I'll Have What She's Having

I've seen some great TV commercials for restaurants. High definition footage of perfectly cut steaks, creamy pasta Alfredo, and the way the condensation rolls off the tomatoes and lettuce... But I've always wondered, why make the consumer's mouth water, when they can't do anything about it? They're sitting comfortably at home, probably having just finished their evening meal, and can't be expected to remember your :30 second spot tomorrow night.

One of the long-standing benefits of outdoor is the way it catches people's attention while they're away from home and in the marketplace, allowing you to reach a more convenient and susceptible consumer. Imagine driving home from work and seeing a brilliant, back-lit image of jumbo shrimp or chicken Parmesan. You're probably already thinking about how you don't feel like cooking, and along comes a sign beckoning you to "come in, sit down, and let us do the work!"

That's the power of outdoor advertising. Digital billboards take the concept one step further, giving restaurants the chance to display daily specials and price points. They can even show different designs at different times of the day, displaying quiche and coffee in the morning, burgers and wraps at noon, and salmon and sirloins in the evening. Make them crave what you're offering when they can actually do something about it instead of while they're watching American Idol on a full stomach.

7 Keys to a Successful Digital Campaign

The Digital Signage Association recently released a report on best practices for digital signage content. They outline more than 50 variables in 7 categories: Content, Relevancy, Interaction, Schedule, Placement, Refresh and Attraction. Reflecting on my experience in the digital billboard industry, I strongly agree that the best campaigns I've seen, seek to capitalize on several, if not all of those key terms. I'll break them down:

Content. What are you saying? As with traditional outdoor, your message should be short and sweet.

Relevancy. How does it apply to your audience? Engage them with information they care about. Let them know how you can improve their circumstances.

Interaction. How would you like them to respond? Should they call? Send a text? Visit a website? It's their move- make sure they understand their next step.

Schedule. When is it playing? The flexibility of digital encourages the use of dayparted messages, updates, countdowns, etc... Taking advantage of these options will make your ad more exciting.

Placement. Where is it playing? If you're buying more than one sign, use a slightly different message on each one. It could be as subtle as featuring different phone numbers with local area codes.

Refresh. How often does it change? Don't let your message become scenery. Depending on the business, I usually recommend changing it up at least every week or two.

Attraction. How does it look? Bold font, bright colors, no white backgrounds. Your ad should be aesthetically pleasing.

You've made a great choice by purchasing a spot on a digital outdoor network. You'll be reaching out to thousands of people every day with one of the most exciting, enticing new advertising mediums around. But REMEMBER, the space is only as good as the ad that fills it.

How do I know I got what I paid for?

Digital billboard advertisers aren't limited to using one design in their designated slot. Multiple ads can be rotated throughout the course of a day. Different ads can be used for different days of the week. One ad can be played in the morning while a different message is scheduled to play only at night. This flexibility is what makes digital outdoor the revolutionary medium that it is.

But with all of these ads rotating in such complex schedules, how can an advertiser be sure that their campaign was executed accurately? Clear Channel Outdoor has responded to this concern by providing their clients with detailed completion reports that show exactly how many spots were delivered. The report lists each individual design and shows how many times it was played on each board.

This comes in especially handy for companies who are using co-op dollars to fund portions of their campaigns. For instance, say a shoe store has purchased a four week digital outdoor campaign and has gathered some funds from her various brands to help offset the cost of the ad space. If Nike has contributed 50% of the funds, with Adidas and Reebok contributing 25% each, the ads can be scheduled to receive the same percentages of the digital billboard spots. At the end of the four weeks, the shoe store can deliver a report showing that the percentages had been allotted correctly, along with the invoice.

Clear Channel's completion report complies with the industry standard set by the OAAA.