(Credit: Primedia Outdoor)

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising has transformed the path to purchase by playing a pivotal role in influencing consumer behaviour and driving measurable outcomes across the entire marketing funnel. The integration of OOH within cross-channel marketing strategies has become critical in reaching consumers on their shopping journey, effectively influencing their purchasing mindset. This full-funnel marketing approach has proven to be instrumental in consumer decision-making, reaching highly engaged, targetable consumers at scale and achieving brand objectives.

OOH advertising strategically positions multiple touchpoints to connect with consumers at key moments during their shopping journey. From classic billboard displays along their daily commute to eye-catching digital screens and engaging experiential campaigns in shopping malls, OOH advertisements are tactically placed to catch the attention and influence consumer behaviour. These various touchpoints act as powerful entryways into the consumer’s path to purchase, guiding them from initial brand awareness through to active engagement with the brand message and ultimately to the decision-making phase of purchase. By providing key touchpoints across diverse out-of-home environments, OOH advertising ensures brands remain memorable and effectively engage consumers throughout their entire shopping experience.

The role of OOH in influencing consumer behaviour

While online shopping has seen significant growth in South Africa, the preference for in-store shopping remains strong, with the majority of retail purchases still happening in physical stores. This is supported by the behaviour of consumers who actively research products online before making in-store purchases, indicating a preference for a blend of both online and in-store shopping experiences.

Shopping serves as the primary motivator for getting people out and about, with 88% of economically active South Africans having visited a shopping mall or centre in the past week (ROAD Travel Survey). With 62% of the economically active population recalling seeing out-of-home displays on the side of the road or inside shopping centres in the past week (Brand Atlas, 2023), OOH advertising presents brands with a unique opportunity to connect with shoppers and influence them to take action. Whether it’s during their daily commute, at the shopping mall or retail store, or as they navigate through the store aisles, OOH advertising has the direct potential to influence consumers’ buying choices at various touchpoints

Consumer Attention Deficit

In today’s digital age, consumers face an overwhelming amount of information and stimuli. It has become increasingly challenging to capture and retain consumers’ attention. In the Attention economy, brands are competing for consumers’ attention, and the ability to stand out among the noise. Additionally, the rise of digital and social media channels, as well as the abundance of information available to consumers have contributed to a shrinking attention span, making it essential for brands to create content that is easy to consume and highly relevant to consumers’ needs. Brands must navigate this challenge by strategically engaging consumers at various touchpoints throughout their purchasing journey.

Genevieve Coward, Marketing and Revenue Growth Executive for Primedia Outdoor said “Today’s consumer has to be engaged in a multi-touchpoint environment. The role of Out-of-Home is to meet our consumers wherever they are on their journey. Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising extends beyond merely promoting products to shoppers; rather it should be leveraged to narrate the brand’s story and create a compelling brand experience.”

Primedia offers products that are strategically positioned to engage shoppers at every stage of their purchasing journey. These include OOH advertising solutions such as classic outdoor billboards, taxi rank advertising, mall advertising and in-store advertising across major shopping malls. Together, Primedia provides brands with a comprehensive multi-touchpoint OOH solution, ensuring brands reach consumers from the moment they step out of their homes. With this vast offering of OOH products, the various touchpoints target a diverse audience across the entire socio-economic spectrum, to dynamic mall environments featuring an array of OOH formats. These formats are strategically placed to captivate consumers with compelling brand messaging. Furthermore, the in-store displays and activations guarantee that brands maintain top-of-mind awareness at the critical point of purchase, enhancing the overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Primedia Out-of-Home multi-touchpoints influencing the path to purchase

The role of OOH in driving a multi-channel consumer journey

In today’s media landscape, where consumers interact with brands through multiple platforms and devices, multi-touch attribution provides a more accurate representation of the consumer’s path to purchase.

“By recognizing the interconnectedness of multiple touchpoints, brands need to tailor their strategies to engage consumers at different stages of the purchasing cycle and create seamless, personalized, and high-touch experiences”, said Genevieve Coward, Marketing and Revenue Growth Executive at Primedia Outdoor.

As indicated in the above (Figure 1), the role of Out-of-Home is to act as a catalyst in amplifying brand awareness across multiple touchpoints on the consumer journey. Primedia Out-of-Home entails three main divisions, namely Outdoor, Malls and In-store. This provides an integrated approach that allows for multiple touchpoints where brands can connect with consumers, by building brand awareness, driving engagement, and ultimately influencing purchase decisions throughout the shopping journey.

• Primedia Outdoor offers a diverse range of traditional and digital billboards along high-traffic roads, highways, and in major taxi ranks across South Africa.
• Primedia Malls provides a comprehensive suite of services including shopper marketing campaigns, digital solutions such as interactive displays, in-mall activations and mall media displays.
• Primedia in-store specializes in the installation, maintenance, and removal of point-of-sale (POS) displays in the stores themselves. And this ensures brand messaging and promotions are strategically placed within stores, influencing consumer choices at the crucial last moment before purchase.