Out-of-home advertising (OOH, AKA billboards) is, in fact, one of the oldest methods of advertising around. But it is being brought to life again with recent technology changes. Now more commonly referred to as digital out-of-home advertising or DOOH. It’s ripe to be incorporated into marketing strategies in 2021 and beyond.

Let’s face it; people are getting weary of the relentless onslaught of advertisements on their smartphones. You can’t just put an ad in front of them and hope they will click the link. They are smarter and more enlightened than they have ever been.

That means we have to re-evaluate our advertising strategies and how we engage with consumers.

Along with a great website design, SEO, and superior content creation – advertisers will want to integrate technological advances to move forward in 2021. And these advances are fuelling growth in the outdoor advertising market, which was reported in a recent KPMG  to have an 11 percent annual growth over the past five years.

Smart advertisers and organizations can use this trend to boost their ROI. Out of home advertising is an adaptable medium with high coverage in terms of area, better brand positioning, given the larger size of the image, and higher target audience reach. These advantages are even more prominent in metro and tier-one cities.

Take a look at the top seven trends and ideas that will transform your DOOH advertising in 2021.

1.  Increasing versatility of DOOH Advertising

Digital technology boosts outdoor advertisements. This is because it utilizes 4K high resolution and bright, colorful visuals that attract consumers’ attention for more extended periods.

There will be a continued expansion of DOOH billboards due to their ease and convenience of moving and changing the advertisement. This cuts down on unnecessary expenses. Your brand can also run multiple promotions on a single screen, which is a huge bonus.

2.  Embrace the Capacity of Storytelling

Every advertiser and marketer knows that storytelling increases retention and assists consumers to recall events. Any brand with a compelling or fascinating story will influence subconsciously if the ad is described powerfully.

This strategy is being embraced and creating a buzz in outdoor advertising with the concept of creating ads that only tell part of a story. Consumers are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next installment and solution to the problem being told in the story – cue the brand’s product coming to save the day.

3.  Location, Location, Location

The very best DOOH advertising interacts and complements their environment through copy, imagery, and creative endeavor. Generic ads do not connect with viewers. No matter the sheer size of your ad, DOOH advertising offers the opportunity to easily use location data to tailor OOH ads to your target audience’s needs – not lazy mass production.

4.  Mind of its Own

In 2021 OOH advertisements will have a mind of their own, thanks to sensors, facial recognition software, and other AI smart features. This will allow brands to show information about a particular product or service, but it will use these features to predict the user profile and seemingly interact with the target audience. We are also looking to a future of augmented and virtual reality that will potentially make outdoor marketing campaigns more intuitive and appealing.

5.  Mobile Integration

The future is in integrating mobile and DOOH advertisements. The use of this technology will help potential consumers interact with ads and share valuable data in real-time. The response from the customer will help provide a more personalized user experience. These interactions are enabled by beacons, making the advertisement literally jump inside the customer’s phone when they come in the range of the DOOH billboard.

6.  Multi-Network Integration

In 2021, DOOH advertising will have a higher integration with social media and television. This multi-channel integration will be influential in ensuring simplicity and ease in delivering a clear and consistent message across all mediums and platforms that align with the brand’s image.

7.  Creative, focused ads for lower costs

DOOH advertising is no longer a wild fishing expedition hoping you hit the right target group. Advanced media measurement tools through Bluetooth beacons, radio beams, and the internet will allow brands to get in-depth understandings about their customers. This large quantity of data will be analyzed and leveraged by brands, so they don’t have to waste their advertisement budget and time.

These developments will also help advertisers drill down and make adjustments to improve campaign targeting and deliver a more relevant advertisement to the consumers in a particular location. This significantly increases the chances of a DOOH advertisement being noticed by the target audience.

Even though OOH billboards are one of the oldest forms of outdoor advertising, DOOH will cement its status as a viable option among advertisers for their 2021 marketing strategies. However, brands must ensure that their outdoor advertising ads are in sync with their social media ads and targeted to ensure their advertising dollars are well spent.

Let’s talk about how Allea Marketing to take your DOOH to the next level.