Why out-of-home is the future of video advertising

Video is becoming the go-to format for media consumption, but platform and audience fragmentation are increasing at a rapid pace. Advertisers are adjusting their strategies by converging linear TV, streaming services, mobile and the rest of the digital ecosystem. But as the consumer journey evolves, marketers will need to think beyond the small screen to reach their audiences. There are two trends that are affecting the state of video storytelling and opportunities for advertisers as they shift their approach:

1. Video advertising faces challenges today. According to eMarketer, linear TV viewership is dwindling, with 60 percent of the U.S. population predicted to watch connected TV by 2022 and 56 million households expected to be cord cutters the following year. Brand safety remains a top concern, as negative content adjacency persists for pre-roll media on platforms supported by user-generated content. Brands are expected to increase spending on digital video to around $17 billion next year, but 65 percent of people are still finding ways to block or skip these video ads.

2. Cities are undergoing significant shifts. By 2050, 90 percent of the U.S. population is projected to live in urban areas, with consumers estimated to spend nearly 70 percent of their waking hours outside their homes. In addition, digital screens are becoming more common on city streets, in transit stations and other destinations and venues, replacing static signage with flexible digital networks at scale.

The convergence of these two trends presents massive opportunities for brands to activate rich, engaging video experiences throughout the underused urban environment and to reimagine their video storytelling to reach consumers beyond the small screen.

Programming the city

With recent advancements in technology and data, video ads on public screens can be planned and executed like video ads online. Brands can plan campaigns based on gross ratings points, reach and frequency metrics and execute on the basis of target audiences, digital displays, share of voice and impressions—as they do with digital video buying. Advertisers don’t have to learn new formats or processes, so they can seamlessly extend their digital campaigns to the physical world. These campaigns are 100 percent brand safe and viewable, allowing for optimal audience viewing as people move about their day.

Shorter attention span means shorter content

The average consumer attention span is eight seconds, so it’s no surprise that short-form content is increasingly gaining traction among social media platforms and audiences. In fact, ClickZ points out that 33 percent of video viewers lose interest after the first 12 seconds. Digital screens in public spaces were built to display short, attention-grabbing content for the on-the-go consumer. The short-form, no-sound videos that are effective online today have been native to the digital outdoor medium since their inception. The ability for advertisers to extend their short-form content on social media to public spaces creates a great opportunity for a cost-effective omnichannel experience.

Life-size stories in the right context

Audiences are inundated with content and advertising throughout their day. Keeping the content short increases a brand’s chances of getting their message across, but the content itself ultimately has to be compelling and clever. Digital screens in public spaces offer dynamic, contextual capabilities, based on location, events, weather and more, that can immerse consumers in relevant, engaging experiences. For instance, when the hit Broadway show “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” did a creative rebrand, it revealed the new look with a video takeover on digital screens in Times Square. In the same spirit, when NBC wanted American viewers to view the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, the company displayed footage of the games on outdoor screens around the U.S., enabling morning commuters to watch recaps from the evening before or to keep up with medal counts mid-afternoon.

Video is transforming the world of advertising and consumer behavior. As the industry works to solve the current challenges facing digital, and as cities continue to build and expand their digital infrastructure, brands need to use this moment to create video installations in public spaces for meaningful, breakthrough experiences. It’s imperative for brands to use this shift in audience and consumer behavior to reach consumers where they really are. It’s more than an out-of-home discussion: It’s about video strategy.