12 Jul 24 Best Outdoor Advertising: How to Create Ads That Stick in the Mind
Outdoor advertising has been a popular marketing strategy for decades, and for good reason. It allows businesses to reach a wide audience and create brand awareness with minimal cost. On our continent, an average of 56 minutes is spent walking or cycling each day by one in five Africans, which is 12 minutes longer than the global average. This means your message has more time to have an impact on pedestrians than on those driving by in vehicles. Even the best outdoor advertising agency will acknowledge that when it comes to billboards on highways, drivers have a very limited amount of time to take in the information. So how can you take advantage of your consumers’ attention? Whether you have 5 or 50 seconds, the success of outdoor advertising can be significantly influenced by several psychological factors. By understanding and applying these principles, you can have an outdoor advertisements that not only draws attention but also resonates with consumers on a deeper level, ultimately driving engagement and business results.
First Element of The Best Outdoor Advertising: Attention and Perception
Capturing the viewer’s attention is crucial. In today’s visually-saturated world, people are bombarded with advertisements everywhere they go and everywhere they look. Even in the privacy of their own homes, consumers are still reachable on devices and smart TVs. Therefore, it is essential to make your outdoor ad stand out from the rest. Billboards that use vibrant colours, compelling imagery, and strategic placement in high-traffic areas are more likely to engage viewers. For example, a bright and eye-catching billboard on a busy highway is more likely to grab the attention of drivers than a dull and uninteresting one. Bold and brief text is more likely to stand out than something overly wordy or in a delicate font. Don’t be afraid to think out of the billboard, many successful OOH campaigns have had objects attached to the billboards from mannequins to clever lighting. Your concept does not have to be limited to 2D!
Memory and Recall
Advertisements that are memorable and create lasting impressions can lead to higher brand recall. Most highway billboards receive only 5-10 seconds of consumer attention on average. When a consumer is in need of a product or service, they are more likely to remember and choose a brand that they have seen and remembered from the best outdoor advertisement they saw in that industry. Of course, every brand wants to be memorable. So, this will require expertise and creative marketing to come up with something cleverly placed or unique to your audience. For instance, a creative and visually appealing outdoor advertisement placed in a popular tourist destination can leave a lasting impression on vacationers, leading to higher brand recall when they return home.
Emotional Appeal
Emotions play a significant role in consumer behaviour. Ads that evoke emotions such as happiness, nostalgia, or excitement can create a stronger and longer-lasting connection with the audience. This emotional connection can lead to a positive association with the brand, ultimately influencing consumer behaviour. When designing a billboard, businesses do well to ask, “what do I want to make my audience feel when they look at my advertisement?” For example, a heartwarming outdoor ad featuring a family enjoying a product can evoke feelings of happiness and create a positive association with the brand.
Social Influence
Humans are social beings. We often look to others for company, guidance, validation and more. Leveraging our inherent social behaviour and tapping into the audience’s desire for social acceptance can motivate consumer behaviour and enhance the ad’s impact. This can be achieved by featuring testimonials or endorsements from satisfied customers or using social media influencers to promote the brand. This not only increases the credibility of the ad but also creates a sense of trust and social acceptance among consumers.
Visual Elements
The use of specific colours, fonts, and imagery can elicit particular emotions and convey messages effectively. For example, red can evoke passion, while blue can convey trust. Advertisers can use this knowledge to their advantage by carefully selecting visual elements that align with their brand and message. This can help create a strong and consistent brand image, making it easier for consumers to remember and recognise the brand.
Conclusion
The success of outdoor advertising is not just about having a visually appealing ad, but also about understanding and applying psychological principles. By capturing attention, creating memorable impressions, evoking emotions, leveraging social influence, and using appropriate visual elements, advertisers can create outdoor advertisements that not only stick in the mind but also drive engagement and business results. The next time you plan an outdoor advertising campaign, remember to consider these psychological factors to make your ad stand out and leave a lasting impact on your target audience. You are now equipped get the most return on investment out of buying a billboard, and Alliance Media is the right choice. Contact us if you have questions about outdoor advertisements or need guidance from a leading OOH agency.