Common OOH Advertising Mistakes

Common OOH advertising mistakes

 

A successful OOH campaign encompasses a wide range of elements that marketers are required to pay attention to. Generating content, selecting appropriate media formats, targeting suitable audiences, and focusing on particular geographical locations are all factors that can increase the effectiveness of a campaign.

Due to the constant technological innovations that are changing how OOH advertising is perceived, marketers are constantly having to adapt to take full advantage of the possibilities presented to them.

Here is a certain list of mistakes that companies ought to avoid for their OOH campaigns.

Appealing to everyone:  

One of the essential mistakes made by brands and businesses is to create ads that mean something to everyone, everywhere. This is a costly error that simply doesn’t take into consideration the fact that people are far too diverse, thus tastes and preferences differ too widely for one ad message to influence everyone.

In 2017, Maltesers launched a campaign that involved billboards written up entirely in braille. This campaign was specifically targeted towards the blind community, and though most able bodied citizens enjoy Maltesers chocolate snacks the company decided to direct their efforts to a group often overlooked by other brands. This campaign garnered a great deal of buzz, resonating with people beyond the blind community, and with those close to the disabled community in general.

Uninspired ad design:

The quality of a product or service, no matter how top notch, does not determine how well the product or service will sell, especially in todays oversaturated brand environment.

It’s tempting to think that advertising a brand new set of quality headphones by displaying a simple static image of it on a billboard somewhere will be enough to bring in numerous customers. This however is incredibly naïve, and basically ignores what drives brand engagement and customer buys. Creating effective ads often requires evoking an emotional response from the targeted audience. This can involve giving an impression of being part of some community, appealing to social values, or relating to peoples self-image.

Coca Cola’s ‘share a coke’ ad campaign is a great example of encouraging people to feel like they’re part of a community, whilst also incorporating social values that cherish family and friends.

Not utilizing all channels at your disposal:

With all the media tools available to marketers today, employing an integrated approach, which means utilizing all media channels available can vastly make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful ad campaign. Marketers generally agree that combining OOH with other media formats works best, extending its reach and making it more widespread. Research indicates that OOH when combined with another media format potentially increases reach by a staggering 300%

Doing it on your own:

In today’s world, young, motivated entrepreneurs are often guilty of biting off more than they can chew. It’s not uncommon to observe CEO’s attempting to invest all their time and energy on promoting their brand, even if they’re not mentally or physically capable of it. Even with enough time, running a successful ad campaign still involves a considerable degree of skill often possessed by individuals that market for a living.

There is value in trying to go at things on your own, but understanding one’s own limitations can help free up time and effort for other facets of a successful business like strategic and commercial priorities.

So for companies and small businesses that do not have marketing teams, getting help from agencies and freelancers is a beneficial move in the long run.