Creative Design Tips for Memorable Out-of-Home Ads
The PJX Media Newsletter: Volume XXXII
Ah March… In like a lion, out like a lamb they say. On one day in the moody month of March, it can feel like Winter in the shade and Spring in the sun. Flowers bloom and we add an hour of daylight. March is certainly a transformational month.
And as we begin to close the door on March, with Passover and the Easter holiday upon us, we were reminded that we love looking up National Holidays and noticed a couple interesting ones taking place today - National No Homework Day and National Spinach Day. When we looked up who started National No Homework Day my source said it is unknown, but are we really supposed to believe this? We know who started this “national day”...every kid in school! I think National Spinach Day was placed on this date to counter National No Homework Day. Kids needed to get a break from one of them. Right? Hey, spinach is a leafy green vegetable loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Who wouldn’t like to eat more of it? Maybe kids, but that problem is solved with this - Check out some delicious spinach recipes here that are kid-friendly.
Moving on from all that spinach talk, and on to something that continues to amaze us; how often the oldest form of advertising, out of home media, shows up in one of the newest forms of advertising, social media. Since today is also National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, we are now “unofficially” naming the last Friday in March, National Take a Picture of Your Favorite Billboard and Post it on Social Media Day. Celebrities all too often take this to a new level, and snap photos of themselves on billboards. Check out some instagram posts below of celebrities posing in front of their own billboards.
OOH Market Update: Chicago, IL
This week we find ourselves in the windy city of Chicag0, IL, where the deep dish is plentiful and the Bears are always number one. The second city was hit hard by the pandemic, as were most major DMA’s, and while recently things seemed to be on the right trajectory, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday the city of Chicago’s recent coronavirus case numbers are “going in the wrong direction” and resemble the period before last fall’s second surge. And while the governor expressed concern that the state may be losing ground in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, he rolled up his sleeve and received one of the more than 5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that have now been administered to Illinois residents.
Under current conditions, Chicago restaurants are operating at 50% capacity, movie theaters have been open since January 29th at 25% capacity, and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox will allow fans at 20% capacity starting opening day, but requiring masks, touchless devices for tickets, and cashless concessions. Additionally, gyms are open with mask mandates while exercising, with group classes open at 50% capacity, and in a letter to parents and families last Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools officials said their target goal is to bring back high school students on April 19, the first day of the fourth quarter of this academic year.
Chicago is no different from other major cities when it comes to consumers returning to mass transit, with the latest Apple mobility data showing requests for transit directions down 46%. When compared to walking (+14%) and driving (+16%), there is still some ground to make up, but as we’ve previously stated, this is likely not to change much until vaccines have permeated the market and there is less risk to traveling in close quarters. As we wait for mass transit and air travel to make a comeback, there are plenty of ways to reach consumers throughout Chicago. Now is the time to engage people using a hyper-local approach, focusing on neighborhoods and destinations with consistent traffic. While the central business district may not be back to full occupancy, other areas of the market have maintained strong traffic making it even more important to be strategic with your OOH investment.
We will continue to provide updates on various markets across the country in the coming weeks, and if you ever have specific questions, you can always reach out to hello@pjxmedia.com.
Out-of-Home: Design Tip #3
Use an image. Make sure your image is relevant to your headline and expresses an emotion. Using an image that plays well with your headline and makes an emotional connection assists your audience in remembering your message.
OOH Campaign Freeze Frame
OOH News & Views
KFC takes the chicken sandwich wars to a new level (via OOH Today)
KFC has long used billboards to promote its food, but not in this way. Last week it unveiled massive images of its chicken sandwich right near a McDonald’s in New York, a Wendy’s in Los Angeles, and a Burger King in Miami.
Out of Home a Bargain Compared to Other Forms of Media (via Billboard Insider)
Here’s a chart from the PJ Solomon March 2021 Media monthly which compares the CPM (cost per thousand views) of out of home versus media and online advertising.
Dodgers fan puts up Mookie Betts billboard in Boston (via True Blue LA)
Gotta love the fan “support” via billboards!
