When I saw a bright pink bus drive past me with mini shipping containers on top, the first thing I did was Google "Ocean Network Express".
I couldn't believe the brand was a newly merged B2B shipping company. Taking a guess, I assumed they're targeting a niche demographic of logistics and supply chain managers in companies engaged in freight? Or their re-brand awareness exercise may have been for shareholders?
Whatever the case, it made me want to shake the hand of their CMO for using a traditionally consumer-led media placement, and got me on the topic of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising for B2Bs....
Why should you consider OOH?
B2B participation in OOH has traditionally been scarce. Why? Is it because we think our B2B audiences aren't walking in front of this advertising real estate? Or do we think measurement is hard? Or is it because we assume its too expensive?
Digital. Digital. Digital. We're all focused on how to master it, when there are existing "traditional" channels that can afford the same creativity/interactivity, and distribution/reach potential.
1. Your customer's (literal) customer journey
Our target audiences in B2B aren't defined by their company. They're defined by the people who work in those companies; who have an individual customer journey. In the case of OOH, their journey is important in a literal sense.
Did you know the best time to post on LinkedIn is right before or right after work? Why? Because people use their commute to/from home as the time to keep up to date with their industry information.
So by mapping the literal journey of your target audience, understanding the best locations for OOH can provide a captive audience to communicate with.
Take a look at how your audience may behave when they leave their offices. Can their behaviours be defined by:
- International Travel (Airport Billboards, Baggage Carousels)
- Sports Interests (Stadiums/Golf Courses)
- Geographic Concentrations (Office Buildings/Train Stations?)
And in our mobile-first world, where you google everything you don't automatically have an answer for, walking past a banner (or shipping containers on a bus) may be all that's required, for them to google you and get engagement.
You can't deny this banner has a point....
2. How data, tech and OOH are colliding.
One of the best advances in OOH is the merging of a physical space and digital media and data services.
a) Data
Today, mobile technology allows us to tracks views, "call-to-action", and location data, allowing OOH to have a tangible measurement method, and also to marry demographic information with physical locations.
b) Tech Advances
The technology is so advanced that in some cases, ads can be served based on a specific demography, geography or behaviour. Football field banners can show a different ad banner depending on where you're watching the match from (read more here).
It's no wonder Digital OOH is forecasted to grow to a $5bn industry this year.
More on that here.
3. Creative Innovations
As I stood at the bus stop by myself a few months ago, I heard it..."achoo"..... looking around, and seeing no one, I went on reading whatever was on my phone, and then I heard it again "achoo".... the sneezing sound was coming from an interactive billboard (or Digital Out of Home - DOOH) advertising for Singapore's Health Promotion Board; along with a dispenser for free face-masks - to wear to protect others against the spread of colds etc.
Whether or not you believe the stories that the average consumer is said to have a lower attention span (8 seconds) than a goldfish (9 seconds), you can't deny that most of your customers may have their head's buried in their phones.
So the traditional methods of getting someone's attention is requiring creative innovations (speak to your creative agency wisely!).
See one of my favourite examples:
4. Execution
Cost and ease of booking have traditionally been a barrier to considering OOH. It's not been as easy as booking digital ad banners on social media or via google.
But the industry is catching up. Ad exchanges for physical advertising real estate or OOH real estate is are building rapidly. It's now easier to log online and book a space - and with that, costs are becoming more transparent and negotiable. Example here.
I encourage you to do the math. Look at cost per view offline and online for your next campaign, and judge for yourself whether OOH or DOOH should be a more frequent visitor to your B2B marketing plans...
Hope you enjoyed my experience and thoughts on OOH and why B2B brands should consider it.
Please share your own experiences here or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/window-seat-group (Follow our page there for more!)