‘Messaging is important to grab attention’

Anita Nayyar, COO – Media & Communication, Patanjali Ayurved, reinstated the importance of using OOH as a medium to amplify a brand’s messaging in her talk ‘Leveraging OOH for big impact brand communications’ at OAC 2023. 

To harness the full potential of OOH, advertisers need to expand their perspective of the format. There needs to some sort of experimentation with various formats, be it digital signage, interactive displays, 3D installations, etc. which provide captivating visuals and creative storytelling. Additionally, DOOH allows for gamification of ads and plenty of opportunity of user generated content (UGC) – allowing users to participate in quizzes, puzzles, etc. displayed on DOOH screens which leads to increased engagement with the brand and helps with recall. 

Anita reminded the curious audience that while brand messaging needs to be uniform, the way it is presented cannot be generalised, especially in a country as diverse as India. “India is a conglomerate of many countries, and each region behaves differently” she said. Each market needs to be understood carefully – the culture, language, preferences, etc, for accurate messaging. The customization and localization of brand messaging is important to connect with a wider audience and that needs to be partnered with long-term engagement through sustained OOH campaigns. 

Above all, Anita reinforced the importance of simple messaging as it is the key to grabbing audience attention. Often, the audience will not recall a brand’s messaging if it’s too intricate. Hence, marketers need to be remember to keep it simple.