Lisa is our media buying extraordinaire.
She’ll wrap anything that moves in your brand, buy up space on Europe’s biggest motion billboard (that’s in London Waterloo Station, don’tcha know) and plan a killer radio campaign for you.
Outdoor and Above The Line can feel quite scary if you’ve never done it before.
Here she shares some of her valuable media insight to help you get started.
Q: How’s best for a brand to get started in outdoor media?
For me it always starts with the audience and what your desired outcome is.
As well as matching your target audience to the right formats in the right locations – we need to look at the activity you are currently doing across digital or offline channels to determine the best strategy and campaign to match.
Q: When’s the right time to invest in outdoor media?
The age-old question – is there ever a right time?
Do we capitalise on our busy periods or do we advertise when we need a push?
The ideal answer is both!
Budgets tight?
By using above the line formats like outdoor, to support your other campaigns at key periods across the year – you will create a longer-term multi-layered campaign affect.
This will maximise your budgets and create an ‘always on’ feeling to your brand, with spikes to support when you need it most.
Q: What’s the difference between a Digital Billboard and a Traditional Billboard?
Simply put, a traditional billboard (known as OOH) is essentially, a massive poster.
These are static and come in a variety of sizes and ratios. You’ve most likely seen these on the side of the road, at a bus stop or on the platform of a train station.
These are bought in two-week blocks (or longer), and have a fee related to the production – for the physical printing of the poster creative.
Digital billboards, or Digital Out Of Home (DOOH), as the name suggests are digital screens in same sorts of locations.
These are growing in popularity and in number, and allow advertisers to plan against the number of times the ad is seen – impacts, or impressions. These can be bought by day part – in the morning, lunchtime or evening, or throughout.
Because the screens are digital, there is no additional spend needed to produce the content for these (unless you want to run a specific campaign of course). The creative can be static, or full motion (with audio in some areas), so with digital, you can run many more options.
Q: What format would you say is the best for a brand to dip their toe into an outdoor campaign, without committing to a long period or a lot of money?
Outdoor has come a long way in the last few years and digital formats now offer clients the opportunity to run last minute video content. Sometimes even with audio.
There are no production costs to move your existing video content to a digital outdoor format, and your creative can be super targeted depending on the location of the site – you could even tie creative into the weather, local and regional news stories or trending hashtags!
With this format you can buy the media in impacts (ie the number of times it’ll be seen) rather than committing to longer term campaigns – meaning less wastage and more for your budget.
There are some amazing sites in great locations like train stations, arenas and supermarkets, so you not only get huge footfall (and opportunities to be seen), but you can deliver highly contextual creative for the location.
Have a new FMCG brand launching? Consider in supermarket digital outdoor campaigns to support the launch alongside your stockist activation plans.
What about a podcast that is perfect for the commute? Why not buy commuter impacts in train station locations?
Q: Is it true that it’s easy to pick up cheap, or even free outdoor space last minute?
Shhhh… Don’t tell anyone but yes.
As we work with all the main suppliers and have great relationships that have been built over the last 16 years there are opportunities sometimes to bag a great deal.
If you are looking for last minute space, it’s always best to have artwork ready to go for the format you desire.
Free space is never a guarantee but we work really hard to gain overshow (ie your ad is shown, over and above your booking times, so you get more for your money), and added value for our clients and their campaigns.
Of course, if you have your heart set on a certain site, location and date to run any campaigns - it’s best to book in advance.
Some of my clients book their desired sites over 2 years out!
Often large advertisers will place a hold on a number of sites, so it’s about pushing them for a confirmation on those sites. With outdoor, once it’s gone its gone!
Q: What do clients often forget about when they’re thinking about their campaign?
Most clients when designing their creative often forget the format that the message is going on.
A lot of creatives design the same creative to match the other activity and content across other channels.
In theory each format should be designed in a way to reach the right audience and consideration should be taken for the length of dwell time and also the correct font sizes.
Taking outdoor as an example, the simple messages are always the most effective with just 1 call to action and imagery to match.
Q: When are you most likely to be affected by seasonality?
TV campaign costs are affected by seasonality due to viewer figures, as well as National Magazines.
With most other formats like Outdoor, costs will not change due to the timing across the year but due to availability, sites will get heavily booked up at certain times.
If you are an education client for example you will struggle to get any bus, billboard or press exposure in your desired locations if you book less than 9 months ahead of September activity.
Q: What about major events in the year?
This is at the discretion of the main suppliers and certain sites may warrant a premium from time to time.
I can’t stress enough how booking early is always recommended.
Some clients think that it’s a sales tactic to book so far ahead but its genuine and most of them learn this by trying to book too late!
Q: For Digital Outdoor formats, do I have to create videos?
You don’t have to create video content, but research shows that movement in your advertising will generate a more effective and eye-catching campaign.
You don’t have to create a full video – even if you add small GIF’s and animations into your static imagery it can create a difference.
Digital formats allow you to play with your creative and you should have some fun with it.
Q: What format do you expect to see huge growth in from client spend in the next year?
Digital outdoor is growing and static billboards are being dismantled and replaced by digital at a rapid pace.
As buses now look to carry digital formats too – digital transport media is one area that is one to watch along with interactive digital screens.
