When it comes to OOH advertising, the choice of the environment is paramount, writes Antoinette O’Callaghan of Exterion Media.
Here in Ireland we take on average 2 ½ trips out of our homes every day. The reasons we leave our homes varies and depends largely on our life stage. Nearly 2 million people – 50 % of our Adult population – are going to work while over a million Irish citizens are in full-time education.
But aside from our compulsory journeys there are a wide range of reasons why we leave the comfort of our homes on a daily basis. The nature and levels of these journeys were recorded in Ireland on the Move, a study undertaken by Behaviour and Attitude on behalf of Exterion Media.
With the large number of journeys and wide range of missions it is not surprising that the always on Out-of-Home market is used to influence audiences at national, local and hyper local levels.
We own cars, buy insurance, go on holidays, buy clothes, entertain ourselves in cinemas, theatres and clubs and route our finances through banks. And we all eat. 69% of us think about our dinner on our daily journeys with 60% of us thinking about the grocery item we need to buy. Our expenditure on food alone accounts for on average 21% of our disposable income and it should come as no small surprise that the Irish grocery market is worth an estimated €10 billion to the economy.
Out-of-Home advertising can influence purchasing and choice by targeting audiences by context, demographic groups, mindset and intent. Advertising on buses and roadside are the prime time spots of the Out-of-Home market. The efficacy of this environment is well documented and beyond dispute.
Going off-road into our Commuter hubs and shopping centres delivers a more intense and concentrated advertising experience. These environments are the appointment to view locations. There is time for consideration on paths to purchase for everyday grocery and entertainment items as well as big ticket purchases such as cars and holidays. The exposure and frequency of contact with advertising messages off road adds depth to Out-of-Home campaigns delivering above average message recall levels. This case was proven in The Right Track, a collaborative study from Exterion Media and Kinetic Ireland into the effectiveness of advertising in the rail environment earlier this year. Brand message recall levels in the rail environment, across both classic and digital formats, recorded higher than average OOH norm levels as measured by Millward Brown.
The congruity of shopping environments for audience behaviour is marked by intent and our intentions are nudged by brand messages that influence choice as well as stimulate impulse purchases.
“The Digital Effect” study from Exterion Media and PML Group into the effectiveness of digital Out-of-Home advertising outlined that 61% of shoppers were influenced in purchase choice by ads they had seen on the dPods. In addition, ads on the dPods triggered 30% of shoppers to make impulse purchases during their shopping journey. Our Love Irish Food Brand Award winners have experienced significant sales uplift in their products sales following the appearance of their campaigns on PurchasePoints and Retail dPods despite no other above the line advertising activity. In effect advertising in the Retail environment becomes the last click in the offline shopping world.
The efficacy of Out-of-Home off road environments remind us that we need to judge our media not just by its ability to reach audiences with advertising messages but with its ability to effect change and influence consumer decisions.
We are fortunate to have differing environments and an eclectic mix of classic and digital formats to allow all brands create a little bit of theatre in the Out-of-Home space. We find ourselves in the unique position where technology enhances rather than restricts our formats. The much talked about perfect marriage of Out-of-Home and mobile promotes word-of-mouth via social networks and encourages immediate on-the-move search. The availability of data allows us to improve impact and audience reach with day-part, week-part and multiple rich-copy executions.
The Out-of-Home sector presents numerous opportunities to reach audiences on the wide path to purchase. Introducing Behavioural Economics and understanding mindset and intent allows advertisers to create content that maximises the opportunity for influence across all Out-of-Home environments and enhance audience engagement in high dwell time locations.
First published in Irish Marketing Journal (June 2016)© to order back issues please call 016611660
