As stay-at-home orders gradually ease or even lift for many cities, consumer behavior is drastically shifting, with their desire to get outdoors at an all-time high. OOH advertising will be coveted as pent-up demand is unleashed by brands leaping at the opportunity to be seen where consumers are – outside.

7 out of 10 Americans on average are traveling at least 1 mile or more every day.

(Geopath, Intermx 2020)

Allocate ad dollars to align with consumer behavior

According to a recent study by Nielson, stay-at-home orders can lead to an increase in consumption of streaming content by 60% or more.
It’s safe to say that as restrictions on movement decrease you can expect a decline in at-home screen time as the eagerness to get outdoors booms.
People are beginning to leave their homes in search of entertainment, so take advantage of OOH availability and shift dollars accordingly.

Expect strong competition between advertisers looking for a share

As outdoor activity increases, competition for prime OOH assets will no doubt increase too. Outdoor advertising offers businesses an opportunity to drive immediate conversions by steering consumers on their path-to-purchase, so intercepting them outdoors with real-world interactions will be particularly important in these coming months, as brands wrestle to gain exposure in tangible ways.

Large Format Transit advertising presents the best opportunity right now

Why should you consider Large Format Transit now, more than ever?Airport foot traffic is at all-time lows as consumers are asked to stay put and to avoid groups of people indoors. Similarly, place-based assets are without their typical audiences. Gyms and other facilities are closed, and elevators are lean with riders maintaining a safe social distance. Similarly, stay-at-home orders and general restrictions are limiting the eyes on ad space in major venues like sports stadiums, concert halls, and on cinema screens.

Air traffic is down more than 60%, leaving airports devoid of foot traffic.

OAG, 2020

Public transit networks are essential services and have been running throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and will continue to run with increased service as the summer approaches.
Unconfined, outdoor spaces is where Large Format Transit shines, and is exactly where consumers will be in these coming months. Street-level advertising with transit is going to be one of the best opportunities for connecting with consumers through the summer.

Rethink experiential marketing to be hands-free

Consumers are starved of excitement, which poses an opportunity for brands to be memorable by energizing consumers with creative, yet situationally sensitive and safe activations that will surprise them and provide a unique form of excitement as activity in their city begins to build back up.

According to a global consumer study, 92% of consumers feel brands should continue marketing.

Kanta, 2020

Feeding the consumer desire to be entertained is going to make for memorable brand moments, but they need to be self-aware and thoughtful. With conscious activations, brands will be able to connect with their audience by harnessing the powerful togetherness of the current collective experience and be a meaningful part of it too.

Stay up-to-date and informed

Trends are starting to emerge as more and more data aggregators work toward understanding the advertising environment and consumer behavior. Using mobile data broken down to the DMA level, Ubimo’s dashboard shows the week-over-week lift in exposure to OOH advertising, using 340,000+ units as their sample size.  This data demonstrates that movement among consumers is on the rise right now and will hopefully continue as restrictions move through various reopening phases.

Nationally, movement was up 31% the week of May 4th compared to three weeks prior.

Ubimo, 2020

Similarly, AdQuick, also using current and historic mobile data, is measuring the impact of COVID-19 on reach by market, comparing the reach numbers to a pre-virus baseline and accounting for a decline in length of trips outside the home. Again, the data trends upward, showing more and more reach week-over-week.

OOH reach levels have increased by up to 24% week-over-week.

AdQuick, 2020

Vector can help you make a meaningful impact this summer

Vector is the largest U.S. provider of outdoor transit advertising and we are positioned better than anyone to help reconnect with consumers who are heading outside after weeks indoors and looking at screens. Reach out to your local team via our contact page! www.vectormedia.com/contact