Out-of-home advertising reaches people in public places through formats such as billboards, transit panels and street furniture. Traditional media is a broader category that can include print, radio and linear television, so the useful comparison depends on audience, location and campaign goal.
Advertisers choose among outdoor, print, radio, television and digital channels according to the audience and job of the campaign. Each medium offers a different combination of reach, context and creative space. A useful comparison starts with those shared criteria rather than declaring one format obsolete.
The internet has played a massive role in opening new avenues for the advertising industry. The growing online audience was too tempting for companies to ignore, and large firms such as Google, Facebook, and Instagram created many opportunities for people to spend their time online.
However, while internet advertising continues to gain traction, OOH advertising methods, such as billboard still remain a popular medium for advertisers.
What is OOH advertising?
OOH advertising, which comprises billboards, bus ads, and bench ads, is still as relevant today. While digital advertising methods may sometimes overshadow it, OOH advertising in cities such as NYC and LA can still attract an audience in tens of thousands.
This is because, with the advent of technology, OOH advertising has evolved too. Newer technologies have given way to innovative advertising mediums such as digital billboards that are dynamic in nature. For instance, when Netflix launched in France, the company placed digital screens on outdoor boards that displayed GIFs of their various original shows.
What made these ads more interesting is that these GIFs were often used to be relevant to the country’s current events and, for instance, reflected reactions to France’s World Cup elimination, for example.
Hence, the OOH advertising space is continually growing and is currently valued at $29 billion across different key markets. In fact, some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Apple, HBO, Coca Cola, McDonald’s, and Amazon regularly make extensive use of OOH formats as part of their massive advertising campaigns.
OOH advertising vs traditional advertising
Traditional advertising usually comprised television ads, radio ads, billboards, print ads, banner ads, and door-to-door sales. As modern consumers change and their needs and responsiveness change, traditional advertising mediums adapt too. Once upon a time, these traditional advertising methods were once very effective and could successfully encourage consumers to take actions companies desired.
However, technology has now changed these mediums and given rise to newer, more innovative methods such as digital out of home advertising. DOOH is more convenient and offers more engagement options due to bright colors. DOOH eliminates the need for people to change ads manually as multiple brands can share one screen at the same time due to their dynamic features.
And it’s not just the convenience it offers to brands; consumers are also more receptive to DOOH as it provides extremely tough competition to static advertising that dominates traditional mediums.
However, the increased use of OOH advertising and its different innovations doesn’t mean traditional advertising methods will ultimately be eliminated in the future. They are still mediums that consumers trust because they don’t result in the same privacy concerns that digital advertising results in. Additionally, traditional billboards, for instance, are difficult to ignore, and print ads are still effective at targeting the right audience.
Conclusion
Media buyers should compare formats against the same brief and recent audience evidence. OOH may suit broad presence in a defined place, while print or broadcast can provide another context. The strongest plan can combine channels when each one has a clear role and measurement method.
Compare media with the same campaign criteria
Buyers should assess reach, frequency, context, creative limits and measurement for each option. OOH can provide repeated presence in a defined area, while another medium may carry more detail or offer different targeting. Costs only become comparable after the team defines the geography, period and expected outcome.
