It’s not too surprising that Jeremy Male, the Chief Executive of CBS Outdoor, is a big believer in outdoor advertising as an ad medium for the future. In fact, he might not be alone in his predictions. US spending on outdoor ads rose last year in the face of some pretty sharp declines in other traditional media like print and radio.
Communicus has long observed the power of outdoor advertising, which has been an under-utilized medium – even well before the emergence of new digitally-based advertising platforms. Social media, online video, and banner ads clearly have a role to play in advertisers’ toolkits, but so does outdoor.
As part of a multimedia plan, outdoor ads can – and typically do – achieve broader engagement than any other medium besides TV. Additionally, for advertisers who use TV as their base medium, outdoor typically does a better job than most other media in expanding overall campaign awareness – engaging people who were missed by the TV campaign.
Another very strong argument for the use of outdoor lies in its ability to successfully convey the brand. A well-designed outdoor ad reflects the brand identity to nearly everyone who sees it, with even the ‘average’ outdoor ad gaining about 85% correct brand associations (compared to a TV average of under 50% correct branding). And, if the multimedia campaign is well-integrated, the outdoor executions can actually help to boost branding for the TV spots among those who see the ads in both media.
The best outdoor ads combine a simple visual and very few words to convey a single message. As part of a multimedia campaign, the outdoor designs should also be consistent with, and use imagery or themes present in the brand’s creative across other media types.
So dismiss outdoor advertising at your – and your brand’s – peril. Executed smartly within a well-integrated campaign, it just might be your time-tested ticket to marketing success.
