The OOH Opportunity in a Digital World
Recuperating Out-of-Home Advertising for Creating Impactful Marketing Strategies.
One of the traditional advertising media formats, OOH (out-of-home) advertising, is getting a refresh. With the birth of the internet and advertising turning digital, long-established ad formats have needed to evolve and cut through the noise, and OOH has been able to do so, especially in the last two years. Initially, OOH advertising involved static visuals, like posters on buildings, banners in public transit spaces, billboards, or public transportation ads. Today, thanks to digital innovation, they include much more and create an interactive, engaging experience for any viewer who comes across them.
With digital advertising becoming more expensive and increasingly out-of-reach, more brands are restating their interest in the traditional format, but not in the conventional ways. The key lies in making physical ads translate back to digital or to fully include digital in what’s called DOOH (digital out-of-home). The primary purpose of these ads lies in driving greater consumer awareness, at whatever scale that is, and that means creating show-stopping ads that will interrupt whatever the viewer is doing at that moment and make them pay attention.
Brands like Tiffany & Co. or Coca-Cola have taken over walkable areas like Times Square, occupying several digital screens simultaneously and cutting through the chaos that usually envelops the space with powerful and emotional visual content. Some fashion brands have also followed: Balenciaga performed an anamorphic 3D digital ad to promote their partnership with Fortnite also in Times Square. At the same time, Gucci began its “Art Walls” campaign in 2018 with two impressive murals that could be seen in New York and Milan and then in everyone’s social media feeds.
Investing in upscale spaces, whatever that means for each business, requires a solid strategy and doesn’t come without issues. Ads should be creative and different from anything that has been done before, appealing to emotion and creating an interactive moment with the viewer. OOH today shouldn’t be treated like a traditional printed billboard but like an all-around experience to channel storytelling capacities and brand values. Purchasing the right outdoor ad space close to any brand’s target customer is crucial but needs to come with the right visuals to convert. Furthermore, it needs to be used in tandem with other advertising formats and continue connecting with the viewer after they’ve left the ad behind.
The value of DOOH and OOH is boundless, even in the digital era. It creates an emotional and memorable impact on the viewer because of its undeniably powerful voice and connecting capacities, and its efficacy is tough to beat. The recuperation of OOH shows no signs of slowing down. As leading brands continue to venture into smarter, remarkable, and more technologically advanced ads, the rest will have to catch up not to be left behind, investing in more elaborated strategies and stronger visuals.
Inquire of Slate Studios creative content production services for your next brand content, photo and motion production or e-commerce project.
Inquire Now →
Slate Studios is a Creative Production Company focused on Advertising & Editorial services for the Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle Industries. Featuring in house art buying, studio, equipment, retouching & production capabilities, Slate Studios offers end to end digital content production across still & motion, streamlining projects of high complexity for our clients. With a focus on strategy, creativity, innovation, and quality, Slate Studios is proud to support digital content initiatives for the world’s leading names in the fashion, beauty, & lifestyle sectors.
