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Smartphones and interactivity fuel OOH effectiveness

Smartphone owners are the most responsive to out-of-home advertising (OOH) with 74% interacting with it at least once, according to new research from CBS Outdoor.

The Interactive Europe study of 9,000 consumers across six European countries found that 51% of people are more likely to pay attention to OOH than any other form of advertising, rising to 56% among smartphone owners.

If a brand offered OOH interaction, 71% said they felt more positive about the brand and 74% said they expected big brands to use OOH media. Some technologies used in OOH to engage with consumers are better understood than others, with QR codes being the most well known and near field communication the least, but consumers find interactive technology available to them confusing.

OOH advertising was considered a welcome distraction when travelling to 66% of respondents. This also increases among smartphone users to 70%. It also appears to be boosting mobile commerce, with 32% of smartphone owners going online to learn more about a brand after seeing an OOH ad and 20% purchasing a product as a result of an OOH ad.

“This research shows that increased smart device ownership and the eternal need to be connected to the online world are adding strings to the OOH bow and driving deeper levels of engagement,” says CBS Outdoor International chief executive Antonio Alonso. “The public will reward the brands that get it right by engaging on a deeper level.”

David Hing, London