The arrival of GDPR has led to a number of businesses re-evaluating their approach to marketing and there is an argument that you should probably do the same.
The reason – GDPR requires organisations to provide stringent opt-ins from consumers and the “right to explanation” on how their data is and has been used.
Craig Mytton, Chief Revenue Officer at Bitposter explains that as a result, this could significantly hamper those who carry out digital marketing activity, from email to online advertising, because GDPR means that some of the data which has been used to run these campaigns will no longer be available.
So which alternative media routes should businesses be considering for their marketing campaigns in the GDPR age?
- Print – though the newspaper and magazine market no longer has the reach it once had
- Direct mail – is becoming less attractive with postal costs going up
- TV advertising – is very expensive
- Out of home (OOH) advertising – is moving beyond traditional print posters on the roadside and high street as it undergoes its own ‘digital revolution’ with an increase in the number of digital screens. It could be a good alternative in the GDPR age and requires further investigation
Evolution of digital out of home (DOOH)
The growth in digital screens is opening up exciting new opportunities for businesses by offering a raft of new ‘broadcast’ opportunities that makes OOH much more sophisticated and provides access to new routes to market.
For example:
- Geo-targeting for moving media – targeting creative messages to specific parts of a town or city via digital screens on taxis and buses
- High fidelity day part targeting – eliminating wastage and offering businesses the ability to target commuters during core times of day, or a restaurant the ability to run different creative for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the same digital screen
- Live data feeds – the ability to deliver real-time content onto a screen as a person walks by, including live betting odds or social media messages
In fact, recent research on advertising recall highlights the boost brands can generate using OOH, particularly DOOH, which was ranked the best media in delivering ad recall.
Impact of GDPR
The GDPR impact on DOOH will be less prevalent, because the data required to power it is already anonymised and GDPR compliant. Also, GDPR will have no impact on traditional print OOH.
It is worth pointing out that for those businesses which have anonymised consumer data that’s GDPR compliant, it’s possible to use this data within OOH to identify locations that index highly for people interested in their product. They can then deliver highly targeted campaigns, by purchasing screens in areas where there are people interested in and more likely to buy their product or service.
OOH integrates successfully with other media
For a media that provides ads that are 100 per cent visible, and reach 98 per cent of the population, OOH campaigns don’t only work well on their own, but with other media.
Nielsen carried out research in the USA in 2017 which reveals that OOH is the most effective at driving online activity. It highlighted OOH delivers more online activity per ad dollar spent compared to TV, radio and print.
Barriers removed
Today, it’s very easy to plan and buy OOH campaigns because of evolving technology. The arrival of automated online trading platforms in this industry has significantly reduced the threshold to entry and swept away the old barriers to access. They make planning and buying OOH media an easy, efficient and transparent process.
Costs are surprisingly attractive too. Digital billboards cost from £150 per month dependent on location and number of times the creative is broadcast. Also, with DOOH lead times are short because the creative is sent directly to the digital screens. Even traditional OOH is cheaper than you think – you can buy a large roadside billboard (48 Sheet) for £600 per month.
OOH is the one
Ambitious business owners who are serious about growth must look at media routes they may not have considered before GDPR. For those who are prepared to embrace new opportunities OOH could be the ideal marketing channel for them to maximise their return on investment in this new digital age.
