Trends to watch
Interactivity is a fast emerging opportunity that digital provides. James noted that film advertisers, for instance, are booking specially constructed bus shelter sites incorporating buttons that people press to get information on a film, watch clips or check out actors' bios.
"Consumers via Bluetooth and infrared can point mobile phones at specified poster sites to download video clips, music samples, podcasts or money-off vouchers for the product being advertised," Alan James, CEO of the U.K.-based Outdoor Advertising Association, said. "Increasingly, outdoor is being used as a conduit for digital messaging, extending its reach into other technologies."
Meanwhile, WatchFire's 2007 digital billboard advertising forecast said that shifts in outdoor advertising will increase revenue for outdoor advertising companies.
A few key trends noted in the forecast:
One board for many advertisers: As more digital billboards spring up across the landscape, they'll allow multiple advertisers to share the same billboard, multiplying revenue from an individual billboard by eight-fold.
More sophisticated selling strategies: Exclusive category sponsorships, unlimited copy changes and automated database-driven updates will be important selling points; potential premium offerings will help advertisers maximize outdoor advertising ROI.
Improved digital networks: These will eventually be on a par with radio/TV advertising. With traditional static billboards, advertisers with time-sensitive offers wouldn't consider outdoor advertising. Digital billboards will change this.
Creative ad testing: Since advertisers will be able to change content/creative almost instantly, they can easily test creative techniques and adjust their billboards to get the most for their ad bucks.
Advertisers will demand digital: Outdoor advertisers will eventually insist that their outdoor advertising company offer digital alternatives as they realize that the medium is one of the few remaining ad vehicles to reach the masses with no way to block or pre-empt the message.
