The most effective form of outdoor advertising is billboards. Or Wild Posting®. Or bus benches. Or experiential marketing. Or …
You get the idea. Out of home advertising is extremely effective, delivering impressive return on investment for brands and driving sales and name recognition, depending on the individual advertiser’s goal.
But the most effective type of outdoor advertising varies depending on your goals. You can’t go wrong with any of them, especially billboards and Wild Posting®, two key cogs in any successful OOH campaign. Here’s a look at when you should use different kinds of OOH formats and why each one is so effective.
Billboards
Why Billboards Are Effective
Billboards are, first and foremost, a fantastic way to connect with a large number of people because of their visibility and recognizability. Everyone knows what billboards are. They see the messages and absorb what’s said quickly since billboard creative is short and sweet.
Because it is the biggest sector of outdoor spending, billboards have received the lion’s share of research on OOH. Numerous studies confirm the medium’s effectiveness, such as one that noted 80% of respondents look at billboard messages sometimes, and half do it all the time.
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Anything because they reach a wide audience and you can buy them almost anywhere. But they are particularly effective at calls to action, such as including a URL where people can find information, and spreading brand awareness.
Best for These Brands
Any brand benefits from buying a billboard. But some seeing particularly strong returns from billboards include:
- Music
- Beauty
- Fashion
- Movies
- Retail and shopping apps
- Sports
- Legal
- Restaurants
- Hospitality
Mobile Billboards
Why Mobile Billboards Are Effective
Mobile billboards carry an advertiser’s message across town, with a truck towing the mobile billboard throughout city streets for an entire day. They have several advantages, including bringing messages to places that may not usually have billboards (i.e., perhaps a more residential neighborhood without any billboards) and giving a secondary opportunity to share a message in a location where regular billboard inventory is sold out or too expensive. And a study published by LedCraft Inc. in 2021 found that 97% of respondents who saw advertising on a truck remembered it.
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Mobile billboards can build on regular billboard campaigns to raise brand awareness. They also work well to promote a special event, such as an album release or one-day sale.
Best for These Brands
Because you can take some creative license with a mobile billboard, the format serves brands that target younger demographics with wild and fun ideas. Best bets include:
- Music
- Fashion
- Beauty
- TV
- Movies
- Nonprofits
Digital Billboards and Networks
Why Digital Billboards and Networks Are Effective
Digital billboards and networks, such as digital ads in malls, draw the eye with their dynamic nature. People watch them to see what advertisement will come up next, and they appreciate the polished appearance of digital ads. Such ads reflect well on the advertiser’s sophistication and tech savviness. Lamar Advertising found that up to one in nine people recall seeing a specific digital board.
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You can swap digital ads in and out easily, so it becomes an ideal format for an advertiser with rotating creative or who wants to be able to change its promotional focus often.
Best for These Brands
Digital billboards and networks work best for:
- Music
- Beauty
- Fashion
- Events
- Retail and shopping apps
- Movies
Wild Posting®
Why Wild Posting® Is Effective
Wild Posting® involves dominating a single area with repeated posters advertising the same thing. It works because the message becomes inescapable—anyone who walks or drives nearby the postings will absorb them. Also generically known as wheat pasting, it is an extremely economical way to spread the word, ranking among the most cost-effective forms of OOH.
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Wild Posting® can be covered up within weeks by other advertising, so it works particularly well for events occurring within a specific timeframe, such as a concert, album release, sale or something else timely. You can also use Wild Posting® for branding.
Best for These Brands
We have carried out Wild Posting® campaigns for many brands. The top categories include:
- Cannabis
- Music
- Beauty
- Movies
- Retail
- Apps
- Video Games
Bus Benches
Why Bus Benches Are Effective
Bus benches in transit shelters and on streets across cities make excellent backdrops for a range of advertisements. They boast high dwell time—the average wait time for a bus is about six minutes, according to Science Direct—meaning plenty of time for people to look at and engage with messaging.
Bench ads work. A 2020 study in the International Journal of Advertising found that such ads succeeded in changing minds about an issue and drove traffic to an advertised website.
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Bus benches are equally capable of increasing brand awareness (because the same ad can be plastered across multiple locations, achieving frequency goals) and driving action.
Best for These Brands
We find bus bench advertising works best for:
- Music
- Events
- Health care
- Legal and attorneys
- Retail
- Services like DoorDash
Experiential Marketing
Why Experiential Marketing Is Effective
Experiential marketing leaves an impression. The creativity behind it —this format builds experiences that enhance the consumer’s understanding of the brand or service—makes the format almost unforgettable. The medium evolves constantly as new ideas come up and agencies see what approaches spark the best results.
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Immersing people in an experience is the point of experiential marketing. It helps passersby learn about a product or service and often see the benefits firsthand.
Best for These Brands
While any brand can undertake an experiential marketing campaign, it works particularly well for:
- Food and restaurants
- Automotive
- Video games
- Beauty and hair
- Tourism
- Health and wellness
In-Theater
Why In-Theater Is Effective
Movie theaters are full again in the post-COVID era, and ads have become an expected, and even sometimes eagerly anticipated, part of the moviegoing experience. Theater advertising comes in many different formats, none of which an audience can skip or ignore. Advertisers also appreciate its narrow targeting opportunities.
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It works to publicize events or sales as well as to boost brand awareness.
Best for These Brands
Ad categories that have found great success with cinema advertising include:
- Entertainment
- Restaurants
- Music
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Sports
The most effective form of outdoor advertising depends on your goals for your campaign. Let us help you figure out which one would work best. Contact ustoday to discuss your options.