Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is a part of out-of-home (OOH) advertising. It is powered by digital technology that allows tracking, flexibility, personalization, and interactivity.
Digital outdoor advertising encompasses various formats, including digital outdoor signage, billboards, mall kiosks, digital boards, etc. A Nielsen study showed that OOH advertising delivers quadrupled activity on a dollar spent compared to its offline competitors – TV, radio, and print.
How does DOOH benefit brands?
The outdoor medium forms a significant part of any brand’s marketing campaign. DOOH advertising is now interactive and employed for better brand-customer relationships.
One of the biggest advantages of outdoor advertising is its non-interfering quality. Unlike online ads or TV ads, digital outdoor advertising can be artistic without being an inconvenience. For advertisers, too, it provides advantages. The user cannot skip a DOOH since ad blockers cannot function in this medium.
In the pandemic world, digital outdoor advertising has proven to be very useful as it is the ideal channel to provide real-time communication to the masses in a contactless world. Digital outdoor signage became the go-to option to display safety measures and public health messages.
Traditional Billboards vs Digital Billboards
Physical billboards have a lot of advantages over digital billboard advertising. Placement of physical billboard ads is widely available because the infrastructure has existed for several decades. Additionally, printed advertisements are not subject to glitches and power outages like digital billboards.
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Traditional Billboards
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Digital Billboards
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Typically less expensive
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More dynamic ads, which make ads more effective
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More existing inventory
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Better targeting with the ability to display ads during specific hours of the days or days of the week
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Not subject to glitches
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More flexibility as you can update and optimize ads quickly
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Who Billboard Advertising Is Right For
Billboard advertising works best for businesses boosting brand awareness or advertising specific store locations. Billboards located on highways that advertise local businesses are extremely actionable because the audience is already nearby. In addition, billboards are a great way to promote your brand if you don’t need immediate conversions.
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not billboard advertising is right for your business, consider the following questions:
- Does your product pass the eight-second rule? If you can’t make your pitch in eight seconds, then billboards are not for you. The stagnant nature of traditional billboards is also ineffective if your message requires interpretation.
- Is your product relevant to a mass audience? If your product is only relevant to 10% of the population, you’ll waste a lot of money on “unnecessary” billboard impressions. For example, a distributor of vegan food products likely only appeals to the 7% of Americans who identify as vegan.
The main benefit of Digital advertising is that you can reach a large number of people within a specific geographical area. This is great for those starting a business or local businesses in general, whose target audience is very broad, yet within one geographic area. For example, everyone eats, so restaurant digital ads are effective.
- Restaurants and shops
- Real estate agents
- Law firms
- Local financial institutions
- Medical facilities
- Fitness centers
- Location education providers
- Home services (e.g., heating and oil, landscaping, construction)
- Nonprofits and public service announcements
