A Comparative Analysis of OOH Billboard Advertising and AR-Powered Media

Spectacular Billboard

In the dynamic world of advertising, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture the attention and imagination of consumers. One of the traditional methods that has stood the test of time is Out-of-Home (OOH) billboard advertising. However, with the advent of technology, Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a powerful tool, revolutionizing the advertising landscape.

Is AR the new Spectacular billboard? Spectacular billboards are grand in size and unique in scope and execution. Spectacular billboards are typically buzzworthy, often break out of the frame, and include 3D elements. But AR is much more than that. In this article, we delve into the benefits and limitations of OOH billboard advertising and explore the burgeoning potential of AR-powered media, including AR billboards and murals.

By the way, we are not discussing 3D anamorphic DOOH billboards as we have posted a good article about them here – https://www.groovejones.com/3d-billboards-101-anamorphic-and-forced-perspective-ooh-campaigns/

Dallas MAvs

OOH Billboard Advertising: Traditional and Static

When comparing traditional OOH billboards with AR-powered media, it is evident that AR offers a more dynamic and interactive advertising experience. While OOH billboards have a wide reach and can make a strong visual impact, they lack the interactive and personalized engagement that AR can offer.

Benefits

Wide Reach: OOH billboards are strategically placed in high-traffic areas, ensuring visibility to many people.
Unavoidable: Unlike online ads, billboards cannot be skipped or blocked, guaranteeing that the message reaches the audience.
Creative Freedom: Billboards offer a large canvas for creative and artistic expressions, allowing advertisers to make bold statements.
Location-Specific Targeting: Advertisers can target specific demographics based on the billboard’s location.

Limitations

Limited Engagement: Print ads offer limited opportunities for engagement, as they are static and cannot incorporate interactive elements.
Static Nature: Traditional billboards are fixed, limiting the ability of the audience to engage with the brand.
Call To Action Limitations: It is challenging for the user to take immediate action.
Measurement Challenges: It is difficult to measure the effectiveness and ROI of billboard advertising accurately.

AR-Powered Media: New and Interactive

AR-powered billboards and murals take advertising to a new dimension, offering an immersive experience that can captivate consumers in relevant new ways. Moreover, the ability to gather data analytics allows for more targeted and effective advertising campaigns.

Benefits

Enhanced Interactive Engagement: AR-powered media offers an interactive experience, engaging consumers more effectively. Due to the interactive nature of these campaigns, they will be remembered longer than passive campaigns. Interactivity can enhance engagement, potentially leading to better retention of the message.
No App Needed: Everyone can activate an AR experience by scanning a QR Code and viewing AR through their mobile browser.
Longer Dwell Time: Because AR is interactive and animated, consumers spend more time with the ads.
Buzzworthy Social Media Engagement: A successful billboard campaign can spur social media engagement in the digital age. Consumers love to post things that are special and unique.
Immediate Impact: Interactive campaigns often create a direct impact, with viewers likely to remember the content for a few days to a week, especially if it involves engaging elements that encourage user participation.
Personalized Content: AR allows for the delivery of customized content, enhancing the relevance and impact of the advertisement.
Data Analytics: AR provides valuable data analytics, helping advertisers measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Limitations

Technology Dependency: The effectiveness of AR advertising requires the consumer to use a phone. (But doesn’t everyone carry a phone nowadays?)
Development Costs: Developing AR content adds to the cost of creating the print media.
QR Codes: Often requires a QR Code on the media.
Not for Highways: Consumers must have the time to scan the QR Code and activate the billboard. Speeding down a highway is not going to work.

WebAR

Dwell Time – What is the average time spent with OOH billboards?

Dwell time or the average time spent with OOH billboards can vary greatly depending on several factors, including the billboard’s location (high-traffic areas vs. less busy areas), the speed of passing traffic, and the nature of the surrounding environment. In high-traffic urban areas, where people are often stuck in traffic or moving slower, the average time spent viewing a billboard might be slightly higher. On highways or fast-moving roads, the time spent might be considerably less, as drivers and passengers have less time to absorb the content displayed. According to industry standards, the optimal time to convey a billboard message is 6 to 7 seconds.

What is a Better Key Performance Metric – Time Spent in Seconds or Minutes?

As mentioned earlier, an average of 6-7 seconds is often considered optimal for viewers to absorb the message on a billboard. That is the benchmark for most traditional OOH billboards and what advertisers think is a good KPI metric for their campaign and media buy. What if you can add a digital component to that traditional media and extend it for minutes instead of seconds?

AR Campaigns can Deliver 1 – 6 Minutes, Yes Minutes, of Engagement with the Consumer.

Imagine your consumer engaging with your advertisement for minutes versus seconds. That would be a huge KPI metric. Most AR-powered OOH campaigns extend the time with your ad. AR increases the interaction and engagement. If many people can recall the ad later, it indicates that they spent sufficient time with the advertisement to remember the message, which is a sign of a successful campaign.

We’ve seen these types of success with many of our AR-powered murals and billboards. Check out these campaign results.

Modelo Campaign Average Dwell Time of 3 Minutes

Groove Jones worked with the Constellation Brands Beer Division Southeast team to create a unique OOH and point-of-sale campaign that brings the Modelo art pieces to life through the power of AR.

The campaign ran for two months, securing some great KPIs for the client.

Generated over 180K social media impressions
The average dwell time was 3 minutes
16.5% increase in sales in the markets where the campaign ran
Generated 7.2 million earned media impressions

Check out the case study here – https://www.groovejones.com/modelo_ar_dia_de_los_muertos/

Dallas Maverick’s Campaign Average Dwell Time of 2.5 Minutes

The Dallas Mavericks partnered with Kristaps Porzingis to launch #KrisStops, a new community initiative to fight childhood hunger. With every block that season, Porzingis donated $500 to the Mavs Foundation, which will then be distributed to local organizations to help stop hunger in North Texas. Groove Jones worked with the Dallas Mavericks to launch the program through an Augmented Reality experience running with an oversized wallscape mural in downtown Dallas. This gamified campaign won a Sports Clio!

Check out the case study here – https://www.groovejones.com/nba-dallas-mavericks-web-ar-mural-featuring-kristaps-porzingis/

NBC Sports Campaign Average Dwell Time of 3 Minutes

STN Digital partnered with Groove Jones to help their client NBC Sports with a new activation celebrating a “Once in a Lifetime” event for NBC when the Olympics and the Super Bowl occur on the same day. By scanning a QR Code, fans can step into an AR world in the center of an Olympic celebration in Beijing or on the football field for the Super Bowl and take a selfie.

Check out the case study here – https://www.groovejones.com/nbc-lifetime-olympic-super-bowl-ar-portal-experience

Buzzworthiness – Social Media Engagement

As noted above, one KPI for AR is the ability to captivate an audience and increase social shareability. Positive feedback or posts from an audience can signify a successful campaign, indicating that the billboard effectively captures and holds the audience’s attention for a sufficient time. Can people post an image or video of a traditional billboard? Of course, they can. But AR can make a special moment – and everyone wants to post special moments.

When a consumer can activate a camera moment, like posing with a celebrity spokesperson or sports talent, that ad will be shared. AR can make that happen through digital doubles of that personality.

In the digital age, a successful billboard campaign might also spur social media engagement. Viewers might take pictures of the billboard and share them on social media, indicating that they spent considerable time interacting with the advertisement. The viral effect is when others pass a post along, share, and repost. If the campaign goes viral, it can be remembered for several months or even years, as it keeps resurfacing on various platforms, reinforcing memory retention.

Advertisers benefit from social engagement through the broader reach that a social post or video will generate. Combining print and digital mediums allows you to reach a wider audience, reaching those onsite and connecting with a digitally connected audience.

It’s important to note that “success” can be subjective and depends on the campaign’s goals. It might vary from brand to brand and campaign to campaign. Moreover, integrating the billboard campaign with other marketing strategies can also influence the time spent with the billboard and its overall success.

Innovative Creative Opportunities

Groove Jones creates AR-powered content, which means we also make the traditional printed billboard or mural content. We have a unique perspective on using AR on large-scale media like billboards. Our work has won numerous Addy and Obie awards and has helped innovate the OOH advertising industry. The fusion of AR with billboard advertising opens up creative possibilities. Advertisers can experiment with 3D projections, interactive narratives, and real-time content updates, offering a dynamic and innovative approach to traditional advertising. This creative freedom allows brands to break away from the clutter, crafting unique campaigns that stand out and captivate audiences.

As the advertising sector evolves, integrating Augmented Reality with traditional OOH billboard campaigns is a promising frontier. AR transforms billboard advertising into a dynamic and immersive medium by fostering interactive experiences, enhancing brand recall, facilitating targeted advertising, and offering innovative creative avenues. As brands strive to create impactful campaigns, the fusion of AR technology with traditional advertising mediums offers a pathway to achieve unprecedented success in the advertising domain.