What is OOH Advertising?
Iris Jin
Manager - New Business
iris@pjxmedia.com
November 14, 2024
What is Out of Home?
Out-of-home media (OOH) is a form of advertising that reaches consumers outside of their homes in the physical world. Formats in out-of-home advertising can range from the classic billboard to posters within a subway car and even the screens you see while charging electric vehicles. When a brand uses out-of-home media to reach consumers, it’s one message being conveyed to many people, within one area and simultaneously.
OOH advertising is one of the oldest and most impactful forms of advertising, but in today’s digital era, it has evolved to be more dynamic and data-driven than ever before. Whether it's a larger-than-life billboard in Times Square or a digital screen at the local gym, OOH reaches audiences where they live, work, and play. In a world where people are constantly on the move and online ads are increasingly ignored, OOH presents a powerful opportunity to engage with consumers in the physical world. This article will guide you through the different types of OOH formats, their benefits, and how to integrate them into your campaigns.
What are the Different Types of OOH advertising?
Out-of-home advertising, also known as Outdoor advertising, has a much broader scope of communication than many people realize. It includes an infinite number of formats, limited only by the imagination. The full scope of OOH ranges from traditional to guerrilla media and includes formats such as:
Large Format OOH
Billboards
Posters
Walls
Handpaints
Street Furniture OOH
Bus shelters
Urban Panels
Bus benches
Kiosks
Transit OOH
Bus
Subway
Commuter Rail
Place-Based OOH
Malls
Airports
Gyms
Doctor’s Offices
Office Buildings
Guerilla OOH
Wildpostings
Stencils
Brand Ambassadors
Projections
Digital OOH (DOOH)
100k+ locations & 1MM+ screens globally - we plan, buy and execute it all.
What is Digital Out-of-home (DOOH)?
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is changing how brands interact with customers in real-time. Traditional OOH or static billboards are created using printed vinyls. Digital billboards and other digital inventory are screens. There are over 100,000 locations and more than 1 million digital screens worldwide. Some brands use digital to change advertisements out quickly, while others may use interactive kiosks, in-store displays, or even 3D DOOH displays that appear to pop out at you when viewed from the right angle. Unlike static billboards, DOOH ads can be updated instantly, scheduled to target specific times of day, and even tailored to particular audiences based on location and real-time data.
DOOH is an invaluable asset for brands looking to create high-impact, data-driven campaigns that resonate with today's tech-savvy consumers.
Why should you use OOH in your Advertising Campaigns?
Out-of-home is at a tipping point where the convergence of data, tech, and the OOH infrastructure can integrate and connect in more meaningful, effective, and efficient ways than ever before.
What makes OOH powerful is the ability for brands to engage with their audience in ways other channels can’t. Data-driven planning allows brands to deliver their message to customized audiences in a way that can’t be ignored. Whether your brand is a local business or has offices worldwide, OOH strategies can be developed to meet your brand and marketing goals.
OOH campaigns are totally scalable based on any budget level or objective and can be tailored based on a custom audience, points of interest, zip codes, and more. OOH can be hyper-local, national or global to reach your audience at multiple touch-points throughout their daily journey.
In today’s fragmented media market, out-of-home advertising continues to reach elusive, hyper-connected and tech-savvy audiences, and provides high impact, often disproportionate to media spend. OOH today is used to prime search, complement mobile, and serve as a social channel in its own right to deliver ongoing active user engagement.
How to use OOH:
Using OOH ads builds brand awareness, creating visibility and recognition. New & emerging brands can use out of home ads to introduce themselves to consumers. CPGs can use out of home to announce new products or new flavors, or share where their product is available, e.g. a nearby grocery store. Companies which are primarily B2B can make their presence noticeable at conferences like CES by choosing airport inventory, screens within rideshare vehicles, and even the door hangers on hotel rooms near the convention center.
You can also use out-of-home ads to motivate your target audience to take action. Many brands and stores advertise their Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, encouraging consumers to visit their websites to get a good deal. One study showed that when consumers noticed directions to a restaurant or store via an out-of-home ad, 43% visited within 30 minutes. Of that group, 78% made a purchase!
Out of Home Media has recently gained favor with performance marketers. With measurement and attribution continuing to evolve in the channel, we’re able to connect the dots between a consumer viewing a billboard advertisement and visiting a website to making a transaction on that website. Leveraging exposure data, sales data, and tracking pixels, Out of Home ads bring you the powerful combination of building brand awareness while driving lower funnel activities.
Why PJX Media?
OOH agencies manage your campaigns for you, acting as an extension of your marketing team. We save you time, money, and bring you data-driven results. Here are some of the benefits of partnering with PJX Media:
Data-Driven Planning
Each campaign is powered by our tech platform, ADstruc, backed by data and custom crafted crafted based on your objectives, audience and KPIs in order to deliver measurable results.
Campaign Management
Our team manages your entire campaign from planning through performance reporting and are your sole point of contact throughout the entire process.
Competitive Pricing
We leverage our tech and expertise to negotiate industry leading rates, and our flexible pricing models can accommodate any client requirements.
Streamlined Operations
We provide a single contract for your approved media, consolidated invoices and advanced POP for seamless stewardship and accounting.
In-House Production
Our in-house production team ensures your art is designed to spec and facilitates proofing, trafficking, posting instructions and printing so your media is ready for an on-time posting. You send us the art and we’ll take care of the rest.
Real-Time Reporting
Our client performance dashboard reports on campaign metrics in real-time and our attribution offering gives clients better visibility into campaign performance and ROI.
Out-of-home advertising helps brands deliver their message to their custom audience in a unique, data-driven way that resonates, cannot be missed, and helps brands engage with their audience in ways other channels can’t. Whether your brand is a local business or global business, OOH strategies can be developed to meet your brand and marketing goals. OOH campaigns are totally scalable based on any budget level or objective and can be tailored based on a custom audience, points-of-interest, zip codes, and more. OOH can be hyper-local, national or global to reach your audience at multiple touch-points throughout their daily journey.
In today’s fragmented media market, out-of-home advertising continues to reach elusive, hyper-connected, cynical, and tech-savvy audiences and provides high impact often disproportionate to media spend. OOH today is used to prime search, complement mobile, and serve as a social channel in its own right to deliver ongoing active user engagement. As a result, OOH was the only traditional media channel that was growing pre-COVID and is expected to rebound as brands look to re-engage with consumers.
Out-of-Home Advertising: Key Stats, Audience Reach, and ROI Insights
Growth & Reach:
Second Fastest Growing Ad Medium: Record levels of consumer miles driven and passenger miles flown have made OOH the second fastest-growing ad medium in the U.S., second only to digital advertising.
Weekly Reach: OOH reaches 96% of Americans each week and is second only to TV in the time consumers spend with it.
Boosts Other Media: Adding OOH to other paid media can potentially increase reach by 300%.
Audience Engagement:
High Viewer Engagement: 40% of OOH media viewers are highly engaged with ads, actively looking at the messages either all or most of the time.
Smartphone Action: 66% of viewers ages 16+ are prompted by OOH ads to take action on their smartphones, with 42% specifically searching for the advertiser.
Demographics & Allocation:
Audience Profile: OOH viewers are generally younger and more affluent than the broader U.S. population, with the highest engagement among adults ages 16–34.
Media Plan Under-Allocation: Research suggests OOH media should represent 9%-17% of ad spend in media plans, but currently, it averages only 4%.
Performance & ROI:
Superior ROI: For every $1 spent on OOH, about $5.97 in sales is generated, outperforming digital display, print, and radio.
Driving Store Traffic: OOH drives more foot traffic than mobile or combined mobile and desktop media.
Online Activation: OOH prompts over three times the level of expected online activity per ad dollar spent compared to TV, radio, print, and banner ads.
Consumer Perception & Action:
Consumer Favorability: Consumers view OOH favorably and often engage with it; 81% of people who noticed OOH advertising in the past month interacted with the messaging.
Time Spent: Consumers ages 18-64 spend more time with OOH than with any other ad medium except television.
Sources: MAGNA, Touchpoints USA, Nielsen, OAAA
How to Buy Billboards and Other OOH
Buying OOH media can be confusing for the first-time buyer. Even those with experience will often turn to OOH experts to help them manage the process. Here are some of the steps involved with buying a billboard:
Define Your Objectives: OOH can drive a number of types of campaigns from brand awareness to increasing website traffic or store visits and sales. Decide what you want to achieve with the campaign before selecting formats.
Select the Right Format: Your target audience and objectives will help you choose a format that aligns with your strategy. For example, billboards provide mass reach, whereas street-level ads like bus shelters are better for engaging with local audiences in specific areas.
Choose Your Locations: You’ll want to identify high-traffic areas where your target audience spends time. You can use geolocation data to pinpoint the best spots for maximum impact.
Set Your Budget: OOH campaigns can vary greatly in cost depending on what you are trying to achieve, the campaign’s objectives and other factors. Whether you want to dominate a market with large-scale billboards or focus on a few key placements, OOH allows for scalability.
Work with a Media Buyer or Use a Self-Serve Platform: You can either work with a media agency that specializes in OOH, such as PJX Media, or use a self-serve platform that allows you to manage and execute your own campaigns. Unless you are running a simple campaign such as a single vanity billboard, we recommend you partner with an OOH expert.
Monitor and Optimize: After your ad is live, data tools can track engagement and conversion rates.
How to Implement OOH In Your Campaign
Using out-of-home (OOH) ads builds brand awareness, creating visibility and recognition. New and emerging brands can use out-of-home ads to introduce themselves to consumers. CPGs can use out-of-home to announce new products or new flavors, or share where their product is available, e.g., a nearby grocery store. B2B and tech companies can make their presence noticeable at conferences like CES by choosing airport inventory, screens within rideshare vehicles, and even the door hangers on hotel rooms near the convention center.
You can also use out-of-home ads to motivate your target audience to take action. Many brands and stores will advertise their Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, encouraging consumers to visit their websites for a good deal. One study showed when consumers noticed directions to a restaurant or store via an out of home ad, 43% visited within 30 minutes. Of that group, 78% made a purchase!
Performance marketers increasingly turn to OOH advertising, as measurement and attribution are possible with many OOH formats and campaign types. This capability allows OOH advertisers to track the full journey, from a consumer viewing a billboard to visiting a website and completing a transaction. By leveraging exposure data, sales data, and tracking pixels, OOH advertising offers a powerful combination of building brand awareness while also driving lower-funnel actions.
What to Consider when starting an OOH campaign?
When designing an out-of-home (OOH) campaign, start by clearly defining your marketing objectives, as these will shape your entire strategy. Whether your goal is to boost brand awareness, drive conversions, or both, your objectives will guide your choices in geo-targeting, formats, and demographics. For instance, if you're a fashion brand aiming for impact, high-visibility wallscapes on Sunset Boulevard can effectively reach stylish, trend-focused audiences. If you want to increase app downloads, consider ad units like street-level bus shelters or urban panels near subway systems, where people are more likely to dwell and engage with your ad.
Once you’ve defined your objective, your audience, and the best formats to reach that audience, you can also consider how you might integrate OOH to a multichannel marketing campaign and how it will interact and reach your audience alongside social media, tv, digital, and other channels. Using OOH to encourage social media shares, or website videos could be one way to connect from an offline channel that is more difficult to track to an online one where you can encourage them to sign up for discounts, a service, or even make a purchase.
Simply put, start with outlining your campaign goals, and then let the strategy fall into place based on your objectives, target audience, and available formats.
Let PJX Media Help You Get Started with OOH
Out-of-home advertising offers a powerful and flexible way to reach consumers at every stage of their journey, whether it’s building brand awareness, driving sales, or engaging with audiences in real-time. As the industry continues to evolve with the integration of data and technology, OOH is becoming more targeted, measurable, and dynamic than ever. From traditional billboards to digital innovations, OOH should be a central part of any modern advertising strategy.
At PJX Media, we specialize in OOH advertising, and can help you build scalable campaigns to make your brand stand out against the crowd. Let us help you craft a data-driven OOH campaign that delivers results and connects you with your target audience in impactful ways. Contact us.
