Outdoor Advertising (OA) is one of the oldest forms of marketing ever used, but with a recent surge in digital OA led by permanent digital billboards and portable VMS displays, many are asking the question if it’s worth doubling down on the physical advertising space.
Online advertising revolutionised the way brands market to consumers. They can reach consumers most hours of the day in the comfort of their own home, and thanks to this convenience, thousands of brands moved all their advertising online. Now, marketing professionals are beginning to see this as a mistake. There are many unfounded myths surrounding Outdoor Advertising that are simply no longer true. They’ve been called inefficient, overdone and too costly. Here’s why these statements are incorrect.
Myth 1 – No one Pays Attention
Everyone’s been told that there are far too many outdoor billboards and VMS boards peppering the consumer on their daily commute for any of it to register. Research has found that this is just plainly false.
Digital Outdoor Advertising has sought to increase awareness of brands by an average of 36% and tapers off far slower than alternatives like online advertising.
Without the need to compete for space on a timeline or on a Google search, an advertiser can be certain that his ads are being seen for at least a few seconds every single day by potential customers. With as little time as one week, an advertiser can make a lasting impact on a potential buyer. Achieving long-term goals like brand awareness and consumer recognition and loyalty is what outdoor advertising absolutely excels at doing. With 69% of Australian’s commuting to work every day, outdoor advertising rivals the impact levels of online advertising.
Myth 2 – Online Advertising is Far Better
Online advertising has completely taken the advertising world by storm. It can reach consumers any time of day from anywhere and can completely bombard their personal life. There’s no doubt online advertising has a place in the advertising world but it is a huge mistake to write off Digital Outdoor Advertising. In fact, DOA actually enhances the success of Digital campaigns.
According to a detailed study from Nielsen, DOA generates 26% of gross search activations, and people who have seen an outdoor advertisement are 17% more likely to explore and interact with a brand’s online advertising campaign.
Online advertising is perfect for grabbing people who are already interested in a product or brand, but DOA excels at building a brand name for consumers who have yet to interact with that brand. Every truly successful online advertising campaign also uses DOA supplementally.
Although the biggest drawback to DOA is just how expensive it can be. Or is it?
Myth 3 – Outdoor Advertising is Too Expensive
The huge billboards along highways or in the CBD cost a fortune to rent, even some billboards along main roads cost a pretty penny. Add it on top of the cost of online advertising and it quickly becomes unaffordable for many small-medium businesses to consider an optimal advertising campaign that combines both online and outdoor marketing. Fortunately for business owners, renting permanent billboards along main roads is not the only way to bring their brand to commuters.
Portable Variable Message Sign Boards or portable VMS boards for short are the cheapest and most versatile way of advertising your message to potential customers. A large digital display on the back of a trailer can be parked in your carpark or close to the side of the road and aimed to face oncoming traffic.
For as little as $250 a week your message can be displayed to 10’s of thousands of road users every single hour of every single day. Plus, there are many different types to choose from.
5 colour signs can do text and simple animations with 5 different colours. The bright colours are sure to stand out against any print billboards around it, and its cyclical, flashing messages ensure it will always draw the eye of passers-by.
If they want to go all out, full colour signs work like portable digital billboards. They’re able to display images, videos, more involved animations and text of any colour on the spectrum.
Renting a VMS board is one of the cheapest and most cost-effective ways to run an advertising campaign. The added benefit of these boards is they can be changed exceptionally quickly, allowing messages to be updated constantly so it never blends into the background like some print outdoor advertisements do.
If you’re ready to launch your advertising to a new height, follow the link below to request a quote from Freeway Sign Hire today.
