Out-of-home advertising rose by 40.5% in this year’s first quarter compared to the same period in 2021 to hit $1.8 billion, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America. One company embracing this trend to extend its messaging reach is Collective Liberty. The national anti-trafficking organization partnered with Neutron Media and donors to create an “Our World Could Be Different” campaign that features a Times Square summer billboard to mark World Day Against Trafficking.
The billboard aims to make Times Square visitors aware of the potential instances of human trafficking that could be happening around them and calls for donations to help the organization make a difference.
“As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Times Square is seen by millions of people every year, providing a major opportunity to raise awareness about human trafficking and cutting-edge practices in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting human trafficking cases,” the organization states in a press release.
Out-of-home experiences a resurgence
Collective Liberty’s decision to center its campaign around a Times Square ad comes as out-of-home advertising is experiencing a resurgence following the end of pandemic lockdowns.
Digital out-of-home advertising experienced a 57% rise during the first quarter and 90% of the top 100 out-of-home advertisers upped their spend during the period, with 47% more than doubling it, according to OAAA.
Another study by the OAAA found 85% of Americans who see out-of-home ads find them useful and more than 91% of Generation Z and 82% of millennial consumers would share out-of-home ads on social media.
What the experts say about out-of-home trends
The blend of out-of-home creative with digital content is a definite trend to watch.
“Brands no longer can think about traditional domination strategies in the OOH space, consumers now want a blend of digital and physical experiences with users’ brand perception and sentiment increasing when exposed to a blend of online and offline to make purchasing decisions,” Lenovo’s Jesh Sukhwani told ExchangeWire.
AdQuick’s Matthew O’Connor agrees. “Industry studies have come to the same conclusion time and again: When OOH is incorporated into multichannel ad campaigns, it delivers the best ROI among traditional media and lowers costs,” O’Connor writes for SmartBrief.
And the popularity of sharing out-of-home ads on social media, as evidenced in the OAAA study, is driving a surge in creativity.
“Grabbing and maintaining attention is a massive priority for brands at the moment,” Heineken’s Patrick Zinga says to ExchangeWire. “Because of this, I’ve seen much more out of home advertising that’s more outspoken, and delivered in larger, more impactful formats.”
Improved measurement and programmatic tools also are making out-of-home marketing easier, experts say.
“Bold brands will circumvent big tech’s issues and capitalize on the simplicity, elegance and impact of OOH. With its new measurement innovation and programmatic ease of use, advertisers get the same scale, performance and insights as any other channel – without the baggage,” Craig Benner, CEO of Accretive Media, told SmartBrief.
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