DOOH’s future looks bright

DOOH Billboard‘’The digital element of the OOH market is undoubtedly the fastest growing sector, driven in part by an explosion of investment in new screens’’ (Paul Brindley Commercial Director, Heathrow Express).

‘’This year will continue to drive a fundamental change in how we communicate…Outdoor will provide enhanced interaction with an audience and customized content’’ (Roy Lee, Brand Manager, IBM UK)

The digital outdoor has been described as a sector not used at its full potential and 2011/2012 must be its year. In 2010 highly imaginative ad campaigns were already launched with the help of digital outdoor media, some of which we have had the pleasure to share with you (to see them click here, here and here).
But the best is yet to come. Jeremy Male, Chief Executive UK& Northern Europe at JCDecaux sees the upcoming Olympic Games in London as the most important occasion to show cast the whole ‘’outdoor iceberg,’’ a challenge digital signage companies, brands and creatives must raise to.

Why do we believe in the DOOH’s increasing future success? Because it addresses the main needs of companies and advertisers:
-connectivity,
-event- centered marketing ;
-localization- based communication.

Nestle’s Aero Caramel campaign linked survey results to its Facebook site (connectivity in action). JCDecaux broadcasted a London- based Suzuki event on screens nationwide making it available to millions viewers. When location is key, the DOOH comes in handy by displaying the right information on the right screen and in the right place (tip: choose your screens’ location strategically, in terms of visibility, no. of potential viewers and proximity to other screens/ venues/other outdoor elements). Screen –displayed traffic advice is one of the best examples of place- based communication.

Next year:
-more than 55% of Heathrow Express’ advertising revenue will be allocated to digital OOH. With advertising revenues increasing this could become the trend for the industry with more ad budget going digital;
– more PR- related, sponsored editorial and branded content is expected to appear (Liz Stratham, Rough Guides);
– the digital outdoor advertising will move away from London and strengthen its national presence
– the media will be more user- controlled (see the new data collection laws and the opt-out preference);

The challenges (from Steve Hemsley’s perspective for the MarketingWeek):
– the sheer multitude of outdoor formats (billboards, bus-sides are direct competitors of digital screens: LCDs, digital signboards etc);
– a lack of technological standardization;
– simplifying the technical platforms for making the content easier to manage;

In conclusion, the DOOH’s bright future resides in its mere capabilities small an large brands, companies and institutions are excited about namely:
– its ability to convey a multitude of messages that can be finely tuned to match various audiences and times of the day;
– the dynamic instantly updatable content it can accommodate;
– the possibility to update content from virtually everywhere (due to its Internet-based feature);
– its cost- effectiveness (it’s a long-term investment and not a one-shot one- season advertising effort);

Many thanks to Steve Hemsley and the MarketingWeek for their inspiring articles. Thanks for reading and please be quick in spreading the good news! Comments welcomed!


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