Think before you spend on outdoor media

Dubai - It is an effective medium to create awareness but the wrong place to deliver detailed messages

When motorists go about their daily lives, the last thing on their minds is to read advertising messages on the road. However, as contradictory as this may sound, if  the marketing budget permits Out-Of-Home (OOH) or outdoor media should be a key component in any advertising campaign media-mix.
To be effective in catching a motorist's attention - which is the only reason to invest in OOH media - OOH messages must be simple, minimalist in content and large in size. The less we say, the more motorists will assimilate and the more they will take home from the advertising message.
The lack of understanding of the fundamentals of OOH advertising on the other hand, results in thousands of OOH dollars being wasted on the side of the road.
Typically, an effective OOH message must follow a few simple guidelines. The first is to show a large logo or the brand's name. Second, a single large key visual on a contrasting background and third a one or two words headline.
OOH messages that do not abide by these fundamental rules risk getting minimal or even no return on investment. Expectations to the aforementioned guidelines can be warranted - but not advisable - if the OOH media sign is located by a traffic light or at a busy intersection or if it is a large format.
Undeniably, advertising campaigns need to deliver comprehensive information about the benefit of their product to consumers that stretch beyond what a short headline is able to convey on OOH media. This is precisely where the mediums of TV, print, digital and radio kicks in. OOH advertising is a very effective mass medium to create awareness but the wrong place to deliver detailed messages.
One would think that applying these fundamentals is pure common sense, however many outdoor advertisements do not comply with these criteria as they attempt to deliver too much content for this medium. The phrase 'Less is More' could not be more true when it comes to outdoor signage.
For perspective, the following figures show the amount invested by brands on outdoor media across the UAE. In 2015, $714 million was invested in outdoor media versus $614 million in 2014, an increase of 16 per cent.
Furthermore, in 2016 the upward trend continues with $244 million invested by advertisers between January 2016 and April 2016 versus $224 million during the same period in 2015.
The following five outdoor formats -- billboards, roadside scaffolding, lamp-posts, bridge banners and Mupi ­-- are the biggest beneficiaries with 70 per cent of total ad spend of which billboards and lamp-posts lead with a market share of 20 per cent each.
Case in point I would like to ask you -- without endangering yourself or other motorists on the road -- to take a moment and assess by yourselves OOH advertisement signs that you will encounter on a drive. If you can assimilate the content of any standing message within two seconds, then the advertisement has successfully achieved its objective.
As for the remainder of advertisements and unfortunately they are far too many that are unable to check the two-second box; those regretfully represent a high percentage of the total advertising money that has been wasted.
How much money is that? Reach out to your calculator to gather the sum but please do so only after you have reached your destination, safely.