These days good old “traditional” advertising models are often given short shrift. After all, how can communication channels, which have been around for decades, compete with shiny new digital options? Outdoor advertising or out of home (OOH), certainly one of the oldest offline media, continues to evolve and reach some of your best prospects. Read on to learn why outdoor advertising remains vital to any media plan.
Why You Need Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising offers a wide array of benefits for brands in all sectors. It increases ad recall, meaning your message is more likely to stick. Today’s active young consumers are likely to be out and about, in just the right places to see your ads. Research shows that adding out of home advertising to your mix can result in a lower cost per acquisition.
Outdoor Advertising by the Numbers
Outdoor advertising is associated with higher engagement. According to Nielsen’s 2017 study on Poster Advertising, 51% of participants said that they looked at outdoor advertising collateral like posters or billboards as they went along their days. Many people consider billboards a part of the landscape, yet will notice and discuss what they see there.


Outdoor advertising is a boon to ad recall. According to an Edison Research study released in February, approximately two-thirds of Americans (65%) say that they recall seeing an out-of-home digital video display in the last month. Nielsen’s study revealed that nearly half of poster viewers in the campaign’s market remembered encountering a specific ad.
Plus, it gives you a boost with highly desirable demographics. In the same Nielsen study, poster viewership was highest among people between the ages of 25 and 34. Among that group, 71% noticed a poster in the past month.
Most importantly, outdoor advertising spurs action. According to the same Nielsen study, 40% of consumers visited a business after seeing their poster. Nearly a quarter made a purchase. Forty percent discussed the ads that they saw with friends or family and 13% recommended a business based on seeing their outdoor ads.
Traditional Advertising, Modern Tech
How has OOH advertising remained so vital well into the digital age? The answer is that new technology hasn’t supplanted out of home advertising. It has enhanced its reach and its effects.
In a 2017 study by OAAA, they discovered that mobile searches for advertised brands were even higher than anticipated when those brands used outdoor advertising as part of their media planning. In fact, activities that included search, Facebook, Instagram and other social media engagement were four times the anticipated rate.
OOH advertising spurred a number of online actions when it was viewed. Fourteen percent downloaded coupons to mobile devices. Twelve percent loaded new apps. And, another 14% snapped pictures of the outdoor media they saw and shared their images with friends.
Awesome… #TheQueenIsDead #TheSmiths pic.twitter.com/vH9j4ECkIz
— Francisco Mendoza (@Francisco_Moz) October 29, 2017
OOH’s new adoption of technology that includes 5G is allowing advertisers to deliver ads more dynamically. And with data-driven targeting options becoming more available programmatically, this number is only expected to increase between now and 2022. In turn, marketers are already allocating more of their ad budgets to OOH than before, rising from eight to 10 percent of traditional advertising spend this past year.
How Can You Incorporate Outdoor Advertising Today?
If you really think about it, the term “out of home” once was reserved for billboards, posters, and transit but you could argue it now includes Cinema, Mobile, Radio/Podcasting and out of home TV viewing.

Outdoor offers many opportunities to reach consumers where they are in a cost effective manner and we can certainly help you navigate the best options for your brand or promotion and make this a powerful advertising channel. Visit our Media Services page to learn more.
Related:
- Best Creative Practices For Outdoor Advertising
- Driving Streams With Global Outdoor Campaign
- For Your Consideration