Posters have always been a valuable tool for advertisers. They allow brands to attract the attention of consumers on the go, and (if they do their job well) be seen by a huge audience.
Out of Home advertising is not a new phenomenon, far from it. You can see endless examples of vintage ad posters shouting about events, products, brands and services to passersby. But, with the rise of powerful, sophisticated digital technologies comes a whole new world of potential for this advertising tactic.
What is Digital Out of Home advertising?
We’re being advertised to all the time. Not just when we watch TV or flick through a magazine, but when we’re out living our lives, wandering through a city.The premise of Out of Home advertising is advertising that - to put it simply - takes place when your audience are out of their homes.
Prime examples of this include billboards, posters (most commonly in public transport stations), billboards (commonly located on busy roads or streets), wallscapes and murals.
In the case of Digital Out of Home advertising - you guessed it - this covers all the instances where this technique is achieved using digital technologies. The most common examples of Digital Out of Home advertising include digital billboards (Piccadilly Circus being an iconic example), digital signs (commonly located in events venues, or retail outlets), digital posters, and digital billboards. And this list is rapidly expanding, thanks to the wealth of digital technologies that are being created.
Not only are advertisers faced with the constant challenge of making their content stand out in a crowded landscape, but they also need to keep on top of the latest advertising technologies that are becoming available. Because nowadays, there’s only so much that a static printed poster can do for your brand.
The advertising scene is bursting with creativity and ingenuity, and you want your brand to be seen as one of the leading innovators in its sphere. That’s where Digital Out of Home advertising comes in.
How can animation enhance your Digital Out of Home advertising?
If you’re planning on launching a new Out of Home advertising campaign, you’ll inevitably be faced with the big question - do you stick to stationary ads, or do you go digital? Although digital alternatives come at a higher price tag, we have no doubt that this investment is worth every penny. And, for any marketers that are still on the fence, we’ve outlined the 5 key benefits that Digital Out of Home advertising delivers:
● Increased engagement - with their bright colours, moving graphics and intriguing storyline, these digital ads are made to capture viewers’ attention. They are dynamic and inherently engaging. And, the stats show that they do a very good job of getting city-goers to take notice. In fact, around 26% of consumers said that they visited a store after having seen an OOH ad.
● Deliver a story - while it is of course possible, it’s infinitely harder to tell a story in a stationary advert. And storytelling is the marketer’s ace up their sleeve. It’s what makes an advert compelling, memorable and infuses viewers’ perception of the brand with personality. So, with a digital advert, you can create an animated advert that ticks all the storyline boxes.
● Flexibility - in a stationary advert, you have one single image to work with. This gives you a very limited degree of flexibility in terms of what copy, images, products and design elements you can include. But, with a digital alternative, you can include a much broader range of content and feature numerous products, without worrying about muddling up your advert’s message.
● Reach larger audiences - according to marketing insights reports, 98% of people see an OOH ad every single week. And, even better, 71% of consumers say that they ‘often’ look at the messages displayed on roadside billboards. These are some pretty impressive stats. Plus, thanks to the high engagement rates of digital content, you can amplify the OOH adverts’ already-high audience reach even further.
● Make your mark on a city - Digital Out of Home advertising is found across the UK’s major cities, including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh and so on. The footfall is huge in these areas, so they present a prime marketing opportunity. And, if you play your cards right, your advert can really establish a presence in the vibrant busy-ness of a city.
● An affordable alternative - despite their flashy and big-spender-aesthetic, OOH ads are actually a very affordable option. In fact, on average, billboard advertising costs 80% less than TV ads. This, coupled with their high engagement stats and vast audience outreach, gives Digital Out of Home adverts a great return of investment.
Top 3 tips for bringing Digital Out of Home to life
As you can see, when done right, Digital Out of Home ads achieve some pretty stand out results. So, the next step is to create a precise and specific marketing plan for your ad campaign, which fully considers the unique attributes of this advertising type. In order to make the most out of the investment, you need to understand what makes Digital Out of Home ads different, and use these qualities to make your campaign as engaging, effective and successful as possible. To help you tick those three big boxes, here are our three top tips to bring Digital Out of Home to life.
Deploy animation with motion graphics - by blending animation and motion graphics in your advert, you can ensure that every single element of your video is as engaging as possible. While the animation can be used to tell a story, create characters and give your advert its personality, motion graphics will ensure that the content that would otherwise be drab and stationary (your logo, text, statistics or other information) meets that same level of entertainment.
Check out dynamic digital out of home advertising - adding the dynamic element to your adverts is a great way to fully utilize the ‘out of home’ advantage. Dynamic digital out of home advertising is when a brand updates the advert in real time. This can be done in response to a variety of real-world contexts, such as events, changing weather, the news or the results of a big sports game, for example. This technique keeps your advert current and relevant, speaks to the modernity of your brand, and maximizes engagement levels.
Set memorability and engagement as top priorities - even though not all brands go down the digital out of home advertising route, you’re still competing against countless other campaigns, all trying for your audience’s attention. Remember, your advert is set in the hustle and bustle of a city, so you need to make sure your content is as memorable and engaging as possible. Keep this point at the forefront of your mind, throughout the entire creation process.
Conclusion
Digital out of home advertising boasts a wealth of completely unique potential. When approached with imagination, ingenuity and skill, this advertising medium can be an invaluable asset to your brand reputation.
Not only does it put you right in front of a vast audience, but (and this is where creativity is key) it tells them how bold your company is. It demonstrates your energy, originality and youthfulness, through modern methods and a pioneering approach.
The TV can take a bow - immersing your campaign in the digital city scape is the best way to set yourself apart.
Why work with an animation agency like OK Social?
A recurring theme with digital out of home advertising - whether you’re taking over Piccadilly Circus or inserting your poster in the underground - is creativity. It’s simply no good settling for the mundane. When you’re advertising in the middle of a city, and trying to attract the attention of people going about their busy lives, the bolder the better.
You need a sleek, modern and original advert, which will not only make your audience stop and look, but remember during the course of their day. And that’s where we come in.
OK Social is a specialist animation agency, consisting of a highly skilled, professional advertising team. We offer our clients a one-stop solution for their branded advertising, providing them with access to our team’s wealth of skills, while still giving them complete flexibility throughout the entire creative process.
We have created adverts for some of the largest names in the UK, spanning everything from Deliveroo to the BBC. There’s no better testament to our talent than that. So, if you’d like to unlock the power of digital out of home advertising, chat with our team today.
I’m Jack, the Motion Director here at OK Social. I’ve been working in the world of motion design and animation for nearly 10 years. I had the pleasure of working with leading agencies and brands around the world, such as Samsung, Ford, Shell, Deliveroo, and Starbucks, to name a few.
From a young age, I’ve always been interested in animation, from making stop-motion films in my room as a kid to learning animation on my first computer. It started as a passion and still is to this day. Part of what I do now is more than just animation. I help craft the narratives of the stories we tell to ensure they make an impact to the audience and remain worthy of their attention.
So how do I do that? It starts with asking the right questions, leading to solving the right problems. First, diagnose what the problem is. Then, we can start to see if we can help. I believe that communication plays a key role in delivering a smooth and successful project. Looking into the future, I’m excited to expand my knowledge into creating more engaging stories that make a difference.
