Outdoor Advertising in Digital Era
Since its initial stage, outdoor advertising has aimed at influencing the audience through a social approach. It engaged public opinion and influenced the customers on a large scale. The influential power of outdoor advertising can be seen even today in the times of demonetization. Paytm’s campaign to popularise digital India has ironically taken a non-digital approach. From newspapers to television, the extensive campaign to promote cashless-economy has benefited Paytm grossly. In order to understand the nature of this advertising campaign and the role of both digital and outdoor advertising for the same, one must know about the concept of Above the Line and Below the Line Advertising.
The concept of Above the Line and Below the Line has often confused the people about their understanding of advertising. Above the Line, advertising deals with digital platform of Television, radio and other forms of mass media which would also include print. Below the Line advertising is primarily about the distribution of pamphlets and samples at a busy street probably.
Through the combination of ATL and BTL advertising, the field can cover large margins of the urban as well as rural population. Both forms ensure a wholesome involvement based on economic or social conditions. These forms of advertising are not confined to one particular type of advertising, for instance, ATL may be in the form of print media at a bus transit or an announcement of a local TV channel. Industries make use of both ATL and BTL for their campaigns depending on the audience they want to attract. The primary agenda of outdoor advertising is engaging with as many people as possible.
Types
Outdoor advertisements primarily dealt with billboards, but over the years there has been a movement to make the platform more engaging. It involved advertisements on public transports, to help reach a larger audience, making the advertisement mobile. India witnesses a wide range of outdoor advertisements, including graffiti, street art, public transports and residential buildings, point of sale display, telephone booths, mobile billboards, guerrilla advertising.
McDonalds is seen using guerrilla advertising very often to promote their product. Point of sale display is a type of advertising a product at the sales counter, often at a mall. The products of display have low cost which is the result people often pick them up off the shelf. Moreover, the long waiting time tempts the customers in a way. Different types of outdoor advertising use different strategies to raise their sales.
Advantages
In India, the involvement of outdoor advertising in influencing the market has been large. Owing to the density of the population, outdoor advertisements grab the attention of a large audience in a short time. Talking primarily of a country like India where social life is respected and strongly followed, a grasping medium as billboard could make a difference in attracting a large scale audience in a matter of no time. An essential factor is the social influence of people, where word of mouth becomes another beneficial factor. However, it is also necessary to project an attractive advertisement where one can also deliver a strong message or concern. The different platforms of outdoor advertising facilitate this factor. Apart from that, the characteristic of outdoor advertising is a unique feature in itself, since it is placed among the crowd hungry for something new. Point of sale display provides wide range of benefits. Not only do they raise sales but also promote certain offers. Guerrilla advertising is a fairly recent form of outdoor advertising where an effective message is put forth that promotes the brand or a product. It also requires low investment.
Challenges
Since outdoor advertisement requires high investments, an industry will largely avoid a campaign though outdoor advertisement. They would rather opt for digital media or newspapers. Nonetheless,
There are many factors that make outdoor advertising so unique. The question of preparing a perfectly proportioned print and delivering it to an outdoor location to mount the attractive advertisement on a billboard might seem absurd but this tedious process requires thorough planning. The text and pictures on the advertisement must aim to grab the attention of the people and every characteristic must work towards that. The positioning, lighting, size, audience, all go into consideration in preparing one billboard. Nonetheless, there is a lot of scope for outdoor advertisement.
Competition with Digital Media
Outdoor advertising platform faces a lot of competition from digital media largely due to its high investment. While the billboards and posters are affordable only to the high end industries, the digital platform has managed to provide an economic way to popularise a product. Digital media has hence made it possible for the up-coming companies to influence the market. As an advancement from the outdoor advertisement, the digital platform has developed a more social mean to reach their audience, making it even more mobile, and in addition, more accessible. All said and done, one must not forget that while digital media encourages more spontaneity, outdoor advertising promotes an object with grandeur, giving the product a gesture of royalty or importance. Both digital media and outdoor advertisement work on similar principals, however, digital media has been able to attain a higher growth rate. Digital media has a higher demand and is economic to the industries in the market. Outdoor advertisements require one-time investment but in a large deposit, moreover, the procedure and formalities make it a time consuming advertising medium, whereas the digital platform ensures high credibility with a lower investment. All of these factors result into making digital media a convenient option for advertising today. Hence, in comparison to digital media, the growth of outdoor advertisement has been low consistently. In the current year, the projected growth of outdoor advertisement is 16.8% while on the other hand the digital media is projected to grow by 30%, which is almost the double of outdoor advertisement. In comparison to other categories of advertising again, outdoor advertisements lag behind due to their higher investments. Other mediums have found an economic way to reach the people, and there is a fear that at some point, outdoor advertisements will lose their value.
While outdoor advertisement primarily functioned on being a social medium of advertising, in the recent past many other mediums have opened up for advertising that ensure similar objectives in an efficient manner. However, one must not readily question the essence of outdoor advertising for it is an invention out of a primary necessity and even though there may be competitions, the essence of outdoor advertising will not diminish, for it has become a habit. Moreover, outdoor advertising has long term benefits, often assured, and it will always remain a mode of reaching out to the people.
Outdoor advertising has many drawbacks and the digital media has shown dominance over it, however, the demand for outdoor advertising remains high consistently. Outdoor advertising is also a medium for the government to deliver important messages to the people. Warnings about road accidents and social issues are conveniently depicted to the people through this medium. The outdoor advertising medium also simultaneously reaches the socially detached individuals who do not follow the digital media, hence in some aspects, widening their reach. The use of outdoor advertising has in some ways become a prestigious marketing strategy today, resulting in its extensive use. On a larger picture we can say that the market has institutionalized the industries into thinking that outdoor advertising is a necessity.
Success
Outdoor advertising has a stern hold on the market due to the benefits it provides in terms of efficient and impactful advertising and its strength to influence. While one may argue about the superiority of the digital media over outdoor advertising, one must not forget that the digital media is a modified form of advertising, whereas outdoor advertising is the pioneer of it. The impact of campaigning through billboards had grasped the attention of a large audience for Videocon when they changed their logo in 2009. Outdoor advertising campaigns have a high return rate and an exceptional example of this is the advertising campaign of Uninor in Goa and Maharashtra in comparison to their campaign in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Their extensive campaign covered many cities in Maharashtra and Goa, and to an extent in Gujarat as well, however, their influence was not so strong in the adjoining states. Though Uninor did not compromise on the digital media aspect, the lack of outdoor advertisement costed them their position in the other states. Due to its characteristic, social issues are better conveyed through outdoor advertising. Its long lasting nature has an impact on the people; largely their behaviour. Both the forms of advertising are efficient in their own way and successfully convey their messages to the people. The credibility of either cannot be questioned since both of them have a strong influence on the market structure. They ensure a high return for their investment, which is of the utmost importance here.