Advertisers and marketers have a large toolbox, including things like online and social media ads, TV, radio, and digital signage. Over the years, advertising has changed, as have the vehicles used, a recent example is the decline of print media. As technology continues to grow and laws and regulations force changes to occur, it’s only natural the value of these methods change too.
Digital out-of-home advertising is unique (as all advertising methods are) as it borrows parts and features from other advertising methods. It can reach large audiences at any one time (similar to TV and radio), whilst also being contextually relevant and target specific (like online direct advertising).
TV & Radio
TV and radio ads are excellent for reaching large audiences, but due to not being specific can be wasted effort. These forms of advertising are also costly, and take a longer time to produce.
On the other hand, digital out-of-home can still reach large audiences, but due to things like data triggers and programmatic platforms, can be much more relevant. DOOH advertising can still be expensive, but the cost compared to a prime time TV or radio ad is much lower.
Due to these costs, TV and radio ads aren’t always accessible for small and medium-sized businesses. Without huge marketing budgets, these businesses couldn’t hope to compete on these platforms. This is where digital out-of-home comes in, by being cheaper and more accessible these small businesses won’t miss out.
It’s also worth mentioning digital-out-of-home is easy to use and get started. These businesses can easily create content without paying large amounts of money for videographers and editors. This isn’t to say that larger businesses shouldn’t use DOOH, as they can afford to create not just ads, but experiences.
Online Advertising
Online advertising changed the way we advertise and paved the way for things like programmatic advertising. By being a direct line to the individual audience member, online advertisers can charge a premium rate, and be more specific.
Online advertising can also be used across a number of different sources. For example, some advertising platforms such as Google and Facebook can see other sites you’ve visited, using this information they can then show you products or services that you are likely to buy. This is often referred to as programmatic advertising and is the most common and effective form of online advertising.
Over the years this data tracking has caused concerns. Laws and regulations have come into play to help protect users from potential privacy breaches and issues. This is where digital out-of-home can come into play. DOOH platforms have begun to adopt the previously mentioned programmatic approach to not only build a better advertising platform, but also remove the privacy concerns many people have.
Due to the wide audience of DOOH, many of the segments are much more generalised and location focused. Although target audience information is less specific, many advertisers are still adopting DOOH into their toolkit due to widespread privacy concerns and high level of effectiveness.
Where DOOH Belongs
We’re not saying that all the marketing and advertising tools you use should be replaced with digital signage. Far from it actually, we believe that to achieve the best results you should use a combination of different methods. Depending on budget, along with marketing goals, DOOH can sit in a range of different spots in your toolkit.
If you’re looking to create a memorable experience that audiences can participate in, then DOOH is a great choice. On the other hand, if your goal is to increase sales, a direct online advertising campaign could be better suited. Really, DOOH can work in any situation and is a great addition to any advertising campaign.
The most common objective we’ve seen digital signage be used for in recent years is to increase brand awareness. Over 70% of people have said that digital billboards stand out more than online advertising.
A recent example of this is the Fortnite X Balenciaga billboards that were seen in London, New York, Tokyo & Seoul. This advertisement was simple in that it had no CTA or any other form of information. It was simply showing that the two brands had a collaboration and that was enough for it to be successful. This was paired with other marketing activities such as social media posts and online advertising.
Pros/Cons
Media Channel | Pros | Cons |
TV/Radio |
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Online Advertising |
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Digital Out-Of-Home |
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Digital out-of-home advertising isn’t here to dethrone or take over other marketing vehicles. It’s here to add another layer to campaigns and help businesses reach larger audiences and have a lasting impact.
Contact a member of our sales team to get started with digital signage today.
