Outdoor advertising, sometimes known as out of home (OOH) advertising, can be a very effective method of advertising, from posters to billboards. It can have a huge impact on your business and raise your company profile, as well as delivering positive results in terms of brand awareness and even sales. There can be a lot of competition in advertising as various companies battle for the attention of their target market, and it is important to understand the various factors that can affect the success of your advertisement, as well as knowing how to utilise the available space for advertising.
How effective is outdoor advertising
When done well, outdoor advertising can be incredibly effective. It can reach everyone and doesn’t have to be invited into people’s homes; an outdoor advert can be seen by everyone when they walk out of their front door. It is a form of advertising that doesn’t require people to actively do anything; they can see it and take it in just from a glance.
Various studies in the past have shown that 72% of consumers can recall an outdoor advert; this is particularly impressive when you learn that 77% of consumers remember television adverts, while only 64% remember online ads.
The UK’s advertising market has begun to grow at a very fast pace; the fastest since 2010 to be exact. In 2014, the total ad spend in the UK grew to £18.6 billion. Spending on outdoor advertising in particular grew 3% to exceed £1 billion for the first time.
From this, it is clear that outdoor adverts still have their own prominent space in the advertising world. But what makes an outdoor advert successful amongst hundreds or thousands of competitors?
Important factors for successful advertisements
Probably the most important factor when creating an advertisement is knowing your target audience. Understanding the demographic you are trying to sell to will enable you to make the best suited advert for successful results.
Once you have understood the needs and wants of your target audience, you must also remember what you are selling or promoting and ensure your advert is relevant in some way. In producing an advert, you can be as creative and imaginative as you please, as long as it ticks the right boxes!
Location is key
One of the next biggest factors when creating a successful outdoor advertisement is where you put it. Ideally, your advert should be in full view of your target audience if you want results. By placing your advert in the right place, you can capture huge audiences, as opposed to hanging your poster or billboard wherever there is an available space.
Different locations will attract different groups of people; for example, the Tube, trains and buses will most probably be full of business people and commuters, which makes it the perfect place to advertise if you are offering something that businessmen and women will be interested in.
Likewise, a younger audience may visit local bars, cinemas or other places of entertainment and so this is worth bearing in mind when you are looking for a position for your outdoor advert.
Shopping centres are a big one especially if you are pushing a particular product; your advertisement could be more successful if it is near to your business. This could have a positive impact on sales if your company is only round the corner from where your ad is attracting potential customers.
By Ian Staton, Cestrian
