Reach Extension From Out-of-Home Ads Touted in Study

The Outdoor Advertising
Association of America has released a new study that it hopes will show
marketers how out-of-home advertising can increase ROI -- provided the ads are
placed where consumers are likely to be receptive to the messages.

The study, conducted by the
Media Behavior Institute and titled "USA TouchPoints," found that more than 80%
of Americans can be reached on a daily basis while away from home and work. And
it suggests multiple out-of-home formats that are most effective at reaching
the consumers.

The report posits that when
added to other media, out-of-home ads can potentially increase consumer reach.
Adding billboards to online advertising, for example, could more than double
afternoon reach. The report also found the consumers feel positively while
exposed to out-of-home ads, and on an emotional index, billboard audiences have
a higher percentage of positive feelings than TV commercial audiences.

"Americans often feel more
positive when outside the home engaged in the daily activities of life, making
OOH advertising the best choice for reaching consumers when they are feeling
their best," says Nancy Fletcher, OAAA president and CEO.

The analysis of the study was
based on data from 1,000 smartphone diaries. Data was captured every 30 minutes
over 10 days, tracking details such as location, media use, social setting,
emotion and activities.

Some of the findings and
conclusions include:

  • The peak time for reaching
    consumers outside the home is from noon to 6 p.m.
  • Consumers spend about as much
    time outside the home on weekends as they do on weekdays, but patterns vary
    based on age and income level.
  • While outside the home,
    consumers are doing things crucial to marketers, such as using media and being
    reached by messages, socializing and influencing others and shopping and making
    purchases.
  • Outdoor billboards are not
    the only way to reach people outside the home. Ads can be bought in airports,
    hotels, at grocery stores and supermarkets and at gyms, among other locations.
  • Adding outdoor billboards to
    a TV campaign can add 17% more reach; adding billboards to an online campaign
    can add 65% more reach; to a radio campaign, 41% more reach; to a social
    network campaign, 200% more reach; and adding billboards to a mobile campaign
    can increase reach by 300%.
  • Adding alternative
    advertising in airports, hotels, grocery stores and gyms can add 9% more reach
    to a TV campaign; 32% more reach to an online campaign; 27% to a radio
    campaign; 100% to a social network campaign; and 148% to a mobile campaign.