Summer is prime time for brands to engage consumers where they spend the most time: outdoors. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising thrives during the summer as activities shift from inside to outdoors, opening advertising opportunities for immense reach, exposure, and re-exposure. People are on the move, attending events, traveling, and exploring.
But OOH today isn’t just about creating immense visibility and recall, but about driving measurable action and results, especially on mobile devices and online. Well-placed and well-designed OOH campaigns turn physical impressions into digital conversations, and summer amplifies this effect. Let’s cover how and why.
Consumer Behavior Changes in Summer
During summer, consumers shift from an indoor winter mode to an outdoor summer-loving mindset. This favors OOH performance as:
- Foot traffic and road trips increase, boosting impressions on billboards and transit ads.
- People spend more time in city centers and communal public spaces like parks, festivals, beaches, and shopping areas.
- Longer daylight hours mean extended visibility for OOH ads and allow for prolonged consumer exposure.
- Mobile usage stays high during these usage occasions as consumers rely on their devices for entertainment, navigation, and communication.
This perfect storm, increased outdoor exposure + always-on mobile usage, creates optimal circumstances for campaigns designed to drive digital engagement.
How OOH Drives Mobile Conversions
As consumers move through their days, brands have the ability to prompt them to engage with their devices in meaningful ways. Some ways this works are:
1) It Sparks Immediate Search Engagement
When consumers see a compelling billboard, transit ad, or digital kiosk, curiosity or a call to action often leads them to search for the brand or product on their phone. According to OAAA, 74% of smartphone users have taken action after seeing a DOOH ad. This included visiting websites, searching for brands directly, and making purchases.
2) It Provides Location Context
OOH has a unique ability to deliver contextually relevant and location-referenced messages, such as ads that mention local weather, events, and promotions. This makes mobile conversions more likely as consumers understand the ads they are viewing are specifically relevant to them.
3) It Appeals to Mobile Mindsets
Consumers rely on mobile devices to assist with a slew of instant decisions, such as where to eat, shop, or find local entertainment. OOH placements position brands to influence these consumers in their key decision-making moments to drive immediate action via mobile.
Concluding Thoughts
As consumers spend more time outside during the warm summer months, the opportunity to connect with their physical environments via digital means and behaviors becomes even more valuable. Out-of-home advertising shines in this seasonal window and activates huge mobile action on a large scale.
