The 8 advantages of urban digital signage - DOOH

As anadvertiser, you now have an unprecedented choice of communication solutions for reaching consumers. But how do you know which ones to invest your budget in? How much should you devote to digital outdoor advertising versus Internet advertising? Here you'll discover the many advantages of digital outdoor advertising, or DOOH, over Internet advertising, and the reasons why this channel continues to grow in popularity.

For companies looking to communicate in a massive, high-impact way, outdoor advertising in public places such as shopping malls offers many different types of display: 

• Urban signage , found in the places we frequent on a daily basis in the city: advertising posters on bus shelters, but also on so-called "lollipops", which are increasingly broadcasting dynamic content.
• LCD and LED screens and Totems are most often found in high-traffic areas: public transport, transit areas, shopping malls... they offer high-quality, illuminated supports to showcase your advertising.

1/ Advantages of DOOH advertising: it reaches a wide audience

Given the decline of traditional media (declining readership and viewership) and the fragmentation of audiences on the Internet, reaching a large audience can be a challenge. Outdoor advertising is one of the few communication channels that can achieve this. There is also ample evidence that consumers are spending more time away from home than ever before. They are therefore more likely to see outdoor ads. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) estimates that Americans spend 70% of their time away from home, an increase of 50% over the past two decades.

2/ Programmatic technology facilitates the purchase of DOOH media

One of the main advantages of Internet advertising is the ease with which it can be purchased and targeted . However, thanks to programmatic technology, DOOH is catching up. The use of software and real-time dataautomates the sale of advertising space and offers an exceptional level of targeting, service, tracking and measurement, proving just as effective as on the Internet.

3/ Advantages of display advertising: DOOH is targeted, yet non-intrusive

Digitized outdoor advertising displays can certainly target specific audiences, but the criteria used are more environmental than personal; the ads are thus relevant, without crossing the line into intrusiveness. Ad targeting is based primarily on location and time, or on demographic data and behaviors identified through the tracking of aggregated anonymous mobile data, such as direction of travel.

4/ More and more consumers are blocking ads on the Internet

Even if an Internet ad is relevant, it can quickly become intrusive. When ads repeat themselves and seem to follow you wherever you go, "ad fatigue" sets in. This could explain the increased use of ad blockers, employed by 22% of UK internet users, 29% of French internet users and 32% of German internet users (eMarketer study "Ad Blocking in the UK 2018").

Blocking now extends to mobile: a study by AudienceProject found that in 2018, in 8% of mobile sessions, UK users employed an ad blocker, up from 2% in 2016.

5/ DOOH can be a useful landscape element

Unable to be "blocked", DOOH also offers a number of advantages for society. Used for advertising purposes, kiosks can also be useful for citizens or tourists. They can contain maps, display the latest news or transport information, and offer free WiFi access. They can also be a source of revenue for local authorities.

6/ DOOH reaches people when they are most available

In indoor spaces such as airports or transport facilities, where people are mainly occupied with waiting, using DOOH to entertain them with games and competitions, or to convey interesting information, can be a very effective way of establishing a link with the brand. In contrast, Internet advertising is generally seen by users as a disruptive element in the middle of an activity.

7/ The advantage of outdoor advertising: a presence as close as possible to the point of sale

Advertisers can use DOOH close to the point of sale to draw customers into the store. The dynamic and flexible nature of digital signage allows brands to use temporal and environmental triggers to encourage immediate sales. Allergy medication brand Benadryl, for example, used screens located close to stores selling its products to indicate pollen density and transmit alerts when pollen concentrations were particularly high.

Digital signage at the point of sale also brings high added value in terms of brand image and in-store traffic.

8/ The final advantage of display advertising: DOOH is connected

Because they are digitalized, DOOH ads can be interactive. NFC technology and QR codes enable users tointeract with an ad via their smartphone. Brands can use these systems to enter a competition in exchange for customer data, to offer vouchers to boost sales, or to offer free content. Sony, for example, offered free music downloads via NFC at bus stops as part of a DOOH campaign. To reinforce a brand's image, companies can also use DOOH to increase the number of followers on social networks, by asking visitors to follow and share the content displayed on screen.

Given all this, it's no surprise that PWC concluded that DOOH was the fastest-growing advertising medium after mobile (PWC study "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2016-2020"). By including it in marketing plans, advertisers can use DOOH as a creative and innovative way of reaching an audience when it's most available.

The benefits of billboard advertising in a nutshell:

The main advantages of display advertising are :

• High visibility: outdoor advertising panels are large, bright and meticulously integrated into the public environment.
• Audience targeting: The location of your screens and the time of day your ads are shown give you a fairly accurate idea of the demographic audiences you're reaching, and ad buying is made easier by programmatic technology.
• Availability and conversion: The target audience for billboard campaigns is in high-traffic areas that are often close to places where people shop: shopping centers, downtown shopping malls, etc.

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If you have a digital signage project, ask for a demonstration.