Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) were all the rage before the pandemic struck. Does it still make sense to advertise with DOOH media now? Traffic and footfall in public spaces have decreased significantly since Covid-19 began, leading many people to believe that OOH advertising is a bad idea at the moment... But is it?
Now with round 2 of the MCO going on in Malaysia, this is probably a terrible time to try DOOH advertising, right? Wrong :) I'm going to play the devil's advocate and share 8 reasons why DOOH media is a really interesting option for all of us small businesses right now. Bear with me!
1. DOOH media prices are much lower right now
That's right. One of the main advantages of the pandemic is that DOOH ad spaces are cheaper right now. Take a quick look at our DOOH offerings on the AdEasy marketplace and you'll see that they're almost all on sale. That doesn't mean they're less effective, though. Studies show that even during lockdown, 6 out of 10 people noticed digital billboards on their grocery runs. In normal times, it's 7 out of 10 people. That's not a big drop in impact compared to regular times — but with price reductions of up to 75%, that's a big drop in prices!
2. Malaysians are still travelling by car
Are there less cars on the road? Yes. Are there less people in cars? Yes. But because of the pandemic, cars have become the first choice of transport in Malaysia. With people flying and commuting less, travel budgets are shifting away from flights and public transport toward personal cars. Most Malaysians choose to drive to get their groceries, medication, health-checks, family visit, and all other important activities done. As long as Malaysians are on the road, you should be there with them, too. Road-time is captive audience time, and in a time of crisis, everyone is looking for some distraction. That's an opportunity where your DOOH ad should come in.
3. Shorter lead-time before your ad goes live
In times of crisis, there's no time to waste. We need to react quickly and with more agility to keep business going. Most DOOH ads can be activated in 72 hours or less, compared with weeks for most other media types. Whether your ad is a video, animated GIF, or JPEG, a push of a button is all it takes to start and stop campaigns. This is really helpful when you want to turn things around quickly and launch an advertising campaign at the last minute. For example, if you haven't planned a Christmas campaign yet, you could actually still make it with digital billboards — almost all other media would be out of the question.
4. Cost-effective materials submissions
When it comes to ad spaces such as static billboards, your creative materials need to be produced and manually mounted. These costs simply don't exist with DOOH media – all we really need is a digital file upload from you. The easy execution of DOOH ads makes it very competitive in terms of cost-effectiveness. During the pandemic, every dollar counts. If you want to really stretch your advertising budget, you should consider advertising with DOOH media and save on materials production and/or installation costs.
5. Flexible to unexpected changes
DOOH media gives you the ability to adjust your campaigns quickly when something unexpected occurs, such as the second MCO. This flexibility is crucial for when you need to change or update your campaigns overnight. When the pandemic first started, many advertisers were forced to either take down ads or change campaign strategies in the blink of an eye. With most other media types, you're committed to the ad cycle you paid for and you'd have to pay extra for, say, a billboard ad to be taken down. With DOOH ads, you're not stuck with one still image for a long period of time. You can shift your campaign quickly to a different location when you need to.
6. You're not stuck to one location
With the pandemic ongoing, footfall and traffic trends fluctuate week-to-week as consumers watch the news and the government tighten or loosen the rules. As long as MCO is ongoing, traffic in cities will be more concentrated in the periphery than in the centre. Advertising with DOOH media allows you to spread your ad spend over different locations and also mix and match across mobile and other channels. This flexibility allows you to get more exposure in more locations — that's more ROI than a static media type can give you during these times. Don't stay stuck in one location when you can optimise your campaign in more places.
7. Digital billboards are more eye-catching than most media
This is true no matter when and where you advertise with digital billboards. They change every few seconds. Their vibrant colours and engaging animations draw a lot of attention. It's no wonder they catch the eye. Nearly 75% of respondents to a Nielsen survey said digital billboards “stand out” more than online ads. 46% said digital billboards stand out even more than TV commercials. Depending on the ad space, you can switch it up and advertise flexibly in 5- to 10-second spots with rotating creatives
8. Unbeatable brand awareness
OOH media is still the ultimate superpower. It will always be the medium that builds brand awareness and reach in the most impressive way. People tend to associate billboards with splashy creatives on major shopping streets such as Bintang Walk, or bold messaging on highways that pick up millions of impressions. If you're planning to build up a premium brand, now is a good time to stand out from your competitors by advertising with DOOH media. They're fast, flexible, and cheaper right now due to the pandemic — and you can count on them to make an unforgettable statement for your brand.
Okay. If you've made it until the end of this article, I hope it means that I've given you enough reasons to DOOH it during the pandemic. Not sure where to begin? We recently launched AdEasy PLUS – a monthly subscription plan that helps you advertise on up to RM50,000 worth of DOOH media for only RM4,299/month. It's not too good to be true, it's an opportunity made possible by the pandemic. Check it out and get in touch with us if you have any questions!