With the rapidly evolving advertising landscape, digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads are fast becoming one of the most sophisticated and powerful tools to reach audiences in busy locations. In contrast to static advertising found in non-digital billboards, DOOH displays digital screens that show dynamic, real-time content in the form of video, animation, and interactivity. The more public space becomes digitized, the greater the appeal of DOOH to companies to market to a target audience, wider, and more precisely defined. At Zen Media, we are curious about how to optimize this very effective medium for brands.
Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising is a combination of digital technology and traditional physical outdoor advertising. Unlike static billboards and flyover hoardings, DOOH is driven by smart screens showing advertising in public spaces (e.g., shopping malls, airports, bus terminals, railway stations, and roadside digital TVs). The key distinction between conventional Out-of-Home (OOH) and DOOH is the capability to display time-varying (changeable across time) content that can be dynamically modified on the fly.
The exponential growth of DOOH is explained by the recent developments of display technologies, the pervasiveness of smartphone usage and the potential for efficient targeting of audiences in geographical and temporal zones and periods. For these reasons, DOOH has emerged as the immediate answer to brands vying for high-fidelity messages to consumers on the street.
1. Enhanced Engagement: Captivating attention is one of the main benefits of DOOH. In contrast to "static" billboards that are likely to be missed in favour of their digitized counterpart, digital displays are specifically designed to capture the viewer's eye with high-quality images, motion graphics and video. The appeal factors have a much greater likelihood of attracting bystanders, and will subsequently help to drive engagement and brand recall.
2. Real-Time Flexibility: DOOH offers unprecedented flexibility. Content can be dynamically tailored to a digital screen by content providers, on the fly, allowing an advertiser to optimise the message in response to exogenous pressures, such as weather, traffic, time of day or, indeed, breaking news. For example, an ad for winterwear can now change to include summerwear at least as the temperature gets warmer. This flex is at the heart of what allows brands to be more fluid and contextually appropriate in their campaigns.
3. Targeted Advertising: One of the greatest forces of DOOH is its potential to reach targeted groups of audiences with extreme precision. Through the application of data analytics brands can personalize their advert across variables, such as location, time of day and even demographics of passersby, to name just a few. With advanced technologies like facial recognition and audience measurement, DOOH ads can be personalized, ensuring they are relevant to the viewers they are reaching. The advertisement quality is also improved at this level and the conversion probabilities are higher.
4. Interactive Experiences: Certain DOOH campaigns extend simple exposure to interactive experiences. Interactive screens, e.g., operated in bus stations, shopping malls or airports can be manipulated directly to interact with the displayed information. For example, viewers might be able to use a QR code, to access a coupon or to register for a survey. This two-way interaction not only enhances engagement but also diversifies the possibilities for brands to collate useful data to inform future work.
5. Mobile Integration: DOOH also has a unique ability to be matched with mobile personal computers. By using technologies (i.e., QR code, Bluetooth, near field communication), the DOOH ads can create an uninterrupted ecological continuity between the physical and cyberspace. People can interact with ads on their mobile devices and follow actions such as an app download, a website click, or a store purchase. This platform arms race increases the reach of the campaign and provides additional opportunities for customer interaction.
Dynamic and Customizable Content: As compared with the static traditional OOH Outdoor Hoardings at Juhu which needs concrete updates, DOOH content can be changed at any moment, thus, brands can maintain the relevancy and freshness of their message.
Increased Visibility: Digital screens are more attention-grabbing than static billboards. Due to the colourful and saturated photography and motion in them, they are eye-catching in crowded high-traffic areas.
Sustainability: Although digital displays use power, the outcome, that is, digital screens, could lead to a more sustainable process in the long run. Digital ads, of course, call for the detection and overwriting of prints, substitutions, and revisions to real paper posters, and do not require additional materials/photographic materials.
DOOH has many benefits but presents some issues. The initial outlay for digital screen installation, and maintenance, in contrast to OOH properties, may be larger, particularly where high (e.g., megapixel) quality screens, content management systems, etc., need to be installed. Moreover, there are some consumers, who have social issues to do with privacy, when for example, facial recognition technology, such as audience demographic measurement is employed.
Environmental factors, but also weather, can also affect the success of DOOH campaigns. Outdoor deployed digital screens are required to be weather-resistant and reliable, whereas, in some places, the level of footfall can vary significantly throughout the year or in a day.
However, owing to the rapid advances in technology and sophistication in data analysis, problems are starting to unravel as well. Companies that utilize field experts (e.g., Zen Media) can create a custom strategy to fully benefit from the assets of their DOOH campaigns and develop contingency plans for things that could go wrong.
Looking ahead, the future of DOOH is bright. As cities become smarter and the public realm fuses with it, the possibilities for creative advertising are on the up. Technologies such as augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) will offer further depth and coverage of interactive, engaging marketing experiences.
These technological advances are in turn becoming the source of the possibility that very personalized and hyper-targeted campaigns at the consumer level could, in turn, be developed. Using data and "live" ad content updates, DOOH advertising will continue to evolve and allow brands to deliver a compelling and impactful message.
Digital Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is no longer in "early adopter" mode, however, it is a commercially viable technology for the current marketer. Due to its dynamism, targeting potential and capability to interact with consumers in real-time, DOOH is transforming the hoardings advertising landscape. However, with media on a trajectory of evolution, brands already using cutting-edge technologies and intelligent, data-driven approaches are perfectly placed to lead the charge in this new advertising era. At Zen Media, we are committed to helping brands navigate this shift and maximize their impact through Digital Out of Home (DOOH) campaigns that deliver results.