In the digital age, it can be easy to overlook traditional tactics like outdoor or out-of-home (OOH) advertising. A broad category, it includes any advertising seen outside the home or away from any personal device, from billboards to vehicle graphics to guerrilla marketing. Though dismissed by many brands, outdoor advertising still has the unprecedented ability to build brand awareness.
For some, OOH advertising might seem outdated — like a rusty billboard on the side of a rural highway. For others, it might be the cost of production for guerrilla signage campaigns. Despite these assumptions, the benefits of outdoor advertising — around-the-clock visibility, broad exposure, and limitless creativity — continue to grab the attention of target audiences.
Don’t let digital overshadow the benefits of outdoor advertising
The advantages of digital marketing are undeniable. With precise targeting, broad reach, and flexible costs, there’s a reason it’s become the topic of constant conversation and implementation. That being said, the digital space has become quite crowded, leading to ad fatigue. For some, it’s the topic of privacy and the cookie apocalypse that took place in 2020. These concerns have led some brands to the realization that audiences may just scroll past their ads, negating awareness and engagement. This leads us back to the ways brands can benefit from outdoor advertising.
The benefits of OOH advertising can do wonders for your brand awareness. Despite the perceptions mentioned earlier, billboards — perhaps the quintessential example of OOH ads — are strategically placed in high-traffic areas to make an equally high impact with a broad audience. And unlike digital, the audience can’t click out or scroll past; potential customers are forced to look. Out-of-home advertising allows brands to cut through the noise that drowns out digital promotions by reaching in-person prospects or making a brand impression in person. With around-the-clock visibility, broad exposure, and creative placement, OOH advertising grants your brand long-term recognition from your target audience.
As America’s #1 positioning ad agency, we also can’t forget to mention how OOH tactics can emphasize your brand position. Although it can appear like a high-cost, limited-reach tactic, outdoor advertising actually gives your brand more awareness to engage prospects by hammering in your position right out of the gate — rather than getting lost in the noise of the online world. The key is to unlock potential by taking advantage of creativity — from messaging to graphics to placement.
As a benefit to outdoor advertising, the creative differentiation from the competition is what creates successful campaigns for brand awareness that separate you from the crowd. That is the differentiation that’s the foundation of positioning and that gives your message probable authenticity.
Dramatize your position with OOH advertising
Success in marketing isn’t as easy as executing sensational campaigns or using head-turning creative. It takes ownership of a meaningful and differentiated idea in the mind of the customer — also known as your brand position. And nowhere is it more critical than when you’re harnessing the benefits of outdoor advertising.
The beauty of OOH campaigns lies in their simplicity. From messaging to design components, these tactics are proven to improve clarity and heighten audience recall for any brand. Yet these awareness mobilizers require high-level precision for maximum results.
When you embed positioning as the cornerstone, you can rest assured your OOH assets will bring 100% focus to your key differentiating quality. By getting the idea right, you know that the bold imagery, simple messaging, and eye-catching placement aren't just a shot in the dark, but an intentional, disciplined marketing effort.
The benefits of outdoor advertising allow you to reinforce your brand as part of your audience’s real-world routine. Positioning takes that one step further by emphasizing how your brand is different from the competition. If you’re aiming to win the battle for the minds of consumers, bringing positioning to your OOH advertising isn’t just an option; it’s a strategic necessity.
Out-of-home advertising campaign success stories
To demonstrate the benefits of outdoor advertising, here are some very creative and successful examples from world-class brands. From billboards to OOH ads, these are the campaigns that lead audiences to stop, stare, and consider.
One of the most recognizable industries to reap the benefits of outdoor advertising has been fast food. An example is the iconic brand McDonald’s. McDonald's is easily one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Although you may think the fast-food powerhouse doesn’t need intense advertising … that’s exactly what keeps its momentum.
In fact, the Big Mac creator's OOH ads have been so consistent that an audience can spot the brand from a piece of its logo or product alone. McDonald's has run two campaigns that include merely a portion of its golden arches. Using the cutoff image, the billboards point to the nearest restaurant. Some ads even included just a sliver of the iconic Big Mac. Yet consumers were still able to instantly recognize the brand associated with it. That effect is the goal of every awareness marketing campaign. When you take advantage of the benefits of OOH advertising, you can achieve that instant brand recognition through everyday repetition.
Another benefit of outdoor advertising is its dynamism. One example is the rise of transit advertisements. These typically include static and display ads placed on buses, trains, subways, and vehicle wraps. A newer form of transit ads is the addition of LED billboard trucks, which feature huge digital screens displaying advertisements. What makes these mobile billboards so successful? The fact that you can create more memorable impressions in high-visibility areas across an entire region, gaining a far bigger audience reach than static ads alone.
Innis Maggiore can take your brand OOH
Locally, Innis Maggiore has facilitated numerous OOH campaigns for clients. For years, Innis Maggiore has created engaging bus wraps for the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), including a special design to celebrate the transit authority’s 25th “Sartaversary.” Recently, we rebranded Scenic View Transportation to ReliaRide Medical Transportation, which unlocked the benefits of OOH advertising with brand-new vehicle graphics. These graphics now operate as the moving billboards for ReliaRide, increasing brand awareness with every client ride.
One of the agency’s most famous outdoor advertising campaigns involved Custom Auto Body, a client for more than four decades. The campaign featured America’s first inflatable billboard. The billboard featured a red Honda Accord that would inflate and deflate every 30 seconds to show the effects of a crash and like-new repair. Its creativity sparked media fascination that involved constant visits to the site, television appearances, and even a spot in marketing textbooks.
The positioning experts at Innis Maggiore aren’t just placing billboards or designing transit ads. We help you own an idea in the minds of your audience using the right OOH strategy. Let’s talk about how we can make your message unforgettable. Contact us to see the benefits of OOH advertising come to life for your brand.