What OOH’s quiet lockdown revolution can teach the wider marketing industry

Nicole Lonsdale, chief client officer, Kinetic Worldwide reveals the ways that an older dog has learned new tricks during the pandemic

Over the past few years, the media industry has increasingly been turning towards algorithms, big data, and analytics to generate invaluable insight; for better audience targeting and richer, more effective campaigns. And why wouldn’t we? Being able to access – and activate – data has evolved into a must-have to underpin the tailored targeting, engagement and interaction with audiences.

Yet the ways in which we can access and deploy that data are changing, and at a snowballing rate.

Since the advent of GDPR three years ago, we’ve witnessed systemic change, most recently the impending death of the third-party cookie and a divine right to data.

It’s had profound consequences for brand marketers and the wider media industry. It comes at a time when the end of pandemic regulations means many marketers can zero-base their next budget spend and properly assess the lay of the land and where to invest.

It may surprise you to learn that OOH, despite being advertising’s oldest medium, has spent the pandemic innovating, in a way the wider industry can learn from, and proving that you very much can teach an older dog new tricks.

OOH’s evolution has come at a crucial time, not just with our collective re-emergence from lockdown, but also as Apple and Google render cookies and user ID data practically obsolete.

This has massive implications for the methods traditionally employed by digital advertisers, who – in the main – are now having to wean off their previous approaches to tailored marketing.

It has also highlighted the necessity of utilising a first-party data-driven model and targeting audiences or cohorts, rather than individual consumers, something OOH is set to excel at in this new market context.

Its advancements in data and tech mean advertisers can now generate and implement first-party data outside of the digital sphere. This approach protects consumer privacy whilst also facilitating streamlined and targeted advertising campaigns.

Post-lockdown, it’s worth reminding marketers that what distinguishes OOH from other advertising counterparts is that it has a truly broad reach while retaining the ability to target specific audiences.

OOH maintains its huge audience reach capacity, ads can’t be skipped or blocked because a constant and dynamic flow of people on-the-move are seeing them daily.

Moreover, third-party aggregated geolocation data from sample populations can be overlaid, to understand the customer profiles of those who pass OOH advertisements in specific locations and at designated times.

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This data on audience movement provides invaluable insights, such as the number of people passing an advert throughout the day, as well as key demographics such as their age bracket and gender.

Through effective application of this data, industries can ensure that their target audiences receive relevant messages at the right time and in the right place, enabling high-performance campaigns at scale.

Despite the broad reach, OOH can get pretty specific.

Someone leaving the office at midday may well be looking for lunch. That person might be presented with an M&S Food ad that not only suggests a food item but also directs them to the nearest store (pictured).

Or a driving safety campaign might only light up billboards to drivers in winter, or only when it’s raining, or in particularly dangerous conditions.

In other words, OOH offers a less problematic environment in a privacy-first world. But in a way that can be just as contextually relevant, switching from demographic-focussed to behavioural.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a fundamental impact on industry practices and consumer behaviour, and OOH has provided a constant platform through which these changes can be navigated. 

The effects of the pandemic on the media industry are, as for many industries, profound and long-lasting. We live in a time of altered working patterns, transport usage, and regional lockdowns.

Amidst this uncertainty, marketers have had to adapt to run flexible and audience data-driven campaigns, which genuinely deliver at lower costs. 

Despite taking a significant hit over lockdown, the pandemic has redefined OOH as a responsive and super-intelligent medium that can identify postcode level audiences and activate campaigns in near-real time.

With capturing audience mobility patterns a natural focus for the medium, OOH is well-placed to create its own behavioural planning platforms that aren’t reliant on third-party data.

We use multiple behavioural and attitudinal data sources to create a robust and detailed picture of audience activity and intent.

Onboarded on to our in-house platform, Journeys, it uses near real-time data to offer key insights into which inventory is best placed to reach the target audience at the right time to optimise campaign planning for all routes to market.

With high-definition display technologies and the integration of real-time and in-depth data, OOH is evolving into a digital-first platform which allows for connected services and messages that are linked with consumer devices and networks.

More than ever, it is also perfectly positioned to deliver relevant, contextual, and geographically tailored campaigns that can react to specific behaviours and events, whether on national issues or local.

According to research conducted by Barclaycard Payments, British consumers spent 63% more at local businesses and specialist retailers in the last year than they did prior to the pandemic. Moreover, there are implications that this will be one of the legacies of Covid-19, with some consumers still opting to shop locally even once restrictions have eased.

The broad reach and high frequency of OOH campaigns generate strong brand awareness as well as a memorable call-to-action for consumers.

In this data-oriented age, marketers and advertisers are increasingly hard-pressed to source the data they need – yet OOH is proving that coupling first-party and contextual data can still be a powerful mix, an example that others will do well to follow.