Pandemic Brings DOOH to Spotlight

Pandemic Brings DOOH to Spotlight

Due to coronavirus, there has been a digital acceleration in the out-of-home sector. Most places have adopted digital inventories as more and more people have shifted to digital orderings, drive-ins, digital payments etc. In this new normal of the digital world, OOH has also advanced to digital screens. For customer safety, all big and small businesses are told to display social guidelines. This new scenario has given brands an added opportunity to connect with their consumer base, gain and track consumer data and footfall of any given area.

Technology, on the other hand, has given marketers an increased opportunity to target their audiences more precisely. A more customized and personalised message can be served to existing and potential customers to remind them and introduce them to a brand or service respectively. Mobile marketing channels have made it possible for local customers to reach local service providers easily.

According to existing DOOH leaders in the industry, the future holds a larger number and novel opportunities for businesses and brands. Various ecosystems are adapting to this digital shift, making customer lives easier, safer and earning profits at the same time. This is because brands spend one-third of what they spend on other advertising channels on DOOH and get better ROI than any other advertising channel.

Not only does DOOH more precisely reaches target customers with the right message but at the same time is ensuring customer engagement & safety. On the other hand, due to the pandemic and lockdowns, the availability of OOH audience in many parts of the country has become scattered and infrequent. Advertisers today, are moving towards more efficient & effective advertising by inculcating creative flexibility, consumer sensitivity & audience data to make the most out of the ad spends.

As the lockdown starts to open up in phases, there has been a positive impact being noticed on outdoor advertising. Brands need to keep up the pace with the changing advertising environments in the post covid scenario. More than ever, brands need to target and message according to what’s happening on the ground in near real-time. Even in states where car and foot traffic is up, the overall trends fluctuate week to week with the authorities changing rules.

Read More : – Benefits of DOOH in India

Footfall and mobility data have transpired into default components of OOH planning today. Any plan built otherwise will certainly fail to attain the desired output. Hence using tools that provide data beyond demographics is something that needs to be put into practice and teams across brand and agencies need to be trained on how to use these to help them plan better for optimal plan output. During the lockdown, consumers have spent most of their time on mobile phones, and so, by using mobile data with DOOH, aggregated and anonymized, brands can now plan more efficiently and show attribution for their campaigns that are both contextually relevant and timely.

When we think about DOOH and mobile together, we think about it as being an amazing activation vehicle. Now brands are looking to expand on their relationships with consumers and see location-based mobile marketing as a channel that can create deeper engagement. It’s one of the most targeted and personal mediums around.  Experts have developed platforms that can access mobile device data to allow geofenced targeting that delivers the right exposures to devices coordinated with out-of-home screens. The measurement then tells buyers and planners how those exposures fit within the campaign, making them more effective as they amplify and enhance messaging rather than risking mismatching creative or inappropriate frequencies.

The pandemic has not only changed consumer behaviour but has also put DOOH in the spotlight, making it a key societal communication channel. The on-the-move consumer today is more receptive to communication and DOOH is helping businesses connect better with its customers and at the same time deliver safety-hygiene guidelines. Looking at the post-pandemic world and current market situation, advertisers have shifted their focus on providing technology and infrastructure support to businesses to help them combat this crisis. The digital inventory will be available for advertising even after things return to a level of normalcy and the covid discount is not the parameter for media selection.

The benefits offered by DOOH have always been ahead of their times and continues to remain so even in the given situation. Brands at any point will certainly experience multi-fold advantages, right from dynamic ad rendering, data enriched ad serving, real-time reporting to analytics and attribution. The advantage is believed to be more in terms of the increased audience awareness of messages displayed during the pandemic. Brands can make the most of this by being innovative to garner maximum eyeballs while being backed by data, technology and improved screen quality.

OOH is a place consumers want to spend most of their time. So, as soon as the complete restrictions are lifted, it will be ready to take the lead by inspiring people to get back out there, innovate, rebuild and adapt. However, till then one solution that advertisers have rolled out in India and outside is the Smart cam analytics integrated with our programmatic DOOH platform. With live data points from around the screen, it now helps advertisers really get the best value for money. Advertisers can now get a detailed understanding of each location and the kind of targeting and reach that they can expect for their campaigns.

Read More:- Future of DOOH in India

Brands are increasingly looking at new channels to grow brand awareness, and inspire consumers to take action. DOOH screens in malls and restaurants will help them do this with much more visibility, creativity, and on a larger scale. DOOH inventories will be crucial in this new normal as audiences will opt for more contactless dining experiences in restaurants. It would be a great opportunity for brands to reach audiences in a captive environment and personalized content.

FAQ