Top Tips for Stunning (And Effective) DOOH Ads
Blog
Jul 10
Vivid images likely snap to mind when envisioning iconic Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising: Times Square alight with its shifting, building-sized displays; the heart of the Las Vegas Strip in all its chaotic glory; maybe even AT&T Stadium’s outrageous space-shuttle sized jumbotron.
Whether in an iconic city center, sports stadium, airport, or other populated public space, DOOH — “outdoor advertising 2.0” — grows more widespread each year. DOOH utilizes digital displays in high-traffic areas to engage with large groups of consumers. However, unlike traditional billboard advertising a DOOH ad’s digital properties allow data-driven insights to dynamically adjust its content based on location, time of day, weather conditions, and audience demographics.
This real-time adaptability makes DOOH marketing a valuable addition to the tech-savvy advertiser’s repertoire.
DOOH: A Brief Overview
DOOH marketing saw its initial popularity spike in the early 2000s, introducing consumers to dynamic displays capable of updating and contextualizing content in real time. DOOH’s novel visual appearance and versatile targeting ability quickly captured the attention of advertisers, who were more than keen to capitalize on the growing presence of digital screens in urban spaces like gas stations, grocery stores, and even onboard public transportation.
In some ways, DOOH advertising mimics general digital campaigns built to engage users via personal devices and social platforms. Both rely on a foundation of personalization and optimization to identify and convert target audiences. They offer cost-saving flexibility, unlike traditional advertising. Both can even provide valuable insight toward locating potential new customer bases.
As brand marketers look to the future, DOOH advertising should be on your radar. It’s a powerful way to find, qualify, and keep new customers.
Why Your DOOH’s Ads Are Determined by Creative
The efficacy of DOOH ads is profoundly influenced by the creativity of the content. Even in large-scale digital formats, the hold your brand’s digital ads have on an audience’s attention is limited. Successful DOOH ads must play by the same rules governing all digital creative — compelling visuals, concise messaging, relevant information, and striking design.
Whether it’s a witty tagline, a signature visual style, or a brief but captivating story, these creative elements help content to resonate with an audience’s emotions.
Top Creative Tips for Effective DOOH Ads
While data-driven targeting and technology provide the framework for precision in DOOH campaigns, it is the creative elements that breathe life into these strategies.
1. Build the Ad Around Interactive Components. Interactivity in DOOH campaigns, facilitated by creative design, serves to significantly elevate engagement levels. Whether it’s a gamified experience, a QR code for discounts or further information, or social media integration, the creative aspects of your ads deepen the level of interaction your audience can have with your brand.
2. Keep DOOH Ads Fresh. Consumer preferences and trends evolve quickly, and so should your approach to DOOH ad strategy. The flexibility to incorporate new ideas into your campaigns is one of new-age marketing’s greatest advantages — use it to your advantage to ensure ads remain relevant and in tune with your audience’s changing tastes and priorities.
3. Give Images Color and Contrast; Keep Text Simple and Straightforward. Marketers might earn a glance with stunning colors and imagery (more than half of polled Gen Z-ers say dynamic ads are key to capturing their attention), but successful ads get a simple message across with clarity. Accomplishing this generally requires artistic flair when it comes to the visual components and purposeful word choice in terms of ad copy.
Movement, interaction, and freshness aside — a good ad aims to help a customer determine what action to take next. Simple, memorable messaging is key when it comes to DOOH efforts.
DOOH advertising is becoming more common in busy places like city centers, sports stadiums, and airports. DOOH uses digital displays to catch the attention of large crowds. Unlike traditional billboards, DOOH ads use data-driven insights to change content based on location, time of day, weather, and audience demographics. Doors to entirely new audiences can open for businesses willing to make strong creative choices, experiment on these known best practices, and tailor DOOH campaigns to their accurate demographic data.
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