Advertising media comes in many shapes and sizes – print, video, radio, banner ads, OOH and more. Once you’ve decided who your audience is and what their media consumption habits are, and have decided your media of choice, the next step is creating captivating, engaging content that once exposed to your ad…your audience will read your message!

However, it’s more than just finding the right media for your audience, it’s understanding the media, and where and how your audience is interacting with it to help determine ‘what to say’ and ‘how to say it’.

While the agency account teams and brand managers write and re-write creative briefs, once it gets into the hands of the designer, that’s when the words come to life. Remember though that ad design that works in print may not translate well to video or to out-of-home. Each media vehicle has its own nuance.

Adcorp offers out-of-home, in-store supermarket advertising media programs to our customers, and have been doing so for over 10 years. It’s our ‘thing’, and like the old KFC jingle…’We do OOH right’.

Not only are our out-of-home print and digital in-store programs effective, targeted advertising vehicles, we also have a design team that knows this medium and what works best in terms of effective, engaging design and have worked, successfully (read: patiently) with our customers to help them understand what design techniques work best.

This blog is a first in a series of tips compiled from our strategists and designers to help other designers and clients using this medium to understand the best approach and design aspects for out-of-home advertising.

First, let’s start with Strategy…

Tips For Developing a Great OOH Creative Strategy

More often than not, out-of-home media serves as a branding tool to generate awareness of your brand, and what it stands for.

That said, here’s what you need to know to make your ad effective and engaging.

Think about your business

Identify your strengths and let them shine! Think about your business in a more abstract way. It may help to try to view your business from the point of view of your customers/clients. What is it about your business that makes your clients choose you? What makes you different from the competition in your area? How do you want customers to feel about your business after they view your ad – what’s the ONE THING you’d like them to remember about your business.

Think about the space

OOH advertisements are everywhere, and we engage with more ads out of our home than ever before! Where will your ad be featured? Is it a static print ad or a video/motion graphic? Think about where your ad will be and try to connect to the people passing it. Visit the location where your ad will be featured. How will your target be engaging with your ad.

Focus on a single message

Choose one main point that you would like to convey to your audience and stick to it. Focus on the one thing that makes your business stand out from the competition and shows the end benefit of choosing you, specifically. The benefit of your service may be the same as your competitor so think about the end-end benefit that is unique to you, something that may garner an emotional response (trust, safety, experience) vs. price, customer service, etc. The ad itself is to get them interested in you and to show how you differ. Make the message relevant to them.

Keep it simple – Less is more

It is most effective in this medium to keep the information about your business ‘short and sweet’ and to the point. Try not to be too clever or funny. If it takes too long for your audience to figure out what you are saying, you’ll lose them. Too many messages will only confuse a viewer and may end up ultimately taking away from your message rather than adding to it. It is important to keep it focused on that one central message. Since OOH media typically serves as a branding tool, steer away from elaborate messages and KISS ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid.’

So, embrace the thoughtful artistry of a simple design. OOH is not like standard print advertising which gives the user time to read the ad and digest the message. Typically OOH ads are placed in hi-traffic areas so the simple message repetition is what will build the branding message.

Remember, you only have a few seconds to capture a potential customer’s attention and an engaging, stunning image will capture their attention, and a concise, simple message will register your business name, and the benefit of your service. A clean, simple ad can do all those things at once.

Next in our series of ‘Design Tips for Effective OOH Advertising’ our designers will address the specifics of ad creation.

The post Understanding Strategy and Design Tips for Effective OOH Advertising appeared first on Supermarket Advertising.

According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, OOH advertising is now a $29 billion market in the US and is responsible for approximately 6 percent of the $500 billion global advertising spending, outweighing TV advertising. Its revenue is expected to grow by 3 to 4 percent per year over the next five years to reach $33 billion by 2021 in the US.

As part of its increasing importance in the media mix, OOH market share has increased from 8 percent to 10 percent of traditional media advertising spending, which includes TV, print, radio, among other categories. Given the fragmented viewing habits of consumers and the fact that they are always on the move, it’s no surprise that OOH media is playing a more important role in media plans.

Supermarket advertising is one type of OOH media and refers to out of home media placement in the supermarket arena. Given the hyper-local aspect of this particular media, local and regional business utilize this media often so they can target shoppers in a specific zip code or DMA since those are the prospects most likely to utilize their services. National advertisers, specifically CPG brands, use this media since the advertising is at the store level, right at the point of purchase yet can also be an effective vehicle for generating an immediate purchase or long-term branding.

Forbes states that 70% of purchase decisions are made in-store by consumers; and it makes sense since shoppers spend an average of 41 minutes per visit, and go often, sometimes 2-3 times per week, so supermarket advertising offers not only exposure to the shoppers, but repetition as well, resulting in saturation of its message to the shopper.

Types of Supermarket Advertising

There are several media formats that represent in-store supermarket advertising including print and digital:

Supermarket Advertising Print formats include:

• Shopping Cart Advertising

Placed on either the baby seat or front of the cart, Shopping carts provide continuous advertising throughout the entire duration of a consumer’s shopping trip.

• Welcome Center

The Welcome Center is typically placed at the entrance/exit of the store. The fixture distributes weekly circulars and complimentary cart wipes and offers up to 8 square feet of advertising.

• Market Information Center

Located inside the entrance or exit vestibule of the store, the Market Information Center provides advertisers with large-scale advertising. With up to 16 square feet of space to deliver an advertiser’s message.

• Ad Bench

Ad Benches can be found outside the supermarket entrance, inside the interior vestibule or across from the checkout aisles. Benches are another classic in-store media format as they provide advertisers with the opportunity to deliver their message on a 2’ x 8’ banner.

• Receipt/Register tapes

Register tape advertising places your advertisement on the back of a receipt, typically in the form of a coupon. Customers must receive their receipt after checking out.

• Shelf Talkers

Shelf display advertisements are found promoting new deals or brands on product shelves.

• Floor Graphics

Displays can be found on the floor of the supermarket.

Separately, in-store Radio Advertising is an option for advertisers to reach shoppers. An in-store Radio Network delivers your message to shoppers through targeted in-store radio programming. Your radio commercial will reach every shopper, everywhere in the store.

Digital and Broadcast Innovations

The latest and most innovative programs in OOH in-store supermarket advertising are the new digital formats. Today’s digital out of home offers new technologies, new formats, and more creative thinking to help advertisers take their message further. The industry has embraced innovation in all parts of the business to keep pace with where advertising and the consumer are headed.

In supermarkets, we see high-definition digital screens are placed in high-traffic areas throughout the supermarket allowing for an advertiser’s message to reach consumers directly at point-of-purchase and often where there is dwell time breaking thru the clutter, and holding people’s attention. Food courts, deli and app areas, entrance/exit and in the checkout/register area are all locations for digital. Here are two of the newest programs…

MarketVision Network network is a bank of screens (anywhere from 8-12 HD screens) placed right at checkout delivering an advertisers message to a captive audience. Branded content featured on the network offers programming that is entertaining and engaging, along with the video advertising on screen.

MarketVision Kiosk digital displays are strategically placed in the deli/app and perimeter departments which are heavily trafficked area where there is dwell time, allowing for maximum exposure and engagement of a brand’s message to the shopper. The innovative, state-of-the-art HD displays attract attention through rich, dynamic motion graphics.

Any combination of OOH supermarket strategies including print display and broadcast products allows an advertiser’s message to follow the path of the shopper for maximum message exposure.

Advertising to supermarket shoppers is an effective tool in any brand’s marketing mix. Multiple campaigns and platforms can combine strategies to create a marketing plan that reaches a wide, yet targeted audience to build brand awareness with a goal to increase sales.

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