Spice up the Marketing Mix With Digital Out-of-Home Media

Advancements in technology have changed how we use many products and services. As well, our changing lifestyles have resulted in many companies changing how they market their products and services. Marketing firms have undergone many changes in how they advertise to the public. One such method is Digital Out-of-Home Advertising. (DOOH)

Digital Out-of-Home Media is the concept of delivering advertising campaigns to the public where the content and messages are displayed on digital signs. These digital signs deliver advertising messages at targeted locations during set times of the day and night. Because more people are spending their time out of the home, advertisers have discovered that out-of-home communication is essential to reaching their targeted consumer. DOOH advertising will vary according to the ad placement, format, environment where it is installed, size of the screen, and the type of consumer that frequents the area.

DOOH can include such formats and design as text, audio, video, flash animation, and infomercials. Placements of these ads can be in such areas as supermarkets, retail stores, shopping malls, medical offices, bus stops, movie theaters..etc. Location is chosen by the targeted demographic such as age, gender, and type of lifestyle such as business professionals, mothers.. etc.

Advertisers measure success on the amount of views and the return on their investment. They will assess such statistics as the number of people visiting the area compared to the number of people viewing the screen, and the amount of time people stay in the area. They compare these statistics with sales during the period the ads were being displayed.

Businesses are seeing success with digital out of home advertising as The Out-Of-Home Video Advertising Bureau reports that 'Video Advertising Networks and Screens is a $1.01 billion industry that is growing at 25.4% annually to a projected $3.2 billion by 2011.' When it comes to costs, you can maintain a cost effective budget because the costs will vary according to how many times you display the ad and the time of the day the ad is shown.

Digital-out-of-home media provides marketers with a way to spice up the marketing mix. Advertisers can be much more creative in how they produce, present, and display their advertisements. They will have to keep up with consumers’ preferences, lifestyles, and trends. It also allows businesses to make their ads more entertaining and dynamic to capture their audience’s attention. They can also place their ads in unique places where advertisements have not been traditionally placed such as bingo halls, coffee shops and public parks. As well, they can place these ads next to the product they are promoting in a store. POPAI research has shown 'that as many as 70% of buying decisions are made in a store.'

When digital out of home advertising is correctly targeted, the result is a significant increase in sales. With innovative technology and changing consumer habits, marketers have to keep up with these changes to keep their business competitive. Digital Out-of-Home Media is one way to spice up a marketing campaign.