Digital innovation transforms outdoor advertising, offering dynamic, interactive, and customizable campaigns. Explore how technology, AR, and programmatic ads reshape the out-of-home advertising landscape.
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising has been around since the 1800s when circuses posted advertisements on buildings and walls to promote upcoming shows. While posters, billboards, and transit ads still work, digital innovations are pushing outdoor advertising into new territories.
Welcome to OOH advertising - dynamic, customisable, interactive, and full of possibilities. Modern technology and a creative approach let brands captivate audiences in real time through visually stunning campaigns.
With print media declining, brands have lost visual advertising space. Out-of-home advertising fills the void with digital billboards.
Digital billboards are dynamic and flexible advertising platforms that can be easily adapted for different locations, times of day, audiences, and purposes. Content can be updated in real time to reflect current events, weather, traffic, or any relevant data points.
Consider what Coca-Cola did with digital billboards in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics. The billboards interactively changed to reflect the current medal counts of countries, generating excitement and discussion while keeping prominently featured.
Digital flexibility allows testing different ad versions to determine optimal messaging. Dynamic QR codes can drive traffic to specific landing pages.
Programmatic ad buying has expanded to OOH, enabling brands to target specific demographics. For instance, a sports apparel company could advertise on digital billboards near athletics stores, gyms, and fields.
Digital capabilities allow brands to offer glimpses into immersive worlds using augmented reality (AR) and 3D holographic images. What better way to showcase a new vehicle model than to have it appear in AR on an urban street for pedestrians to view from all angles? Or a travel company could transport people to faraway destinations using 3D holographic scenery?
Interactivity is shaping the industry. For instance, luxury retailer Burberry used digital signage by installing conductive paint on outdoor posts. When pedestrians touched the poles, screens would activate, showing ads. People could scroll through stories by swiping the surface.
Digital OOH components can work with larger campaigns. A billboard promotion can prompt a QR code scan to unlock an AR experience or location-based mobile offer.
As consumers split time between online and offline activities, digital-first businesses need an advertising avenue that bridges both worlds. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is the ideal solution.
Outdoor ads catch the eye during commutes, errands, and shopping - crucial decision-making moments. OOH aligns online offerings with offline influence.
Integrated Digital Strategies
Integrate OOH efforts with digital activities. Prominently placed displays prompt mobile checkouts, social shares, app downloads, or website visits.
User data informs smart OOH placement near target audience locations. Demographic and behavioural data paired with timely, relevant messaging ensures efficient advertising spending.
Retarget consumers with customised ads. A retailer can showcase an abandoned cart item on a digital billboard as commuters travel home.
Geo-targeted mobile push notifications reinforce brand visibility by sending messages near transit ads or shopping centres, solidifying the brand’s presence.
Tech-Enhanced Experiential Engagement
Digital-first outfits leverage technological enhancements with interactive OOH components:
Augmented Reality (AR) overlays digital elements onto physical structures, bridging the online world with offline locations through phones or AR glasses. Games or product demos captivate and educate audiences.
Digital kiosks enable tactile product exploration and instant gratification. Users can check inventory, complete purchases, and arrange delivery or pickup.
Transit shelter panels offer mobile offers as people wait or countdown to happy hour for pedestrians near restaurants.
Bluetooth beacons enable location-based messaging to notify app users of flash deals or new product arrivals as they pass retail outposts.
Experiential efforts shine, but digital-first brands need classic awareness-driving messages. Billboards highlight offerings where target audiences roam. Short URLs, QR codes or branded hashtags provide seamless paths to conversion.
Calls-to-action promote
App downloads, social media channels, video premieres, contest registrations, shopping portals.
Visual content intrigues digitally savvy users online or in-store. User-generated social posts about OOH ads provide free marketing through personal recommendations.
Measure What Matters
The winning combinations are awareness, consideration, and action. Street furniture provides trackable links, hashtags, and promo codes to gather data on whether OOH drives site traffic, social chatter, or sales.
DOOH reinforces digital efforts for a strong brand voice online and on the streets. OOH bridges consumer journey gaps and enables memorable discoveries.
Getting Measurable
Beyond the superficial features, brands care about impact and performance. OOH advertising has moved beyond mere speculation. Sensors and analytics provide granular data such as:
Bluetooth beacons detect devices for retargeting ads and direct mail follow-ups. Digital billboards prompt specific actions (like scanning a QR code or visiting a webpage), enabling accurate tracking of engagement and conversions. Everything is measurable.
This reduces wasted ad spend and optimises messaging based on performance data.
With rising expectations around corporate sustainability, OOH advertisers need to consider environmental footprints. Advances in solar power and energy-efficient display technologies show that green is more than good PR - it affects financial performance.
Many digital billboards are solar-powered. Printing on biodegradable vinyl reduces landfill waste. Some providers plant a tree for every display to counteract environmental impacts.
These moves reduce environmental harm and show consumers that brands share their sustainability values. Eco-conscious messaging will become more crucial in targeting key demographics, with Gen Z and Millennials making up over 60% of the global population.
Despite economic challenges, OOH advertising spend continues to climb globally. New technologies will provide momentum. There are numerous ways to create a cost-effective campaign that drives results and brand affinity, with many options available.
We’ve highlighted the blue ocean potential, but let’s not forget that traditional formats still deliver. Carefully selected billboard, transit, and street furniture campaigns focused on clarity, repetition, and artwork quality to build brand equity.
OOH advertising isn’t new, but digital has brought new creative and interactive opportunities. The industry tracks human traffic and listens to customer needs, creating meaningful and metrics-driven messaging on displays.
What is your vision for OOH in an increasingly digital world?
