OOH Cheat Sheet

In the midst of a softer advertising market that is starting to show signs of recovery, a notable contributor to the gradual AU media landscape is Outdoor Media, most recently increasing in spend by 9.2% year-on-year. An ever-growing and implicitly dynamic channel, at Kaimera we often find ourselves posed with a fair and simple question from clients, ‘What makes an ideal Out-of-Home campaign, and how can we best ensure that we capitalize on the most effective outdoor strategies?’

The answer can be complex, however today I wanted to outline some of the essential best practices we recommend when pursuing an OOH buy. Entire hours of presentation and pages on pages of studies can (and have) be spent on the subject, so instead let’s whittle it down to the key points in a summarized, five-minute read.

Reach is one thing, context is another

Yes, outdoor is a highly effective tool in driving in upper-funnel awareness, however as every good media buyer will tell you, context always matters. Even in the most broad-reach of approaches, the panels and sites that we select for our media are in a physical location, and that means context. One should never make the mistake of assuming that if a product or service does not have a specific target audience that it won’t matter where media is place so long as it’s achieving reach. With contextual relevance found to be 19% more effective for consumers, we want to make sure that the ‘when’ and ‘where’ of our buys work extra hard to make every dollar stretch further.

Creative is king (sort of)

A relevant, attention grabbing creative will always win out, especially in visually saturated metro markets or roadsides where you have only a few seconds to get the attention of commuters or pedestrians. This means bold, attention-grabbing statements. A clear visible brand name and CTA is also imperative, and studies have found that text of 7 words or less provided 150% more recall than anything longer. Keep it short, keep it sharp, keep it relevant.

Formats, formats, formats

In addition to the essential practices already outlined, it's important to consider the varying outdoor media formats available. The landscape of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is diverse, with static, digital, and programmatic formats offering unique advantages. Static billboards have the benefit of being simple and unchanging, allowing for a consistent message over time, while digital formats provide the flexibility to update content dynamically, which can be particularly useful for time-sensitive campaigns or multiple creatives running in rotation. Programmatic OOH offers precision in targeting and optimization, using data to place ads in real-time to the right audience, ensuring that every impression is valuable. By strategically leveraging the different types of outdoor formats, brands can maximize their reach and impact, balancing both broad awareness and tailored messaging to suit their campaign goals.

Keep it consistent

Equally important to an effective OOH campaign is consistency in messaging. While creative and context are crucial, maintaining a unified brand message across all touchpoints is essential for reinforcing the desired consumer perception. This consistency ensures that whether a potential customer encounters your brand in a digital format, a static billboard, or through programmatic ads, the message remains coherent and clear. Consistency builds brand recognition and trust, fostering a more memorable consumer experience. A fragmented or inconsistent message can confuse or dilute the brand’s impact, reducing the overall effectiveness of the campaign. Ensuring that messaging aligns with the brand’s identity and remains consistent across various OOH formats is key to sustaining consumer engagement and maximizing campaign success. This also means across other channels and formats – nothing should ever be viewed as independent in a truly holistic campaign.

There is no such thing as a perfect approach in any outdoor campaign, and indeed the exponential evolution of the channel ensures that we always have to be on our toes for the next best thing. However keeping the above points in mind when planning and buying outdoor will always keep us one step ahead, and give our fantastic brands the love they deserve.

SOURCES:

Quinn Marketing, August 2024

OMA, 2024

Adnews, 2025

SMI, March 2025