As the last several years have demonstrated, out-of-home, or OOH, advertising is playing a more important role than ever — something unlikely to change in 2023. In fact, OOH is poised to make greater strides than ever, incorporating new technology into the ecosystem of advertising. From the evolution of trustworthy standards, like QR codes, to more advanced innovations, like 360 Video, these are the trends to keep in mind for the upcoming year.
QR Codes
The prominence of QR codes is unlikely to dwindle in 2023; instead, the influx of new tools is making this strategy more effective than ever.
Using QR codes in posters and other physical advertising, like transit ads, is an approach that can marry old school and new school, engaging customers digitally with offers and perks while still driving brand awareness in the moment. And now, with tools like PostReminder that allow those who scan QR codes to get reminders and prompts on your schedule — like when sales start and end, or when new products launch — you can keep users engaged long after their initial point of contact. This also offers the ability to push exclusive content, select users for product trials, and deliver specific information to devices to best maximize reach.
Virtual and Augmented Reality, and 360 Video
3D OOH advertising is on the way, and savvy brands should learn how to utilize these tools sooner rather than later to stay ahead of the competition. The most compelling of the opportunities is Google’s Display & Video 360 product. Now available for OOH advertising purposes, this option allows advertisers to capitalize on screens of any size, creating an immersive extended reality setting. This brings an advertising campaign alive for users, allowing them to effectively exist within an advertising environment in a holistic manner.
While there is no way to specifically target demographics, advertisers can easily use screen location, like at stadiums during sports games, to garner impressions. And with programmatic opportunities, it can be fast and easy to attract the right eyeballs.
AR/VR options hold significant potential as well. This can extend to interactive games, animation, and even virtual tours of a location or event. Snapchat did particularly well with such a campaign in 2021, utilizing QR codes in physical locations to give users access to new landscapes and filters called Lenses. With 1.5 million Lenses created in the initial weeks of the campaign, the company was able to drive users across major cities worldwide to its platform.
Skyvertising (Drone Advertising)
As drone technology improves, so do the potential uses — and one of these is advertising from a new and enticing perspective. Drone outdoor media performances, such as light shows and image projections, are growing in popularity at conferences, concerts, and sporting events. The most notable example? The opening ceremony for the 2021 Olympics, where nearly 2,000 drones took to the sky to create vibrant images, including transforming into a stylized globe that could be seen for miles.
These light shows are, in essence, fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles that come together to create something beautiful. With the ability to light designs spanning hundreds of feet, skyvertising has big potential to draw eyes and impress crowds.
Continued Transition to DOOH
The digital out-of-home space continues to grow, providing a wider reach to companies eager for creative expression. While there are still plenty of uses for traditional billboards and transit ads, for example, the digital avenues offer far more in the way of flexibility and creativity. These tactics can include:
- Use of sensors to target the presence of consumers or to use atmospheric data to push the most appealing products forward, like a cold drink in hot weather.
- Facial recognition and Bluetooth beacons to leverage two-way interactions between ads and consumers.
- VR/AR opportunities, as discussed above, to provide content that engages and informs.
- Environmental buying triggers placed strategically to raise awareness and drive impressions.
Sustainability
As the threat of global warming continues to rise, brands and consumers alike are focusing on sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives. Companies that want to promote green initiatives and entice customers looking to align themselves with sustainable brands can leverage DOOH advertising methods to do so. This is particularly important for companies looking to achieve a net-neutral carbon footprint.
A digital OOH infrastructure offers compelling opportunities in this space. In addition to efficiency strategies designed to minimize the impact of rolling out new campaigns, brands can take advantage of things like:
- Premium site selection
- The use of clean energy, like solar panels, to power digital ad spaces
- Recyclable products
- Use of energy-efficient LED displays
With so many OOH trends to take advantage of, 2023 is poised to be a big year for growth and development. If your company wants to attract customers, maximize impressions, and stay ahead of the competition, embracing these kinds of strategies is the perfect way to engage.
