The Marketer’s Go-To Guide for DOOH Advertising:
Advertising has changed dramatically in the last decade. People have the ability to personalize the way they consume media and have become increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising. This means now is the time to change our way of thinking. By now, the term ‘DOOH advertising’ or ‘Digital-Out-Of-Home advertising isn’t exclusive to the digital signage industry. Every marketer worth their penny has done some research into this topic and recognizes its worth. Creating a brand experience across digital avenues with creative and consistent messaging is the only way to truly utilize advertisement platforms. It sounds easy, but where do you start?
Be Brave
My favorite saying in this industry is fail fast. DOOH advertising isn’t going anywhere so you know now is the time to become an expert and really reap the benefits. The flexibility and creativity that digital signage brings your business allows you to change advertisements at the click of a mouse. Take advantage of that. This doesn’t mean that you just throw anything up on a screen- your advertisement should still be carefully planned and executed. What this means is you have the availability to test what you are putting out to the public. Give yourself an appropriate timeline and play around with different messages. If you find yourself working with a digital advertising company that doesn’t allow for consistent content updates- then you’re working with the wrong company.
Picking the right medium
DOOH advertising comes in all shapes and sizes from a 19” in the back of a taxi to a massive 90” display. Picking the right medium is a project in itself, but will also determine the success of your campaign. First of all consider your audience. Will you be looking to contact as many people as possible? Maybe a display in a high traffic transit station meets that need. Are you looking to target out-of-towners? Then locating a network through the hotels is the right medium for you. Carefully study all available networks in your desired area of reach and determine what kind of a message you want to send to what kind of people.
Next you’ll need to consider the dwell time of your desired location. Before making any investments, make a trip out to see the display you plan on advertising on. Take a seat and watch how people interact with it. Static signs (advertisements similar to a slide show) tend to catch a lot of attention, but only for a short period of time. Advertisements need to be quick and eye catching. Interactive signs tend to only see attention when someone needs the services it provides, but this allows you to engage customers on a deeper level. At the end of the day make sure your messaging is timed to best fit your location.
Understand the Benefits
It pains me to say it, but too often do I see DOOH advertisements that are simply a power point presentation saved as a JPEG. No form of advertising is cheap, so don’t throw away your dollars without doing your research. DOOH advertising is becoming increasingly more popular because of the endless capabilities such as animation, scheduling, video, interactivity and zoning. Talk to your DOOH partner about what you can do with your ad! It is your responsibility to research and then choose which features of digital signage work best for your messaging.
Pick the Right Partner
Unless you plan on installing and maintaining a DOOH network on your own, you’ll want to go through an already established digital signage partner for your advertising. I would highly suggest working through a digital signage company rather than an advertising agency (unless they have partnered). DOOH advertising can be confusing from hardware, software, deployment and design. Experts will be able to help you leverage your investment and take advantage of the special features specific digital signage provides. It’s also vital to choose a partner who allows for content changes at a monthly rate. You’ll want to keep your options open when it comes to your messaging, especially if this is your first time experimenting with DOOH advertising. At the end of the day, the right digital signage partner will help you leverage your dollars spent.
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