Place-Based Advertising Guide: What is Place-Based Media?
Place-based media campaigns have demonstrated significant effectiveness in engaging audiences through contextually relevant advertising in specific physical locations. This approach offers a unique blend of hyper-targeted advertising, enhanced brand experiences, improved return on investment (ROI), and valuable data-driven insights.
One notable example is digital signage, like LCDs or LED billboards, in high-traffic areas such as shopping malls or busy streets. These platforms enable brands to deliver dynamic content that captures consumer attention and drives engagement. Interactive displays enhance this engagement by allowing consumers to interact directly with the advertising content.
Mobile ads are another impactful form of place-based media. They use the ubiquity of smartphones to target consumers based on real-time location, delivering personalized ads when they are near a specific area, like a store or event venue. This method has proven effective in both online and offline engagement, driving consumer actions like visiting a store or engaging with the brand on social media.
In-store displays within retail environments use digital screens or interactive kiosks to enhance the shopping experience. These displays provide product information and promotions, influencing consumers' purchasing decisions at the point of sale.
Place-based advertising is an ingenious way to interact with your desired audience in particular locations. It weaves into the fabric of people's everyday activities, providing non-intrusive yet potentially engaging communications.
Regardless of its form—be it static, digital, or video—place-based media is a powerful tool for enhancing brand recognition, motivating viewers to take action, and creating a buzz about your enterprise.
We've developed this comprehensive guide on place-based media to expand your understanding of out-of-home (OOH) advertising and give you valuable insights. In this guide, we'll delve into:
The essence of place-based media
Key locations for place-based advertising
The advantages of employing place-based media
Practical examples from the real world
Why place-based advertising works
What is Place-Based Media?
Place-based media is a specific category of OOH advertising, linked to distinct outdoor or indoor settings. These settings offer diverse opportunities for audience engagement in various environments.
This form of media is adept at targeting specific demographics, allowing brands to customize their messages for certain audience segments. This focused approach is more efficient than blanket advertising to the general public, often resulting in higher conversion rates.
Place-based media also allows for contextual relevance. For example, launching a new skincare line? Advertise in a shopping center. Introducing a new protein shake? Position your ads in gyms or convenience stores at gas stations. Want to promote a rewards credit card? Airport locations are ideal.
Popular Place-Based Advertising Locations
Knowing your audience is key, and this includes understanding where to place your ads. These chosen spots provide unique moments to connect with consumers. Some of these popular locations include:
Gas Stations and Convenience Stores: Capture attention during routine refueling or shopping.
Restaurants, Bars, and Hotels: Reach consumers in relaxed and social settings.
Hospitals, Clinics, and Doctor’s Offices: Target consumers at the point of care while visiting their physicians.
Airports: Benefit from the high traffic and diverse mix of travelers.
Shopping Malls: Target consumers in these busy retail hubs.
Elevators: An unconventional but effective spot, elevators in commercial buildings offer a captive audience for brief, yet impactful messages.
Digital Screens in Spaces: Leverage the dynamic and interactive nature of digital DOOH (digital out-of-home) advertising for real-time content updates.
Cinemas, Stadiums, and Entertainment Venues: Engage with audiences who are already in a receptive mood during leisure or events.
High Schools and Colleges: Reach students at high-traffic campuses within local communities.
And More: To learn about additional types of place-based advertising, check out the media solutions section of our website.
Benefits of Place-Based Media
Place-based advertising boasts several key advantages, making it a vital component of an effective outdoor advertising strategy:
Highly Targeted Exposure: By focusing on specific locations, your message reaches the right audience, enhancing relevance and impact.
Better Brand Recall: Ads placed in relevant environments create strong contextual associations, boosting brand memory.
Increased Dwell Time: Locations like airports or malls offer extended audience engagement opportunities.
Versatile Formats: From digital displays to traditional signs, the variety of formats allows for creative and impactful campaigns.
Cost-Effective Campaigns: Strategic placement in high-traffic areas optimizes your advertising spend, offering more value for money.
Real-World Examples of Place-Based Advertising:
Place-based media campaigns have been utilized effectively in various real-world settings, demonstrating their ability to create meaningful interactions with consumers and drive impactful results for brands. Here are some notable examples:
Bars and Nightclubs: Blue Moon utilized posters and digital screens in bars, nightclubs, and restaurants to promote their products. This approach helped them stand out at the point of purchase, potentially swaying consumer choices and building brand recall.
Grocery Stores: Degree Deodorant's #KEEPMOVING campaign in grocery stores, particularly at checkout lanes, used contextually relevant messaging to engage shoppers. This strategy enhanced brand recognition by encouraging shoppers to exercise while waiting in line.
Event Centers: At venues like Yankee Stadium, place-based media is used to reach a captive audience across various industries, including CPG, finance, automotive, and hospitality, thereby earning a considerable number of impressions and potentially TV exposure.
Festivals: SXSW Festival employed over 1,300 beacons to send personalized, location-triggered notifications to festival attendees, enhancing their experience and gathering insights for future events.
Sports Betting: William Hill, a sports betting company, utilized location-based messaging to boost customer engagement significantly. They achieved a 400% increase in engagement with location-targeted messages compared to standard notifications.
Tennis Tournaments: The USTA used location-based marketing during the U.S. Open, placing beacons at key locations to trigger automated messages about the day’s matches and schedule, effectively boosting ticket sales.
Weather Alerts: AccuWeather partnered with Airship to deliver urgent weather notifications based on user location. This strategy enhanced the timeliness and relevance of their alerts, keeping users informed and safe.
Local Community Campaigns: An example includes the Los Angeles County Small Business Economic Grant Program, where place-based posters were installed in community venues like convenience stores, coffee shops, and salons to promote the grant program for businesses impacted by COVID-19. This campaign resulted in substantial impressions and a significant amount of grant money being dispersed.
Airports: Kaiser, a healthcare company, launched a campaign in Dulles International Airport using contextual messaging about their services. This strategy aimed at building brand awareness and influencing future medical decisions of the travelers.
These examples illustrate the versatility and effectiveness of place-based media in different settings, capitalizing on the power of location to deliver targeted, relevant and engaging content to consumers.
Why Place-Based Advertising Works?
Place-based advertising, a type of out-of-home media, is effective for several key reasons:
Hyper-Targeted Advertising: Place-based media allows advertisers to target consumers based on their real-time location, behavior, or interests. This means ads can be delivered to the most relevant audience at the right time and place, increasing the likelihood of engagement and influencing purchasing decisions.
Enhanced Brand Experience: Using advanced technologies such as digital signage and augmented reality, place-based media offers immersive and interactive experiences. This entertains consumers and creates a memorable connection with the brand, leading to increased brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.
Improved ROI: Place-based media optimizes ad spend by targeting specific physical locations, ensuring messages reach the right audience. This targeted approach leads to higher engagement and conversion rates, resulting in a better return on investment.
Data-Driven Insights: Place-based campaigns generate valuable consumer behavior and engagement metrics data. This information helps advertisers understand their audience better, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and optimize future campaigns.
Contextual Relevance: Place-based media ensures that advertisements are contextually relevant to their surroundings. Ads resonate more with their environment, becoming less intrusive and more integrated into the viewer's experience. This relevance is critical to capturing attention and fostering deeper engagement.
Targeted Reach: Precise targeting allows ads to be tailored to specific locations, ensuring the message reaches the intended audience optimally. This is especially advantageous for brands targeting hyper-targeted audiences or underserved communities.
Influence on Consumer Behavior: Place-based media can influence consumer behavior by delivering persuasive messages at strategic locations. For example, a digital billboard in a shopping mall can display a time-sensitive offer or discount that encourages consumers to make immediate purchases.
Driving Offline and Online Engagement: Place-based media campaigns can drive offline and online engagement. For example, a campaign can include calls to action encouraging consumers to share their experience on social media or visit the brand's website, thereby creating a holistic brand experience across multiple touchpoints.
Overall, place-based advertising works effectively because it combines the advantages of targeted messaging, technological innovation, and contextual relevance to create impactful and memorable advertising experiences.
To learn more about place-based advertising, let’s connect.
