Traditional OOH has heft even as DOOH, PDOOH break new ground

Even as the OOH industry globally trains sharper focus on digitalisation of media assets, creation of DOOH networks and promotion of programmatic platforms, an authored column published in the Forbes points to traditional OOH still holding the sway in markets like the US. Amanda Dorenberg, President of Canadian Out of Home Marketing & Measurement Bureau (COMMB), who has authored the article, states that “in 2021, DOOH ad spend in the US is expected to increase by 37.4% to $2.17 billion; however, as much hype and buzz that DOOH and PDOOH are receiving in the industry, they only account for 31% of the total U.S. advertising spend. The remaining 69% is attributed to traditional OOH, indicating a deep-rooted value within this iconic media format.”

Amplifyng the value of traditional OOH, Amanda writes that the massive scale and impact of OOH is seen particularly when the creative is clearly defined for the media format. DOOH and PDOOH have similarities with native online ad execution in terms of purchasing audiences and impressions and delivering dynamic content that is served up based on worldly conditions such as traffic volumes or weather. “The flip side, however, is that the ads are sharing their brand voice with multiple advertisers, and this is where static OOH is an incredibly powerful asset,” writes Amanda.

She suggests that the approach to static OOH needs to be curated in the same way as DOOH and online targeting techniques. “The advertiser can leverage both media formats for mass awareness and deliver compelling results, but the true winners are those who look to each media format with a different lens, develop their creative assets for each OOH media format and garner major earned media as a result.