Out of Home

The US digital out-of-home (OOH) media industry - which includes video ad networks, digital billboards and ambient ad platforms - is on pace to grow 11.2%, to $2.43 billion in 2008 and now comprises 29.1% of overall out-of-home ad spending, according to the “Digital Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2008-2012” from PQ Media.

According to a study by Abritron and Zoom Media & Marketing, 80 percent of people exposed to a bar's digital advertising screen remembered at least one of the four ads that played in rotation. This is impressive because: a) 80 percent is a very big number; b) the coveted youth demographic is well-represented; and c) bar patrons are often hard-pressed to recall much of anything.

Aegis forecasts a 6 per cent increase in global advertising spend for 2008 and a 4.9 per cent increase in 2009. This study also finds the highest growth in online spending.

The Adspace Mall Networks' "Today's Top Ten" program now boasts more than 450 participating retailers, which represents doubled growth from participating retailers in 2006. Adspace anticipates that number to continue to grow as the network rollout continues.

A Nielsen Media Research study of the Ripple out-of-home digital content network shows strong overall consumer satisfaction and a high level of viewer engagement with Ripple TV. Specifically, 68 percent of consumers viewed Ripple TV, while 79 percent of viewers believed Ripple TV to be a good offering for the store environment.  Dwell time in its locations averaged 11 minutes, and it also featured a high frequency of visits (averaging 11 times per month).

Retailer GameStop has been using Channel M to create GameStop TV, an in-store video network that plays in its video game stores. Nielsen has studied its impact, and confirmed once again that point-of-sale video can really sway customers. 79 percent of the network's viewers recalled at least one advertised product, and better still, advertised products enjoyed sales spikes of 19 to 36 percent.

Interactive advertising in the U.S. will grow from $22.5 billion in revenues in 2007 to $62.4 billion by 2012, according to "The Kelsey Group's Annual Forecast (2007-2012): Outlook for Directional and Interactive Advertising," released this week.

Quoting a viewership percentage of 47 percent and commercial recall of over one-third, the AdSpace Mall Network is attracting a rather impressive roster of big name advertisers: from Ford to Coca-Cola, and from Victoria's Secret to the U.S. Navy. We've documented several times that digital signage is growing; its embrace by the marketing giants gives it more credibility still.

The Accenture consulting group has discovered that when traditional stores disappoint British consumers, they head straight for the web. Topping the list of consumer complaints are insufficient checkout lines and out-of-stock merchandise. Nine out of ten entertainment shoppers went immediately online if a single store didn't fulfill their desires. The lessons are clear. If you're selling online, make purchasing easy and keep lots of what you're selling on hand.

If the purpose of advertising is to engage its viewers and trigger responses, things are looking up when consumers look down. Reactrix Systems installs interactive floor projections within shopping malls, and has released an Arbitron study that confirms that 84 percent of mall patrons stop to look, and that 70 percent actually interact. These are fabulous numbers -- but the true impact measurement would somehow track purchasing. You don't suppose that anyone's working on a stomp-to-buy platform, do you?