If there is one thing that advertisers are becoming increasingly concerned about, it’s the rise in use of ad-blocking software. With 198 million active ad-block users around the world costing the industry at least $22 billion in the past year alone, these worries are well founded.
It is increasingly obvious that what users want, they will get; what they do not want, they will block. And such insights are provoking advertisers to turn to unblockable media such as Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH). However, in a world where more people own a mobile phone than a toothbrush, mobile is a powerful marketing platform that should not be negatively affected by ad-blockers. Instead, we must (covertly) convince mobile users to engage with an ad.
Enter the dynamic duo. Or as I like to call it, DOOH-o.
Deployed alone, both DOOH and mobile have their own limitations. Without DOOH, mobile is an experience that is forced on the user, which may possibly be abused and blocked. Without mobile, DOOH does not achieve full user engagement and viewers are unable to continue their personal journey with the ad. However, when used together, DOOH and mobile complement each other’s strengths while compensating for the other’s weaknesses.
In a DOOH and mobile deployment, the DOOH billboard is an effective CTA. Not only is it unblockable, it is visually appealing in ways that mobile can only dream of. However, as DOOH is stationary, it needs mobile to take over.
When a DOOH billboard draws in a user that has chosen to engage, the interaction is transferred to their mobile phone. This can be achieved through the likes of NFC tags or beacons, and carried out on mobile screens in any form the advertiser wishes the user to take on-the-go.
Simple enough, but achieving these results takes work. Targeting the desired audience with the appropriate DOOH display is of utmost importance — this is what attracts the target eyeballs in the first place. Additionally, the DOOH display must encourage interaction that is not forced but voluntary. The interaction needs to be accomplished through a channel suitable for the placement of the DOOH billboard as well as the user (an eye-level billboard at the mall can use a QR code because it is within reach for most people). Finally, the page the user is redirected to must be optimized for mobile and be intuitive enough for the user to continue the ad experience (like a mobile landing page).
Another strength of the mobile-DOOH duo is effective measurement and analysis. Although the number of interactions for the deployment may appear low compared to deploying mobile or DOOH alone, keep in mind it is quality over quantity. Every interaction was a choice on the user’s behalf and most likely resulted in higher brand awareness than simple impressions.
Strategically implementing the above will likely result in a powerhouse of extreme ad appeal and high user engagement.
And Ad-block?
It won’t even be on your list of considerations.
Jody Smith
Product Manager
BroadSign
