Prospects are on the Move
OneScreen.ai
Measurable Outdoor Advertising for ABM, brand campaigns, conference takeovers for revenue marketers who care about brand
Like cicadas emerging into the light after 17 years of underground darkness, people are finally returning to post-pandemic life. No, not everyone, but the trend is distinctly upward and outward. Confidence is up and people are indulging in two popular cures for COVID fatigue – driving and spending. As marketers, we need to be paying attention, if we want those who are on the move to come our way – in person or online.?
You could stick with the naysayers
We’ve seen this before – the pandemic seems to be easing but then there’s another surge in cases and travel confidence drops. This spring, prior to the Delta variant, Gallup reported folks were starting to venture out more often, to visit the grocery and other stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and services such as doctors and salons. But lots of people were leery, avoiding:
If you’re looking to maximize ROI, these numbers give you pause – why spend money on out-of-home marketing if the pool of prospects is so small??
Or, you could see the opportunity
Look more closely at those figures above and you see that most folks were ready and willing to get on with their lives. They still are, in increasing numbers. Comfortably returning to public places and gatherings, large and small. Flying again and sharing rides. And let’s not forget that 100% of people have always been comfortable driving in their own car.??
Marketers can position their brands and messaging to capture the attention of these “early emergers.”
“Bring your shades,” says PwC. “The future looks bright.” Many people have money to spend, since staying at home for so long cramped their buying style. And they are “eager to get away” – although some are still thinking longer-term (next year or 2023) for major leisure travel. More than half of business travelers expect to be back on the road by Thanksgiving, if not sooner, and nearly all by 2022.
Prospects are on the move, buoyed by the latest numbers that show new COVID cases dropped again in the latter half of October, by 22%. Since September 13, cases have dropped 57%. AAA recently reported that 55% of Americans plan to take at least a mini-vacation in 2022, 36% of them domestically.
The roads have never been empty
In July 85% of Americans expected to travel before year-end -- and, in fact, domestic tourism this past summer was greater than in 2019.?
Newly-released numbers from the Federal Highway Commission show that median miles traveled throughout the US increased 8.3% in August. That’s 273.9 billion miles driven in August alone -- more than the same month in 2020 or 2019. Surely your prospects were among those drivers.?
And let’s not forget the large contingent of workers who’ve been out there all along, on the front lines of the COVID fight and working to keep essential services such as grocers and gas available for all the rest of us. By now they are oh, so ready to see new messaging as they go about their business.?
Prospects are OOH, so marketers must be, too
You can keep reaching out to your audience in the usual digital ways, even traditional offline ways. And you should. But in an environment where people are craving newness, OOH marketing delivers something fresh to prospects on the go.?
But, beware. Whatever you knew about your target audiences pre-pandemic, their lifestyles have changed. How and where they travel from now on, on vacation or locally, will be different. That means marketers will need to gather new, timely data, says Gladys Kong, CEO at UM. “With insights, people, places, and products, brands can ensure they understand, target, and reach the right consumer to ensure maximum MROI.”??
For example, she notes that weekday trips are increasing. That reflects overall changes in driving behavior, thanks to flexible, hybrid schedules for work and school and a newfound appreciation for personal space. Roads are less congested, giving OOH marketers a few more seconds to grab the interest of drivers and passengers.?
Tim Rowe, Chief Strategist at OneScreen.ai, notes, “It's one thing to know how to find your audience in the real world, it's another to understand the way they move and the opportunity that can present to marketers."
As of mid-October, median miles traveled are up compared to both 2020 and 2019. Far-flung travel is still a concern for many, for multiple reasons, making drivable destinations more appealing. Following these location and timing trends helps forecast audience size for your OOH campaign placements.
Travel is up, around town and out of town
The ostrich shoves his head in the sand and doesn’t even realize what he’s missing. The early bird catches a nice, tasty treat. She succeeds by sensing movement below the surface and zeroing in on her target. As marketers, we also need to listen to the increasing sounds of movement among our target audiences.??
There is no end to the opportunity, right now, for enterprising marketers who get it. Whomever you are targeting, they are going places to shop, work, eat and play. Will they meet up with your brand along the way? Let’s hope so.