH format in the past six months. Only 36 percent have used a search engine after seeing a banner ad on their computer.
Nearly 40 percent have visited a Facebook page or posted a message on Facebook after seeing an OOH ad, compared to 32 percent who saw an online banner ad.The study also found 23 percent of adults have posted a message on Twitter, and 25 percent have posted something to Instagram after seeing an OOH ad. Compare this to 19 percent who posted to Twitter and 20 percent who posted to Instagram after seeing an online banner ad. Freitas added, “We know banner ad sales are expected to be nearly $15 billion this year. This research helps reinforce the opportunity to realign budgets around what drives results and that should include OOH.”
Online activations can also be expressed as a share. OOH advertising’s share of gross search activations is 22 percent compared to banner ads, radio, and print at 17 percent each. OOH’s share of Facebook activations is 23 percent, compared to banner ads at 20 percent, print at 17 percent, and radio at 16 percent. OOH’s share for Instagram and Twitter activations measures higher than banner ads and all other offline media at 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

Article credit: OAAA. View entire article here: https://oaaa.org/StayConnected/OAAAOutlookNewsletter/tabid/867/id/5126/Default.aspx

To download entire Nielsen study, visit: http://oaaa.org/Portals/0/pdf/research/Nielsen%20OOH%20Activation%20Study%202017%20with%20Banner%20Ads%20FINAL.PDF

Billboard advertising is one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising for any industry, and that rings true for the political industry as well! Outdoor advertising costs less than radio, TV or print.

Here are 10 benefits of using billboards for your political campaign:

1. ALWAYS ON –BREAKS THROUGH THE CLUTTER: Cannot be delayed,skipped, turned off, and produces the highest ad recall.
2. BUILDS AWARENESS & NAME ID: Builds awareness rapidly, and magnifies audience impressions through earned media—social and traditional news media.
3. AMPLIFICATION & VALUE: Improves all media investments by increasing the reach of all channels, including TV and digital.
4. TARGETING: Targetability by geographic location or by key demographic groups with OOH ratings.
5. SPEED & FLEXIBILITY: Digital OOH offers instantaneous message updates and as many changes as needed.
6. ENHANCES DIGITAL: Increases ROI for search advertising by 40%, and more efficient at driving online activation than all traditional media and banner ads.
7. MOBILE ENGAGEMENT: OOH prompts 66% of adult travelers to take actions on their mobile device, including 42% who search and 32% who visit advertiser websites.
8. REACHES HIGH PROPENSITY VOTERS: Over-indexes with some of the most likely voters -adults 25–54, HHI $100K+, those with advanced degrees.
9. REACHES DIVERSE VOTERS: OOH reaches voting minority blocs — over- indexes with Black and Hispanic audiences.
10. REACHES YOUNG VOTERS: Adults 18–34 are the segment most heavily engaged with OOH media.

We can help you reach Ohio voters in the 14 counties across the state on both traditional vinyl billboards as well as digital billboards. We offer weekly rates on all of our digital billboards.

Please contact us to learn more about how our outdoor advertising programs can positively impact your political campaign!

Source: Outdoor Advertising Association of America.

I must admit I have struggled taking good quality photos of digital signs and billboards for years. Unfortunately, the convenience of snapping a photo on your iPhone does not apply when photographing a digital sign. If you have ever tried taking a photo of a digital billboard, you are very familiar with the “tiling” that appears (see example below).

The “tiling” look when the camera settings are not correct.

I recently purchased a Samsung digital camera. I am not a tech nerd – so I was a little intimidated by all the options and settings. Regardless, I went out in the field on a quest to take amazing photos of my client’s digital advertisements. After pushing every possible button on the camera – my photos still looked subpar. Frustrated, I called it quits for the day and consulted Doctor Google on the optimal way to photograph digital billboards.

Through my Google search, I found all of the answers to my questions on a tutorial by Watchfire Signs. This was the most comprehensive yet easy to digest information that I have found on this topic. My photos now look award winning — ok, that is probably not true, but they do look pretty darn good.

Post-tutorial photo. Ta-da!

If you need some guidance in this department here is the link to the Watchfire Tutorial on Photographing LED signs.

Source: Muscle

Do you need more proof that outdoor advertising is effective? Here are some interesting stats and facts about the travel habits of Americans – conducted by Arbitron.

Arbitron, a media research company, recently conducted an Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising study. The study provides a detailed examination of America’s travel habits and its exposure to outdoor advertising including billboards, digital signage, bus shelters, taxi cabs, kiosks and more. The study also examines the shopping and purchase decisions of America’s on-the-go consumers.

• The vast majority of U.S. adults have the opportunity to be exposed to out-of-home advertising each month. Close to 9 in 10 Americans aged 18 or older have traveled the roads or rails in a vehicle in the past month including cars, trucks, buses, taxis, commuter rails and subways.

•  Time spent potentially exposed to Out of Home (OOH) media is significant. The average time spent traveling is over 20 hours per week and covers 169 miles. Mega-Milers, the heaviest travelers, average 363 miles per week.

• OOH media viewership is high. Three-quarters of total U.S. adults have noticed advertising on static billboards, digital billboards, sides of public buses, bus shelters, taxi cabs, commuter rails, subways or any street level advertising such as kiosks or newspaper stands in the past month; viewership among travelers is 84%.

• Billboards are the most viewed OOH media. Roughly two-thirds of travelers have seen a billboard advertisement in the past month and over 4 in 10 have viewed a digital billboard.

• Engagement with billboards is considerably high. Over 8 in 10 billboard viewers make a point to look at the advertising message at least some of the time; nearly half look at the billboard ad each time or almost each time they noticed one.

• OOH media delivers more affluent consumers. OOH media viewers overall are more likely to live in upper-income households and Mega-Milers, the heaviest travelers who account for the majority of OOH ad impressions, are three times as likely to live in an upper-income household compared to light travelers.

• Purchasing decisions are often made away from home. Over two-thirds of travelers make their purchasing decisions at some location outside of their home over the course of a typical week; over half report making their purchasing decisions most frequently when they a not home.

• Out-of-home ads generate buzz. Roughly 4 in 10 OOH media viewers have talked about products they saw advertised with others and 8% have blogged or posted to a social network.

• Out-of-home ads motivate action. OOH media has prompted 4 in 10 viewers to visit a store or restaurant they saw advertised or watching a TV show.

Source: Muscle

Advertising Message

Product or Product Category

Target Audience

Number of Creative Executions

Timing and Flighting of Campaign

Competition

Media Weight Levels

Source: Muscle

We have all seem them. The busy billboards, jam-packed with information. It’s easy to make the mistake of wanting to fill a billboard that is 300+ square feet with information about your business. In the case of billboards, however, the old adage “Less is More” rings true.

Here are 7 tips to help you maximize your billboard design:

1. Keep it simple. 7-10 words of copy, maximum.
2. Use 1 point of contact, maximum. A website, phone number, street address, etc are not ALL needed in your ad. Choose one, or even none.
3. Focus on 1 message. Too many messages creates confusion.
4. Be bold, using high contrasting colors.
5. Use big fonts.
6. Use simple crisp fonts. The fancier the font, the less likely it will be legible.
7. Include these 4 components:

1. A compelling image or photograph

2. A catchy headline

3. Logo/Name

4. One form of contact info (if any)

Lastly, after implementing these 7 tips, give your design the “billboard test”. Print off a copy of your billboard proof or mock-up that was prepared for you by either your graphic designer or the billboard company. This can be on a regular 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper. Now, take that print out and tape it to a wall. Once taped to the wall, step back 10 feet. Can you read it? What is the main message that you take away from that billboard design? Next, get another opinion – preferably somebody that isn’t already familiar with your business or message. What do they take-away from the design? If you both take-away a positive message, chances are you billboard design is ready to go live! If you have conflicting thoughts on the main take-away, chances are good that you need to go back to the drawing board.

Here is a great example of the “Less is More” approach with billboard designs.

Far too much going on here.

Simple is better. This is a perfect branding style billboard.

If you need help crafting your perfect billboard design, please contact us!

Source: Muscle