2020 Outdoor and Indoor Marketing Trends to Increase Brand Awareness

Factors such as a business’ objectives, marketing strategies, and resources aren’t what they used to be.

12:57 03 April 2020

Although the fundamental factors of doing business have pretty much remained the same since time immemorial, there’s no denying that some of its facets have drastically changed over the years. These days’ companies have taken a much bolder approach towards creating widespread awareness for their brands, causing them to employ measures that are likely to appeal to the modern consumer. This is because millennials are at the forefront of driving brand marketing campaigns as they make up a great percentage of the consumers today. 

Out-of-home marketing has been reinforced in many ways but perhaps the most effective one is through the use of modern signage. 3D signage leading professionals recommend that businesses should employ at least one form of outdoor advertising since it’s a brand’s most visible form of communication. This goes for both brick-and-mortar stores as well as online retailers. On the other hand, indoor advertising in malls and retail establishments has also proven to be quite effective for businesses that are looking to heighten their brand recognition. 

Outdoor marketing trends

Outdoor marketing, better known as out-of-home marketing, has come a long way since its inception back in the day. All the same, the notion that OOH advertising basically means static billboards has been expunged. The onset of the digital era has had a significant impact on outdoor advertising; nowadays outdoor adverts involve the use of more technologically advanced methods such as digital boards. Here are some of the trends that are shaping the face of outdoor marketing in 2020.

Interactive ads

A great example of how technology is impacting outdoor marketing is the rise of interactive ads. These are types of advertisements that allow consumers to directly interact with them. Some examples of these types of adverts are as follows.

Mobile-based interaction

This type of ad interaction requires the least amount of physical effort. It involves displaying personalized ads to people walking close to the advertising units. A boundary is created around the ad through a method called geofencing. Within the boundary, a consumer’s mobile device is used to display personalized ads.

Direct interaction

This entails consumers physically controlling the advertising units using their hands or connected devices. Although this method of ad interaction requires the most physical effort, it also happens to be one of the most effective channels. 

Apart from being fun and engaging, interactive ads help brands collect important data that can be used to further streamline their marketing campaigns. 

Integration of digital and outdoor advertising 

According to a study, people spend more than 70 percent of their time outside their homes, therefore the use of outdoor advertising techniques can virtually never become obsolete. Having said that, it is also important to note that the internet is the only medium of advertising that has recorded a positive growth rate for the last five years; with an exception to OOH advertising. Thus, incorporating the use of these tools when driving a marketing campaign can result in tremendous growth for both platforms. You’ll be surprised by the companies that are spending big bucks on OOH advertising; Google, Amazon, and Facebook are just some of the few examples. Though they’re giant online brands, they recognize the importance of out-of-home marketing. The relationship between these two mediums of advertising is symbiotic; digital media helps businesses plan for OOH adverts while outdoor marketing helps drive online campaigns. 

Utilizing all types of physical spaces

Nowadays, all types of physical spaces can be optimized to become a form of OOH advertising. Buses are wrapped in advertising material, ATMs are used by banks to popularize their services, and even personal and company vehicles are used by brands to advertise their promotions. This has become a widespread trend among companies in recent times and is most likely to continue in 2020. In addition to easing the process of getting advertising space, this method of marketing has proven to be effective when it comes to increasing a company’s identification.

Indoor marketing Trends

This involves the advertising of a brand’s goods and services within enclosed spaces such as malls, supermarkets, schools, washrooms, cafes, and sports clubs. In other words, indoor advertising is communicating with customers while they’re on the business’ premises. Information such as sales, announcements, and promotions can be displayed using this method of advertising. Examples of indoor ads include floor graphics, lightboxes, flyers, and promotional posters. Indoor marketing has proven to be a vital tool in pushing company recognition. It also has a number of advantages, some of which are as follows. 

Pocket friendly

Compared to other traditional forms of advertising such as print; indoor advertising carries high value for money. This helps businesses redirect funds to costlier endeavors, thus proving to be a great financial campaign.

Highly effective

Unlike other forms of advertising that can only hold consumer attention for a few seconds, indoor marketing solutions tend to have longer retention times. The average time taken to view an indoor ad is between one and three minutes collectively. This means that they hold the attention of customers for a lot longer, which makes them very effective in promoting a company’s popularity and fame.

Promote sales

Another great feature is that indoor adverts encourage indecisive customers to make purchases in the store. A consumer is more likely to shop for something when there are persuasive ads around him or her. This ensures that a brand makes sales even from those customers who were just window shopping.

Infinite creativity options

Businesses tend to think outside the box when it comes to indoor advertising. Given that the ads are placed indoors, the possibilities of coming up with witty ads are virtually infinite. Brands even employ the use of adaptive ads that incorporate the environment around them. 

Having proven how effective this method of advertising is, here are some of the prevalent trends in 2020 that are sure to impact your sales figures positively.

Shareable ads

With the speed of sharing information becoming lightning fast; the phenomenon is actually free publicity when leveraged the right way. Customers are more likely to share your ads if they are engaging and relevant. According to Forbes, videos are shared 1,200 percent more than links and texts combined. Thus, using captivating videos to convey messages is a great way to ensure that a brand’s indoor advertisements are spread all over. 

Indoor Digital Signage

You can’t deny the impact that signs have had on marketing. When you take it a step further and make it digital, you increase its possibilities. Digital signage options enhance the engagement of customers and brands. They’re able to display more than just crisp high-quality static images. Digital signs have the ability to display videos and some even have interactive capabilities. Given how popular videos are with modern society, this is a surefire way to increase brand awareness. In addition, since these signs are displayed indoors, they are likely to be given enough attention; which further increases your brand’s recognition and customer retention. 

Though the use of digital signage has many advantages, perhaps the greatest merit is the ability to modify the content in real-time. This assists in saving a lot of time when changing ads and on top of that helps correct and avoid errs on adverts. Moreover, these digital signs can help liven up customers in queues. Wouldn’t you rather have something to watch or interact with while waiting for your coffee? I know I would.

Marketing is a vital part of business regardless of the type and size of the brand in question. In that sense, it’s no doubt that in order for a company to prosper, it has to nail its marketing campaigns. Following these trends is a great place to start if you want to beef up your advertising and to increase brand recognition.