It’s been a good year for OOH advertising. The pandemic is finally firmly in the world’s rearview mirror, the world’s economy has opened back up, and most of the supply chain issues seem to have been resolved. Things are looking up, which bodes well for the advertising industry in general.
There are, however, some emerging and ongoing trends to be aware of and factor into your strategic advertising plans in the year ahead. Here are a few things to consider:
Digital Billboards Will Continue to Increase in Popularity
While it’s true that digital billboards do not yet dominate the OOH landscape, that day isn’t far off. Currently, digital billboards make up more than a third of the market, and that figure is growing rapidly. If you haven’t yet considered advertising on digital billboards, 2024 may be the year to make the leap. It is unquestionably the future of OOH advertising in the years ahead and the sooner you gain experience with that particular advertising medium, the better off you’ll be.
AR Is Going to Become Increasingly Prominent
Right now, AR (Augmented Reality) is only used by a minority of advertisers, but as with the popularity of digital billboards, AR is steadily gaining ground. If you’re not currently deploying QR codes or other AR “hooks” in your billboard designs, you’re missing out on a powerful opportunity.
Viewers who look at your ad through the lens of a smartphone or AR glasses will be able to access immersive experiences that give you tremendous opportunities to tell your brand’s story and attract and excite new customers.
OOH Advertising is Getting Increasingly High Tech
The World Out of Home Organization (WOO, for short) recently held their first ever African Regional Forum. Tom Goddard, the President of the WOO, had this to say about the gathering:
If the increasing popularity of digital billboards and AR hooks don’t convince you that OOH Advertising is increasingly embracing tech, it’s also worth mentioning that billboards are increasingly being outfitted with cameras and a variety of sensors which allow vast amounts of data to be collected about how many people are passing by and engaging with your advertisement.
That data gives you a host of new metrics you can use to evaluate the success of each ad campaign you run, and gives you increased opportunities to make incremental changes to improve the effectiveness of your efforts.
Related to all of the above, it’s also worth mentioning that the lines are going to start to blur. Billboard advertising (digital or otherwise) is going to begin to bleed into the online realm, especially as increasing numbers of advertisers start incorporating those aforementioned Augmented Reality elements.
In addition to that, big new venues like “The Sphere” in Las Vegas are going to begin seeing their ads show up on social media as passersby take video of The Sphere, which will dramatically increase the reach and visibility of whatever ad is being displayed while the video is made.
All of this to say that 2024 stands to be a big, exciting, dynamic year for OOH Advertising, and business owners who rush to embrace the emerging trends in the industry stand to reap enormous benefits.