Do billboards even work?

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

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