The holiday season is here, and some consumers have already begun their holiday gift shopping. According to OAAA, about a quarter of US adults who plan to do holiday shopping will do so earlier this year than in years past, with the majority of holiday shopping to be done in November. 

Though there are many concerns about rising inflation costs, emarketer predicts that holiday shoppers will spend $1.297 trillion this year, up 7% from 2021, creating opportunities for you to leverage Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising to win those consumer dollars for your brand.

OOH is filled with opportunities for the holiday advertiser, from more potential buyers out and about for shopping excursions to more people traveling to see their loved ones. Additionally, it is the time of year when more people are actively searching for your products as gifts. According to OAAA, the top categories where consumers plan to spend their gift budgets are clothing, toys, technology products and shoes. 

Here are 5 tips that can help you be successful in your OOH advertising campaigns during the holiday season. 

1. Plan for Next Year Now 

Some brands will buy their inventory up to a year in advance. Why? Because they know that by 3rd or 4th quarter their most desired placements may have already been bought. Though you can secure inventory last minute and have a successful campaign that will help you secure next year's budget, you should be looking at what key placements will drive impact for your OOH campaigns next year and try to secure your chosen OOH inventory for the 4th quarter by February or March. That means that you can start planning for your 2023 holiday campaigns in the next few months.

You can also expect that no matter how early you buy if your creatives will be running in shopping malls there is a higher published rate card for Q4 advertisements. By beginning to plan for next year's holiday season now, you can ensure that the budget is available to get the inventory and ROI that you want for your campaign.

2. Consider the Customer Journey

During the majority of the year, many travel from home to work and maybe a hobby or third place they attend with some regularity. However, during the holiday season, many potential customers have a fourth place they frequent- shopping destinations. Though the list of online marketplaces continues to grow, a 2021 survey by Criteo revealed that retailers remain a key source of shopping inspiration. Seventy percent of consumers surveyed plan to use a retail touchpoint, and 46% planned to use physical stores as inspiration for holiday gifts. This makes the holiday season an important time for your business's branding, considering places your audience is likely to frequent in your strategy. 

In addition to shopping destinations, many people also travel during the holidays to spend additional time with their loved ones. From Thanksgiving to New Year's about 70% of people plan to travel, with 64% saying they will drive to their destination and 48% saying they will fly, according to OAAA. 

Those browsing in shopping malls or who are in airport waiting areas have additional dwell time among your advertisements, creating a great opportunity for storytelling and saturating your target market with a variety of visuals. You can use these details to share a visually compelling and consistent story that drives audiences towards your physical stores or websites to complete a purchase. 

3. Leverage Social Media Channels in Your Marketing

One of the great things about OOH is its ability to amplify other channels. Consider the impact of someone sharing your advertisement on social media and the potential engagement and shares that yield additional online impressions for your physical ad. Leverage the use of hashtags with your campaign and see what buzz you can generate around your product. According to 2021 research from McKinsey, social media influences buying decisions for 58% of consumers. This method is especially effective with your Gen Z audience, among whom 87% of survey respondents said they would find gift inspiration on social channels such as YouTube, Instagram and TIkTok. 

4. Connect your In-Store Placements to your Online Retail Hubs

Though many shoppers still enjoy the experience of brick-and-mortar stores as the first stop in their holiday shopping, more and more actual purchases are being made online. By utilizing both online and offline forms of advertising you can achieve the greatest reach for your message and increase the likelihood that your audience will purchase your promoted product.

Consider the use of social media and adding relevant hashtags for giveaways or discounts on your products, or adding QR codes that link to your product's app or website to drive traffic through your offline channel to your online channel where they can make a purchase. 

By combining your offline and online advertisements you can also help mitigate the issue where a product is sold out at a physical store, but may still be available online. Additionally, many shoppers like the option to ship their gifts directly to their loved ones. Almost half of those surveyed by NPD said that free shipping would influence where they would shop for holiday gifts. 

5. If You're a Last-Minute Advertiser, Look to Digital for Options

Classic, high-demand inventory tends to sell out more quickly than digital ad space.  If you're looking for last-minute opportunities, you may find some luck in securing digital slots. Another benefit of digital is that you have the option to switch out your creatives on a regular basis to continuously keep your advertising fresh.

Ring in the Holiday Cheer with Billups!

Our experts will help you find the best placements and strategy to fit your brand's needs, while our measurement and attribution capabilities will help you justify your ad spend this holiday season. Whether you're a last-minute holiday advertiser or want to start planning for next year's holiday season, we have the experts and tools to help you get started. Submit an RFP today!