Introduction
Engaging customers for longer periods, often referred to as dwell time, presents a significant challenge in outdoor advertising. One effective strategy to extend this time is through ad-induced experiences, which captivate customers by linking the advertisement directly to an interactive experience. By incorporating elements such as QR codes, advertisers can enhance engagement; when customers scan the QR code, they are immediately taken to a mobile site offering detailed product information and the option to purchase instantly.
The use of large format prints is particularly effective in this strategy. By placing a QR code on a sizable print advertisement, it becomes easily accessible for customers to scan, seamlessly connecting them to the mobile site. This direct access not only facilitates an immediate potential purchase but also enriches the customer’s interaction with the advertisement. Such strategies leverage recent advancements in QR technology and mobile connectivity, making them powerful tools in transforming passive viewers into active participants and buyers. This approach not only increases dwell time but also boosts the overall effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
Interactive Outdoor Advertising
Interactive outdoor advertising is a great leap ahead from the traditional advertising methods – depending upon the passive consumer to absorb the message. Though at present it represents only a very small portion of all outdoor advertising, the tracking, metrics and data collection capabilities of interactive tools are predicted to align with the benefits of other digital disciplines. Interactive advertising can be in the form of any static or dynamic sign that encourages the viewer to engage in some activity. Many interactive ads created by “simply click for more information” are really micro-sites residing on a server to deliver specific content for the advertiser. The price of these interactive kiosks and boards is falling, making it accessible to many of the larger FMCG advertisers. This pricing alignment will skew budgets away from traditional outdoor static media. The trend is particularly useful because it can take consumers who are located at transport hubs, straight to the advertiser’s website or provide GPS coordinates to the nearest retailer. This gives this form of advertising a strong call to action and data capture component which has lacked in the past for outdoor. Easier paths to conversion and return on investment can only be a good thing for advertisers, in the end – connecting consumers to brand.
Personalized Advertising Messages
Advertising agencies like Titan Worldwide are now offering their clients the chance to get up close and personal with their potential customers. They have developed an interactive LCD system complete with tracking devices for focus groups on the streets of New York City. Research group In-Store found that 70% of purchases are decided in store, and 68% of these decisions are unplanned. The logic here is if companies can pinpoint the best high-traffic location for their target consumer, and get the right advertising message in the right place, they can affect a purchase decision. Fancier tracking devices like Seethroo’s AdTracker used in Europe, use eye monitoring to determine if the customer actually absorbed the information from an ad, which can be activated in store or outdoor advertising. This can all help narrow the gap between outdoor advertising and the consuming public.
Integration of Technology
One sub trend found with integrating technology into outdoor advertising is the use of augmented reality (AR). AR technology layers information over the live camera feed on smartphones and tablet devices. With a rise in smartphone use across the world,
businessinsider.com cites projections from eMarketer that there will be over 3 billion smartphone users in 2017. As such, AR has the potential to, “stand as the world’s most pervasive computing platform.” Outdoor advertising companies have taken this to heart, creating AR applications that allow users to interact with the advertisement simply by pointing their smartphones at it. One notable example comes from Pepsi, whose ‘Unbelievable Bus Shelter’ advertisement scared up a storm. After posting a job listing on a special effects website, unsuspecting commuters waiting for the bus witness unbelievable events (such as a loose tiger and a rogue UFO) unfold through the shelter’s glass walls, thanks to some perfectly placed visual effects. This drew considerable enactment from its audience and ended up being a great study in consumer psychology. Steps were taken to begin with the event happening behind the glass, and then again to see if the event would have the same effect if there was no digital enhancement. The results of the former study were captured by the project’s hidden cameras and were used in a case study video, and were somewhat inconclusive when one man tried to tackle the tiger. The results of the latter were very significant; a 20% increase in sales of skittles during the separate period of digital advertising – proving that retrofitting retroactive sells. Future AR implementations will have an even greater effect on consumers by allowing them to more easily sample products and make purchasing decisions based on the digital information at hand.
The current age is the age of technology. Recent trends in outdoor advertising are leaning heavily on integrating technology to capture the attention of their audiences. This technological focus has become a very effective strategy in increasing the engagement of the consumer. According to a study on digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising by Ocean Outdoor, 62% of survey respondents say DOOH is better at capturing their attention than ads online. ScreenMedia Daily states that 70% of brands are expected to increase their use of DOOH advertising, as they see its value to their market strategy. By integrating technology, companies can increase the value of their advertisements, and the versatility of this technology widens the doors on what companies can do to connect with their audience.
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advertising
The second type of eco-friendly advertising is really any ad which might have been produced, but without negative impact on the environment. This might be simpler to carry out as it purely requires consideration of the process and materials used in the campaign.
The term ‘eco-friendly advertising’ can represent a few different things. Firstly, it can be advertising which is directly on the topic of being or ‘going’ green. This might be an ad for an environmentally friendly product, a community initiative, or a corporate social responsibility program. A campaign such as this might be more likely to utilize print materials as they are easily recyclable and thus the most sustainable form of printing. Large format print posters, as well as smaller flyers and brochures, can be produced on recycled paper stocks and even with inks made from vegetable oils, rather than the traditional mineral oils. This type of printing can be worked into a campaign theme, for instance, a recycled paper stock might be used for a charity campaign advertising an environmental initiative.
These days, with environmentalism right at the top of the agenda across the globe, it’s no surprise that many companies are utilizing eco-friendly advertising. Although some of the most outrageous and headline-grabbing examples of ‘green’ outdoor advertising have been done by smaller companies, the trend is being seen across the spectrum, and the press is suggesting that even mega-brands are beginning to follow suit. So, how can our large format print customers stay ahead of the game while keeping their advertising campaigns eco-friendly?
Creative Use of Large Format Prints
There is no doubt that a trend in using large format printing is for the customer to be more creative. This involves being either unusual in what can be done with large format printing, or using alternative media. There have recently been some very successful examples of unusually printed large format material seen used in the street. An example is an ad painted on a road in Brazil for a well-known audio store. This was created by a local artist to give the impression that the brand’s headphones were so powerful that even the asphalt had to be pushed up by the sound of the music. The use of a road as a space for advertising is a creative way of using large format and the 3D illusion was very effective. This lead to the ad being viewed, photographed and filmed by large numbers of people so the total number of impressions which came from the original street art were greatly multiplied. Using different media may not always be possible depending on advertising space and duration. However, there are many examples large format advertising where a small additional cost has been used to create something much more attention grabbing. An interesting idea for a short-term promotion is to use chalk on a pavement to create vibrant colour and detail filled images. These can be very eye-catching and they quickly wash away.
An example of to increase brand awareness for a targeted audience is a Finnish campaign which used laser targeted cleaning of dirty streets to create an image or slogan for a local business. An instance where this would be a more effective method and qualify as large format advertising is high school students looking for prom limousine rentals responding more to the cleaning of a dirty street image than an actual ad for the service. Another way is to improve the effectiveness of conventional print media is to be more location specific and tailor the advertisement to the surrounding area. This can be achieved by visually altering the existing environment the ad is in or making the ad look as if it were a natural part of the environment. One example of the first method is a German ad which covered a large scaffolding with a large format print of a coffee machine, giving the illusion that the machine behind the ad was the inner workings of the machine on the print. An effective method of the second case is a Thai ad which for a plastic surgery clinic used large format print outs of various misshapen body parts which were placed over statues in a popular city park. This lead to a huge jump in website traffic and many members of the public taking the pieces of art, thinking they were accidentally left behind by the artist.