Out-of-home media spend is up 27%

According to a new report from PQMedia, alternative out-of-home ad campaigns - digital billboards and video ad networks - are working better than marketers had hoped. According to the report, alternative out-of-home media spending jumped to $1.69 billion in 2006 and is expected to grow even more in 2007.

by Kristina Knight

The report expects 27.7% growth in 2007. The segment has seen double digit growth every year since 2001. Video advertising is expected to push the most growth in 2007; that segment showed a 26% growth in 2006.

"The trends impeding traditional media - consumer fragmentation and control, advertising accountability and the emergence of digital technology - are the very catalysts stimulating the tremendous growth in alternative out-of-home advertising," said Patrick Quinn, President and CEO of PQ Media. "Unlike its mass media peers, alternative out-of-home advertising is impervious to channel or web surfing and is immune to audience fragmentation."

Alternative out-of-home spending is so hot now because American users spend so much time away from home. Whether commuting to work, going out with friends or simply shopping for household items, more often than not advertisers will make a better connection when consumers are focused on them.

Marketers can take this information and apply it to other online marketing avenues, such as mobile marketing. Studies have shown that users logon to mobile sites as they need specific information, so taking part of the online spend and applying it to mobile campaigns or digital billboards could net a greater revenue increase.