Expert: Top tips for a strong outdoor ad strategy
Kristina: Why should marketers aim to create memorable experiences on a “grassroots level?” How can marketers accomplish such an experience?
Candice Simons, CEO, Brooklyn Outdoor: Experiential marketing presents a unique opportunity to engage with customers on a grassroots level. Sprint is one example of a brand that created a moveable asset to travel throughout local festivals in Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. The asset invited festival-goers to interact with the brand by using a photo booth, trying the “Service Speed Test” on their mobile devices, and providing an escape from the heat on a summer day. The moveable asset successfully created a memorable experience for festival patrons by harnessing experiential marketing techniques.
Kristina: Why do you need outdoor advertising for experiential marketing needs?
Candice: Marketers will experience more success with brand exposure if they incorporate outdoor advertising into their media mix. Brands should consider pairing experiential marketing efforts with a large wallscape or digital component, especially in places where an actual outdoor landscape (i.e. a building, bus, train, etc.) can be utilized as a backdrop. By incorporating brand messaging with OOH efforts, marketers can create a frequency of exposure and leave a lasting, positive impression on their audience.
Kristina: Can you give us an example of this?
Candice: Walt Disney Studios is an example of a brand that incorporates OOH advertisements for experiential marketing initiatives. A recent case study produced by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America cites that the dynamo studio recently sought to broaden its reach outside of the family audience for its movie, Zootopia. The studio utilized OOH in the form of digital mall kiosks, digital sky banners, and wraps on city buses and trains. By engaging with consumers via OOH advertisements through a series of creative initiatives, Disney succeeded in broadening its audience reach.
Kristina: Can you offer any new trends you’re seeing in the experiential marketing space?
Candice: We’re noticing experiential tactics being used more frequently in non-traditional settings where large audiences are engaged in their outdoor environment. For example, marketers are harnessing urban landscapes and business districts as an opportunity to reach consumers who are exploring the outdoors on their lunch breaks. By reaching consumers who are actively outside of their workplace and in a positive mindframe, brands will more effectively leave a lasting impression.
