A Comparative Analysis of OOH Billboard Advertising and AR-Powered Media

In the dynamic world of advertising, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture the attention and imagination of consumers. One of the traditional methods that has stood the test of time is Out-of-Home (OOH) billboard advertising. However, with the advent of technology, Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a powerful tool, revolutionizing the advertising landscape.

Is AR the new Spectacular billboard? Spectacular billboards are grand in size and unique in scope and execution. Spectacular billboards are typically buzzworthy, often break out of the frame, and include 3D elements. But AR is much more than that. In this article, we delve into the benefits and limitations of OOH billboard advertising and explore the burgeoning potential of AR-powered media, including AR billboards and murals.

By the way, we are not discussing 3D anamorphic DOOH billboards as we have posted a good article about them here – https://www.groovejones.com/3d-billboards-101-anamorphic-and-forced-perspective-ooh-campaigns/

OOH Billboard Advertising: Traditional and Static

When comparing traditional OOH billboards with AR-powered media, it is evident that AR offers a more dynamic and interactive advertising experience. While OOH billboards have a wide reach and can make a strong visual impact, they lack the interactive and personalized engagement that AR can offer.

Benefits

1. Wide Reach: OOH billboards are strategically placed in high-traffic areas, ensuring visibility to many people.
2. Unavoidable: Unlike online ads, billboards cannot be skipped or blocked, guaranteeing that the message reaches the audience.
3. Creative Freedom: Billboards offer a large canvas for creative and artistic expressions, allowing advertisers to make bold statements.
4. Location-Specific Targeting: Advertisers can target specific demographics based on the billboard’s location.

Limitations

1. Limited Engagement: Print ads offer limited opportunities for engagement, as they are static and cannot incorporate interactive elements.
2. Static Nature: Traditional billboards are fixed, limiting the ability of the audience to engage with the brand.
3. Call To Action Limitations: It is challenging for the user to take immediate action.
4. Measurement Challenges: It is difficult to measure the effectiveness and ROI of billboard advertising accurately.

AR-Powered Media: New and Interactive

AR-powered billboards and murals take advertising to a new dimension, offering an immersive experience that can captivate consumers in relevant new ways. Moreover, the ability to gather data analytics allows for more targeted and effective advertising campaigns.

Benefits

1. Enhanced Interactive Engagement: AR-powered media offers an interactive experience, engaging consumers more effectively. Due to the interactive nature of these campaigns, they will be remembered longer than passive campaigns. Interactivity can enhance engagement, potentially leading to better retention of the message.
2. No App Needed: Everyone can activate an AR experience by scanning a QR Code and viewing AR through their mobile browser.
3. Longer Dwell Time: Because AR is interactive and animated, consumers spend more time with the ads.
4. Buzzworthy Social Media Engagement: A successful billboard campaign can spur social media engagement in the digital age. Consumers love to post things that are special and unique.
5. Immediate Impact: Interactive campaigns often create a direct impact, with viewers likely to remember the content for a few days to a week, especially if it involves engaging elements that encourage user participation.
6. Personalized Content: AR allows for the delivery of customized content, enhancing the relevance and impact of the advertisement.
7. Data Analytics: AR provides valuable data analytics, helping advertisers measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Limitations

1. Technology Dependency: The effectiveness of AR advertising requires the consumer to use a phone. (But doesn’t everyone carry a phone nowadays?)
2. Development Costs: Developing AR content adds to the cost of creating the print media.
3. QR Codes: Often requires a QR Code on the media.
4. Not for Highways: Consumers must have the time to scan the QR Code and activate the billboard. Speeding down a highway is not going to work.

In the digital age, a successful billboard campaign might also spur social media engagement. Viewers might take pictures of the billboard and share them on social media, indicating that they spent considerable time interacting with the advertisement. The viral effect is when others pass a post along, share, and repost. If the campaign goes viral, it can be remembered for several months or even years, as it keeps resurfacing on various platforms, reinforcing memory retention.

Advertisers benefit from social engagement through the broader reach that a social post or video will generate. Combining print and digital mediums allows you to reach a wider audience, reaching those onsite and connecting with a digitally connected audience.

It’s important to note that “success” can be subjective and depends on the campaign’s goals. It might vary from brand to brand and campaign to campaign. Moreover, integrating the billboard campaign with other marketing strategies can also influence the time spent with the billboard and its overall success.

Innovative Creative Opportunities

Groove Jones creates AR-powered content, which means we also make the traditional printed billboard or mural content. We have a unique perspective on using AR on large-scale media like billboards. Our work has won numerous Addy and Obie awards and has helped innovate the OOH advertising industry. The fusion of AR with billboard advertising opens up creative possibilities. Advertisers can experiment with 3D projections, interactive narratives, and real-time content updates, offering a dynamic and innovative approach to traditional advertising. This creative freedom allows brands to break away from the clutter, crafting unique campaigns that stand out and captivate audiences.

As the advertising sector evolves, integrating Augmented Reality with traditional OOH billboard campaigns is a promising frontier. AR transforms billboard advertising into a dynamic and immersive medium by fostering interactive experiences, enhancing brand recall, facilitating targeted advertising, and offering innovative creative avenues. As brands strive to create impactful campaigns, the fusion of AR technology with traditional advertising mediums offers a pathway to achieve unprecedented success in the advertising domain.