Out of Home - September/October 2014 - 32

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4. Don't do it just because it's sexy or cute
There is a tendency in certain schools of
marketing to do whatever will get buzz -
whether or not it's right for the brand OR
for the brand's prospects. Of course, a little
press never hurts, but it's best to build from
the bottom up, insuring that you reach
the people you want. It takes a balanced
approach and, at times, leveraged restraint.
In order to reach attendees at a key event in
New Orleans, Alcon Labs turned to
out-of-home for its ability to create
spectacular media spaces where none
existed. In a classic "make you look" move,
Alcon's larger-than-life image was the right
touch at the right time.

32 | out of home magazine | september | october 2014

Yet bolder isn't always better.
For example, Bright Starts, a producer of
toys and toddler gear, distributed pill bottles
filled with Red Hots candy to promote its
Baby Laugh Index microsite at the July 2014
BlogHer conference. The 'giggle pills' looked
amazingly real and, while never intended
for kids, set a dangerous precedent with its
'may cause SERIOUS LAUGHTER' markings.
Naturally, this being a bloggers' conference, the
social stratosphere went wild with the poorly
conceived, if funny, promotion and Bright
Starts was forced to apologize. Stories like these
abound, so think it through before you act.

I'd love to hear what you think, or answer
questions you might have so please drop me an
email at bjm@emcoutdoor.com

5. Course correct
Finally, the advertising industry and out-of-home
media in particular is continuously changing, so
gathering learning along the way serves you well
in refining your future investment. There may be
a faster-better device out there, so it's important
to stay in the know.

Photos courtesy EMC Outdoor

3. Set benchmarks
Finding ways to gauge effectiveness allows
you to maximize your media investment. Share
your Key Performance Measurements (KPI)
with us and how the OOH component of your
media plan will be measured. Consider adding
intercept studies or set up pre-post awareness
measures. We routinely provide Value Added
Reports (VAR) to measure discounts, bonus
and overrides to help generate true Return on
Investment (ROI) measures.

What makes it a tad easier for us is that we do it a
lot, and the learning that is aggregated serves us well
in avoiding land mines and spotting hidden gems.
For sure, it's a lot more complicated than in the good
old days, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

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