2018 will be an important year for OOH advertising. Key developments will include more flexible and efficient trading of OOH campaigns, more relevant and engaging creative content targeted to specific locations and contexts, and new ways of measuring return on investment. These changes will allow OOH advertising to deliver more impactful and effective campaigns for clients.

1. 2018A NEW ERA FOR OOH

2. @
In a fragmented media landscape, OOH continues to deliver
in both reach (90% reach of adult population) and time spent
(over three hours a day) with the medium. Alongside this,
DOOH will represent 50% of revenues but most importantly
will now be able to reach 50% of the adult population.
OOH is reaching a tipping point where data, technology and
the OOH infrastructure are able to integrate and connect to
deliver more impactful, efficient and effective campaigns for
clients than ever before.
Some of the initiatives we are seeing will only help drive
this in 2018.

3. With nearly a third of search queries still related to location,
location-based messaging is not merely a trend on the rise but
an expected part of the service. Advertisers creating Dynamic
campaigns, serving relevant contextual messages, are seeing an
average uplift of15% across branding metrics from displaying
different messages at different times according to audience
context. A single repeated message broadcast in OOH works,
but new, flexible ways of serving campaigns means multiple
messages highly relevant by location will be a strong option for
many campaigns.
Location
will become
mainstream:
Location: Deliveroo used multiple creative content based on
a variety of data triggers such as location, points of interest,
events and weather.

4. Touchpoints data shows that 99% of smartphone owners use
their devices whilst OOH in any given week. Brands like KFC are
already tapping into this by incorporating Snapcodes into OOH
campaigns to drive reach and engagement like never before.
Combining the two channels makes sense for consumers who
already exhibit these behaviours and is appealing for brands who
can link them to CRM data and track attribution in new ways.
New OOH formats such as public WiFi, phone chargers, beacons
and more will strengthen the alignment between OOH and mobile.
Integration
with mobile
will increase
Integration with Mobile: KFC creative featured Snapchat codes
enabling passers-by to unlock a specially branded KFC filter featuring
the colonel himself.

5. Automation in the media world has various definitions but a key
benefit is efficiency. Lead times are reduced, activation sped up
and time previously spent on manual tasks can be freed up to
out-think competitors. Advertisers will take advantage of live
OOH availability allowing more efficient buys and making
investments go further in a tried and tested channel.
Automation
will drive
efficiency
Automaton: Charlotte Tilbury used dynamic scheduling to
automate product creative content based on the location’s
hourly audience profile and current weather conditions.

6. Smarter data
sets will
inform smarter
campaigns
Brands invest in understanding who visits their real-estate (online
or otherwise) and can often ascribe their customer behaviours to
locations. Organisations with huge sets of data like EE, can apply
anonymised and aggregated digital data to the real world to see
where people are using social media or browsing sites and apps.
2018 will see smarter use of data sets, that when combined with
a brand’s first-party data, will produce powerful consumer insight
and inform smarter campaigns.
Smarter data: Santander creative pulls in first-party app data to
inform passers-by of locations where cycles are available.

7. Targeting will
be driven by
context
New data sets and technologies are allowing advertisers to go
beyond demographics to understand who is in front of their ad
in real time. Ads can already be triggered by what car people are
driving, what brands they are wearing or even their emotional
state, driving relevancy to them in that moment. Many DOOH
sites have this capability baked-in already and advertisers looking
to beat the competition will look to incorporate this type of
targeting into their campaigns.
Targeting by Context: Smart billboards detect make, model and
year of passing cars and serve Chevrolet messaging to a designated
competitive set.

8. Civic utility
and ad-space
will converge
The OOH space is where people go when trying to complete
specific tasks. Nowadays it’s not as simple as walking to the shops
to complete a task; a range of technology from smartphones to
public WiFi is put into use to achieve goals.
Civic authorities and media owners are looking to address this,
with OOH sites getting smarter and going beyond just ad-space
to content hubs and technology enablers. New formats include
useful local information like weather forecasts or host local
network infrastructure like public WiFi, all designed to enhance
the lives of people in locale. The new functionality of these sites
will provide more opportunities for brands and governments to
serve, learn and engage local audiences like never before.
Civic Utility: InLinkUK, a new communications network, provides
ultrafast, free public Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging and a tablet
for access to city services, maps and directions.

9. OOH is a tried and trusted medium that continues to build
fame and drive action amongst audiences in a broadcast style.
New, smarter ways for trading the channel are creating new
opportunities for brands to maximise its broadcast capabilities.
Previously, OOH trading occurred months out from live dates,
with the exact sites selected up-front, at a fixed-rate, and
lump-sum investments. Now channel investment can be more
flexible with part of campaigns confirmed days before live date
rather than months with the advantage of discounted inventory.
Campaigns that adopt this approach will drive more efficient
purchases and agile adaptation to changing marketing priorities.
New trading
models will
increase ROI
ROI: VERY used geo-fenced locations, EE and client sales data to
serve real-time content based on top-selling deals in that location on
Black Friday.

10. Content
will break
through
By showing content to consumers, rather than explaining product
features, advertisers can provide value, letting a product speak for
itself in a more powerful and unforgettable way. Content can be
useful, creative or contextual but at its core it offers an experience
to the consumer so they can connect with a brand emotionally.
In a busy multi-media world where brands must fight to win
attention, captivating content-driven campaigns, storytelling and
driving results, will become far more prevalent.
Content: The Tate Gallery broadcasted animated clips of Hockney’s
brushstrokes, building to reveal a painting in the artists inimitable style,
on screens around the UK.

11. Facebook infamously defined video views at three seconds.
That may be deemed appropriate for social views but in OOH
where formats are rarely longer than 10 seconds and attention
dips after just 0.86 seconds, focusing on the first moment of
creative will become critical. OOH already has the foundations
for success with unmissable formats and locations, but it will
increasingly adopt social and digital engagement principles
such as short-form formats like GIFs to deliver fast,
yet captivating experiences.
Creative will
focus on the
first impression
Creative: Nescafe Azura combined live train departure data
and people’s names to create an animated engaging campaign.

12. Summary
2018 will be an important year for OOH, that will see
new and more flexible ways to plan and trade the medium,
more relevant and engaging creative, served at the right time,
in the right location, and consequently deliver more return
on investment.