'Buying Secrets' unlocked by Outdoor Media

According to an article in the output magazine (http://www.outputmagazine.com/) the trade marketing body ‘The Outdoor Media Centre’ have been conducting a study into the ‘customer Journey’ to research and discover how influence works and what buyers are specifically influenced by. This new study aims to show the strong impact outdoor advertising has on consumers. Research has been carried out using a variety of tools including online, dynamic, face to face contact as well as mobile phones. 

Image source: http://www.jcdecaux-oneworld.com/2013/07/under-the-magnifying-glass-the-benefits-of-display-digital-advertising-part-ii/

“Historically it was believed that the customers' experience on their purchase process was like a funnel: they would start with a wide range of options, which then was narrowed down and resulted on the final buy. This is also known as the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) model.” - http://www.outputmagazine.com/digital-signage/intelligence/reports/the-customer-journey-the-outdoor-media-centre-unlocks-buying-secrets/#!

This no longer applies according to the discoveries of The Customer Journey. The choice to purchase something is thought to be majorly by influence. Every process plays an important role, from social media to word of mouth, everything has an influence and an impact whether it is intended to or not. The most effective stimulant in persuading a consumer to purchase is found to be the Advertising media.

“Mike Baker, chief executive of the Outdoor Media Centre, comments: "It is very good to see that advertising works and represents the majority of the stimulus to purchase. Understanding the customer journey is key for those of us who work in advertising and media."- http://www.outputmagazine.com/digital-signage/intelligence/reports/the-customer-journey-the-outdoor-media-centre-unlocks-buying-secrets/#!

Below is an example of everyday out of home advertising alongside an escalator at a train station;

Four stages were identified by the research conducted. These being, the information that is absorbed, this is defined by the consumer not consciously looking for it but receiving it passively. The planning of the purchase, the collection of the product and also the information shared about the purchase through social channels and word of mouth.

Nine categories were used in this research to find which products were bought and how frequently, these included films, travel, telecoms, cars, fashion etc. The frequency of purchases is associated closely to each category’s individual buying cycle. It is also closely involved with the value of the products. Different needs also affect how well an advertisement is responded to. A good example of this is fashion and banking. Fashion tends to attract more of a response from advertising than banking because of the many differences between the advertising of a product and the advertising of a service.

It was also found that everyone who had encountered any type of outdoor advertising had positive feelings towards it. The main audiences that respond positively to outdoor media are thought to be young and digitally focused (i.e. mobile user and well connected on the web). This could be due to the fact that this range of individuals are more exposed to the outdoor advertising therefore are more likely to respond?

Video sourced from youtube

The research also revealed that those influenced heavily and highly responsive to out of home media are those who are involved strongly in social media and are generally more active on these platforms. Online searches in order to buy products increased as a result of higher exposure to outdoor advertising.

Each phase of the customer journey shows different strengths in sources of information. At the absorbing stage TV had the strongest impact. The planning phase showed the internet as the strongest whereas newspapers, radio and magazines were most used at the stage of obtaining the product and the sharing stage was mostly through social media. Outdoor media proved to be the most successful of all media at the stage of obtaining and was found second most successful on all other phases. Outdoor advertising is shown to be a key factor in the overall customer journey.

“The static stage of the research was commissioned from ICM and involved an online sample of 1,537 nationally representative British adults to provide an insight into how people see themselves at different stages of the customer journey, and what information sources they use. The dynamic stage was handled by OnDevice Research, with 2,141 participants recording their brand and advertising interactions over a two-week period. Respondents noted encounters that they felt were relevant to one of nine different product categories by using a mobile-based diary to record their reactions and behaviours in the context of advertising and non-advertising encounters. More than 13,000 such encounters were recorded.”- http://www.outputmagazine.com/digital-signage/intelligence/reports/the-customer-journey-the-outdoor-media-centre-unlocks-buying-secrets/#!

So, is outdoor advertising the most successful form of advertising? SLA wants to know what catches your eye and who persuades you to buy their products?

Information source: http://www.outputmagazine.com/digital-signage/intelligence/reports/the-customer-journey-the-outdoor-media-centre-unlocks-buying-secrets/#!