The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill and out-of-home advertising (OOH) is one of the industries that is expected to bear the brunt of this.
COVID-19 has brought about curfews, quarantines and lockdowns in many countries worldwide. In OOH terms this means people are confined to the indoors and are requested to stay away from public places.
While things may seem all doom and gloom, industry experts believe that things will change around quickly and that it’s not all bad news.
The Impact Of COVID-19
OOH was thriving before the coronavirus outbreak but has been hit hard by COVID-19. There are reports of a decrease in revenue, postponement or cancellation of services, a huge drop in impressions and impacts, investment and buying.
It is too soon to estimate the precise influence of the pandemic on OOH. Business, however, seems to be picking up again with many countries easing restrictions and lifting lockdowns.
This means the movement has gradually started to return to public spaces, providing OOH media owners and advertisers with new opportunities.
OOH In the Post-COVID-19 Era
Uncertain times also bring new opportunities and there is a strong need to engage with consumers in a new and different way. Industry experts expect that there will be high occupancy of all OOH formats later in the year and fierce competition for prime inventory.
It seems that there will be a need for even more creativity and purpose-driven content. Certain brands had the opportunity to still reach audiences during lockdowns and this gave them the chance to stand out. Advertisers will now need to think even more about the copy they use. Copy needs to be relevant and speak to the mindset of people in the post-COVID-19 era by recognising what the world has gone through and how this has changed people’s perception of what is important.
Creativity will once again be a must in the new context in which advertisers will operate. Advertisers need to be aware of how people are operating post-COVID-19 and should adapt to the new normal. Content should speak to consumers by having deeper value and by connecting to them.
Having a sense of solidarity will help connect with consumers and to engage with them on a different level. According to industry experts now is not the time to hard sell but rather to focus on the long term by again establishing a brand presence and by building relationships with consumers.
