5 Top Benefits to Including Digital Out of Home as Part of Your Omni-Channel Strategy

Image credit: Statista

DOOH is also highly noticeable. Outfront Media reports that 82% of consumers remember seeing DOOH ads, 62% noticed digital billboards and 14% of consumers felt that out of home ads are more relevant than ads found on TV.

Image credit: Outfront Media

By incorporating DOOH advertising into your omni-channel efforts, you enhance brand visibility and create cohesive and memorable experiences that engage customers at multiple touchpoints.

Here’s more on why DOOH should be part of your omni-channel strategy including five top benefits.

What do we mean when we say DOOH?
Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising refers to digital media used for marketing and advertising outside of the home. Unlike traditional OOH advertising, such as static billboards, posters, and signs, DOOH utilizes screens and digital displays to deliver content. These can be found in a variety of locations and styles including:

Billboards – Large displays on buildings or on the roadside.

Retail – Signage in shopping malls, supermarkets and retail stores.

Transit – Screens in buses, trains, subways and in transportation hubs.

Street furniture – Interactive kiosks, digital bus shelters and other street-level digital displays.

Event venues – Screens at sports arenas, concert venues and convention centers.

5 top benefits of DOOH
Wondering what’s in it for you and your brand? There are several benefits to including DOOH in your omni-channel marketing mix. Here are five top benefits that are making brands sit up and take notice:

1. Drives immediate action
   DOOH gives people an instant connection to your brand. 76% of people who saw DOOH advertising took action and 74% of those used their mobile devices to do so.
2. Meets people where they are
   Most consumers spend about 70% of their time outside of the home and are seeking connection, not intrusion. DOOH ads are served to customers in the moment and were found to be more favorable than ads on TV/video, social media, online, audio and print.
3. Programmatic buys
   As marketers we already love programmatic spending in other media. Being able to purchase out of home via programmatic buys is a substantial advantage and allows buyers to purchase a variety of sizes and locations in one placement as opposed to contacting individual sign vendors. Additionally, programmatic buys can use parameters for showing ads, respecting viewer privacy while also reaching customers in the right moment. For example, restaurants can target local digital signs and show promotions around mealtimes, while going quiet during in-between hours.
4. Tracking
   DOOH offers a widespread selection of targeting, measurement and attribution capabilities. When compared to traditional OOH, there is clearly more data available through digital options. (We’ll cover more on this below.)
5. Creative
   DOOH allows for targeted, interactive creatives with motion, motion sensors, sound, touch screen capabilities and more. Marketers can also easily change creative by submitting a refreshed file instead of needing a vendor to physically print and install new creative. This saves time and money.

Measuring and attributing DOOH
It can be difficult to track traditional OOH performance. However, DOOH offers some state-of-the-art attribution capabilities. Adding AR and QR codes is a good option as most everyone has a mobile device. Including a code can help make campaigns actionable and attributable as the target audience can scan the code immediately and act. This also allows for the seamless integration of DOOH into mobile marketing.

In retail settings, brands will be able to measure cost per incremental store visit, which can guide marketers to effectively showcase products and inventory that drives visits and conversions. Since creative is easily changed, stores can promote various sales and special offers as they are available to consumers.

Some DOOH companies, like Accretive, provide a host of analytics including, reach and frequency, gross rating points, app downloads, foot traffic analysis, customer acquisition costs, online and offline sales and even custom attribution.

Examples of DOOH
Here are some smart and fun examples of DOOH in the wild.

Image credit: Grand Visual

McDonald’s weather reactive ad
It’s hot outside and time to cool off! McDonald’s is tempting passersby with its cold drink promotion with weather reactive ads. This can also be changed when it cools down to promote hot beverages.

Video source: Vistar Media

Willy Wonka Billboard in Times Square
Warner Bros brought this highly visible and colorful placement to New York with bright 3D imagery and sound. You’d definitely notice a multi-story large Timothy Chalamet signing to you from his chocolate factory!

Image credit: AT&T and Inc.

Pose with the pros
Dallas Cowboys fans can use an AR program to pose with their favorite players at AT&T Stadium. The photo can then be uploaded to social media or emailed. A savvy strategy since collecting first-party data has become a focus of many brands, and users will need to share their data to gain access to the fun photo.

It’s a sign
If your brand is considering OOH placements, including DOOH in your omni-channel marketing strategy is a good move. DOOH offers lots of benefits including driving immediate action from consumers, meeting people where they are out of the home, programmatic buying options, superior tracking and performance measurement, and many creative benefits.

The future of DOOH is bright with advancements in technology and data analytics. The Exacta team is confident that we’ll will be seeing more development of this media including more robust access to programmatic buying, personalization, augmented reality integrations and other digital enhancements soon.