Andy Batkin: Digital Out of Home Ads Are More Effective Than Traditional Media ... Oh Yeah ... Prove It!! - MediaBizBloggers

ProLink Media

Published: April 25, 2008 at 07:10 PM GMT
Last Updated: April 25, 2008 at 07:10 PM GMT

By Andy Batkin

You have heard all the hype…… “Digital Out of Home Is that Fastest Growing Medium Since the Internet”……Already at $2 Billion-A-Year Industry, It’s Expected to Reach $10 Billion in the Next Few Years”….. “Digital Out of Home Advertising is More Effective than Traditional Media”…….”Spending on Alternative Media Jumps 22%….It’s where the money is going”.

Why is Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising more effective than other mediums? The obvious reasons are consumers are spending more time out of home then in their homes. They are spending more time at Malls, Supermarkets, Health Clubs, Bars, Restaurants, Coffee Shops and Golf Courses. In every case consumers can’t help but see the advertising because there is no TIVO or DVR and the advertising is fully integrated into the content….add that many of these digital out of home networks are at the point of sale, and actually move the sales needle, it’s no wonder that ad money is fueling this tremendous growth. Sounds great, right? Well, I run one of these networks and although we have major clients like: Cadillac, Buick, Fed Ex, HBO, American Express, Starwood, Toyota and Michelob you shouldn’t believe me! You need third party research to have real proof!

As Patrick Quinn said in a PQ Media Report released March 26, 2008, “There is a lack of standards in these new areas…… Digital out-of-home-advertising is getting recall rates as high or higher than traditional mediums, but there are few studies on this. They’re going to need more and deeper metrics. The bar is being raised across the board”.

I agree with Mr. Quinn, we need more trustworthy research studies. It is the DOOH industry’s responsibility to give agencies and their clients, solid metrics to adopt and embrace this very effective medium.

As a proud member of the OVAB, the year old digital out of home industry association (www.ovab.org ), I applaud the efforts of our Research and Standards Committee to establish Audience Metrics Guidelines. The Committee has worked with the OVAB Agency Advisory Board (which is comprised of a “Who’s Who” of the agency world) to develop credible and actionable metrics for agencies to count on. The agency execs have been incredibly supportive of this work.

These guidelines are not being created in a vacuum; they are being presented to the AAAA’s Media Research, OOH, Digital Innovations and Local TV/Radio committees for buy in and collaboration.

Here’s a call to action…..participate in our ProLink Media Custom Research Program. ProLink Media is a leading provider of Digital Out Of Home marketing solutions. Our DOOH Network of 400 high end golf courses are some of the best known in the world with names like: Kapalua, Aviara, The K Club and Valdarama. The network displays over 28,800 GPS Screens in the USA and delivers a desirable hard to reach target demo. We are offering advertiser’s the opportunity to participate in a cost-efficient Research Program, to experience first hand, what the ad industry is buzzing over.

What’s the Offer?

Join our study on a category exclusive basis. Starting June 1^st thru August 31 2008 individual advertisers will have the opportunity to “own their category” in a cost efficient ProLink Media Research program that will provide custom 3^rd party research on audience demographics, ad effectiveness, recall rates, purchase intent and custom research geared to and developed by each advertiser. First come, first served gets the category.

ProLink Media is Proud to Say We are Putting Our Money Where our Hype Is.

Interested in learning more?? Email me at abatkin@goprolink.com.