The Out of Home (OOH) decade closed on a relative high with the medium performing well in the past twelve months, according to PML Group’s annual Posterwatch market review.
The report highlights the fact that a decade that begun with pretty much no digital inventory finished the period with digital OOH accounting for more than 25% of advertiser investment in the channel. It states that for many bands now, DOOH is the vehicle to deliver more optimised, automated and relevant output, while tempering none of their mass marketing ambitions. These brands are integrating data to trigger creative at appropriate times to appropriate audiences.
The agency’s Liveposter platform carried Dynamic Digital campaigns in 2019 for brands including Vhi, Budweiser, Cadbury, Aer Lingus and McDonald’s. A hitherto lack of roadside digital formats was addressed in 2019 with JCDecaux’s launch of Digshelters (digitised bus shelters) and Digipanels (digitised Metropanels), adding to well served retail, commuter and leisure environments. Large formats digital roadside is also now a reality with some key 48 Sheet and Golden Square sites converted to digital in late 2019.
Classic OOH formats also had a strong 2019 and the report cites the enduring power of Billboards, Bus Shelters and Bus T-Sides as brand and coverage builders. The year produced some incredible innovation and experiential pieces including Ireland’s largest ever Billboard special for AIB and a powerful and thought-provoking activation for Transport for Ireland to help combat racism on its public transport assets.
Retail was the most active category on OOH in 2019, largely driven by supermarket activity and most notable among these were Dunnes Stores, Lidl and Tesco. The retail sector accounted for more than 13% of all OOH display and increased its investment by 29% for the year.
Beers and Ciders were the next most active category although in 2019 more than 10% of its spend was on alcohol-free brands, a trend PML Group expects to continue into 2020, along with greater activity for more health focused and sustainable brands.
The top five advertisers on OOH in 2019 were Diageo, McDonald’s, eir, Coca Cola and Sky.
According to Colum Harmon, marketing director, PML Group: “The OOH medium is trusted, high quality in display and highly effective in a packed media landscape. An amalgamation of quality classic, high end digital and more and more relevant audience insight and data means the channel ended 2019 in great shape. Out of Home is finding new ways to provide solutions for brands and we look forward to bringing more to fruition in 2020.”
