Digital out-of-home is an extremely effective channel for capturing your audience’s attention and driving real-world impact with your marketing campaigns. Developing creatives for such a dynamic medium can be intimidating, so to help you get started, we’re sharing our top four tips for making the most of your DOOH messaging!
4 Tips to Improve Your Digital Out-of-Home Creative
Stay on Brand
Your brand name and/or logo should always be present throughout the entirety of your DOOH ad. This may sound redundant, but whether your creative is a single image or video, you want your brand name to be visible throughout the entire ad experience. Use bold, legible fonts that can easily be read on a variety of screens. On a similar note, contrasting colors are viewed well from great distances, so go ahead, go bright! When it comes to messaging, don’t overcomplicate it — a simple and interesting brand message can make a lasting impression.
Consider the Context:
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Think about the venue types where your ads will be running: Are you activating on large-format screens, best viewed from a distance by pedestrians or street-level traffic — or place-based screens, where consumers are engaged in contextually relevant environments like the grocery store or a gas station?
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Think about how personalized the experience will be for the consumer: Are consumers viewing a board from afar along with everyone else — or are they close-up and personally interacting with a self-service screen? Are these screens in high or low-trafficked areas? What does the population look like around the screen locations?
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Think about how long consumers will typically be in front of this screen: Is your audience driving by on the highway, or working out on a machine at the gym? Are they momentarily in the elevator heading up to the office, or are they receiving a treatment at the salon for a longer period of time?
Relevancy is Key:
Time and location are everything when it comes to developing relevant out-of-home creative. Seasonality, holidays, time of day and day of week can all majorly influence how your message is received. For instance, consider these use cases:
- Messaging tailored to morning commuters may differ from the messaging you use to reach on-the-go consumers in the evening.
- Take DMA into account. Depending on your product or service, it could make sense to tailor your creative that runs across NYC public transit from those found along LA highways.
- Likewise, creative messaging that will reach fitness enthusiasts on gym screens may differ in tone from creative you use to reach frequent travelers at airports.
- Weather patterns, current events and cultural events are also crucial tactics to consider when building out your creative strategy for DOOH. Consumers are bound to resonate with big, bold creative that is timely and relevant.
No matter when or where you’re activating, you don’t want your creativity to feel out of place!
Incorporate video:
If the venues where you’re activating accept video, consider using it! Video-driven OOH helps attract viewers, tell your story, and deliver emotion. Better yet, this provides the opportunity to leverage an existing TV or digital video spot, repurposing creative that’s already been developed and tested.
Pro Tip: However, be mindful that you don't overdo it. As we mentioned earlier, simpler is better. Even subtle animation can go a long way in elevating your creative and bringing depth and excitement to your messaging (as shown above!). And, if you’re going to use video with audio, be sure to include subtitles — ensuring the proper message is being captured by your audience. Not all DOOH screens play with sound.
Now – are you ready to get started? Get in touch with our team today for a free consultation.
