Out-of-home advertising includes bus shelters, bus wraps, kiosks, billboards, and more.
With digital ads capturing the bulk of advertising spending these days, and television being, well, television, you might expect out-of-home advertising media, especially old-school billboards, to fade into history alongside 8-tracks and Atari. Nope.
According to Zenith Advertising Expenditure Forecasts, worldwide out-of-home advertising sales are expected to reach $38 billion this year. That’s 3% higher than last year and 35% higher than 2010.
Not only are companies paying for OOH advertising, major brands are actually purchasing out-of-home media. Netflix bought 20 or so billboards on the famed Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Psst! Netflix is the digital dynamo, and they are investing in out-of-home media! Why?
The Appeal of Out-Of-Home Advertising
What is the draw to this media that’s been around since 1900? In the article on Recode, Rani Molla quotes Mark Boidman. He’s the Managing Director of financial advisory firm PJ Solomon’s media investment department.
“It’s getting so hard to reach a mass audience today because it’s unclear who’s watching other more classic media channels like TV or who’s clicking on internet ads.” -Mark Boidman, Managing Director of PJ Solomon Media Investment Department
Leo Resig, Co-Founder of Chive Media Group and its hugely successful internet lifestyle and humor websites, lauds out-of-home advertising:
“OOH ads are the oldest forms of advertising and still one of the most impactful; for every dollar spent on OOH advertising, it returns $5.97 in ROI revenue. This is 40% more effective than digital search and 14% more effective than print.” -Leo Resig, Co-founder of online powerhouse, Chive Media Group
So we’re back to billboards and other out-of-home advertising media as the way to share brand messages with mass audiences.
How To Grab Attention At High Speeds? Add 3D The Research Says
Dr. Hatzithomas Leonidas is a business professor at the University of Macedonia. After looking at over one dozen studies showing the effects of unexpected elements in advertisements, specifically 3D elements, the professor ran his own two studies. They proved:
- People paid significantly more attention to 3D and even stated the 3D elements as the cause
- People recalled an ad and the brand name in the ad that used 3D elements without needing any cues (unaided recall)
- With a cue, people were more likely to recall the brand in the ad with 3D elements
What Makes 3D Capture Attention and Stay in People’s Memory?
To answer, let’s get a little academic.
Dr. Leonidas’ two studies, plus a dozen others he cites in his research, show that “novel and creative executions” and “incongruent elements or unexpected executions” capture consumers’ attention and help them remember ads. The reason is that when we see something unexpected, like a 3-dimensional form on a typical 2-dimensional billboard, our brain has to work to understand this unexpected information. This leads to better memory of the message and the brand.
Jeff Moore is the Marketing Consultant of Toronto, Canada-based Media Resources. They specialize in out-of-home advertising using 3D elements. Jeff sums it up nicely:
“Something different always catches attention.” -Jeff Moore, Media Resources
OOH Advertising 101
Billboards and other forms of out-of-home advertising is where it’s at now. (Of course, digital should also be part of your multi-channel or omnichannel marketing.)
When you create your out-of-home ad, it’s not enough to slap your logo and a message on a sign. For billboards, keep the message brief (six words or fewer) and to the point. And for all OOH media, whether it be a bus shelter, a bus wrap, or a billboard, include unexpected elements
3D works so well in this capacity. Whether it’s 3D elements added to a billboard or a giant 3D coffee maker on a car, the unexpected will attract more attention to your ad, make it more memorable, and help consumers remember your brand.
For your local Massivit printer who can bring your out-of-home advertising to life, contact us.
Featured Image by Media Resources.
