The term ‘OOH advertising’ refers to out-of-home advertising — which, as the term suggests, appears in public places rather than, say, in magazines or on smartphone screens.
Good examples of OOH media include roadside billboards and bus shelters as well as digital screens in shopping centres.
Furthermore, if your business is relatively small and — as a result — cash-strapped, OOH can constitute a surprisingly convenient advertising avenue for your firm. Here are several reasons why…
OOH ads can cut through the noise
An online ad can too easily disappear under a deluge of other content, since these ads are placed where people are purposefully paying attention to things other than the ads.
Few people who casually peruse Google search results or a Facebook news feed, for example, are likely to look at the adjacent ads for very long. However, in the modern, media-saturated landscape, OOH ads can stand out simply due to being offline-based.
OOH ads can’t simply be skipped
People can easily just scroll past ads on Google and Facebook, and might habitually click the ‘X’ button even on ads that take up a significant proportion of a webpage.
Some people might even opt to install ‘ad blocker’ software to prevent online ads from appearing in the first place. In contrast, the physical nature of OOH ads makes them harder to ignore.
OOH ads garner trust
In a study conducted in the UK, 40% of participants revealed that they trusted billboard and poster advertising, Statista reports.
This revelation particularly warrants attention given how disinformation and misinformation have blighted the image of social media, where many online ads are displayed. Through building trust, your small business can encourage its customers to make repeat purchases from it.
Research shows that OOH ads spur responses
On average, some 45% of adults in the UK have admitted responding to outdoor ads in one manner or another. This figure is even higher when it comes to specific groups — like parents, Millennials and Londoners.
Many people have responded to out-of-home ads by searching for the advertised products, making online purchases and visiting stores.
OOH ads are great for building brand awareness
According to one statistic shared by Home Business, about 70% of outdoor ads promote local businesses. However, this social proof isn’t the only reason why your company should seriously consider renting billboard space.
This advertising tactic can easily pay for itself — and then some — by strengthening awareness of your brand. After all, during the time that this brand is featured on a billboard, many of the same people could keep passing it and seeing it — and remember your business as a result.
It’s delightfully easy to get started with OOH advertising
If you run a start-up, you could take advantage of Clear Start — the start-up accelerator programme run by Clear Channel, a major provider of UK ad space.
Since the company’s network of OOH ads reaches 93% of the UK, there is likely to be Clear Channel-maintained OOH advertising space for you to rent in your firm’s geographic coverage area.
