The Power of Out of Home and Entertainment Campaigns.

The entertainment industry is bigger than ever and the public are constantly sniffing out something new, whether the latest series on Netflix, or the newest release on the big screen, the appetite for entertainment is a large one, and is continually growing. The UK entertainment and media industry is set to lead Europe, with annual growth expected to increase by 4% by 2026.

After a tough few years, the UK box office welcomed over 123.6 million visitors to the cinema in 2023, an impressive 5.3% increase from 2022, whilst in the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of UK households subscribing to a video-on-demand (VOD) service amounted to around 18.8 million.

With both an exciting present and future for the entertainment industry, how does this translate into out of home (OOH) advertising?

Audiences

Focusing primarily on cinema and SVoD, average audiences for both mediums fall into younger categories spanning from ages 15-34. Similarly, it is interesting to note that a large OOH audience in the UK indexes high within the same age categories.

When choosing what to watch at the cinema, this age group in particular are likely to have chosen the film for its content but also are influenced by factors such as the studio director of the franchise and also the film’s advertising- creating a big opportunity for advertisers looking to utilise outdoor advertising.

OOH has the magic ability to be both a broadcast channel, but also give clients the opportunity to target specific audiences through data-driven purchasing. Reported to reach 98% of the public weekly, brands can leverage this massive potential audience using data sources to get them in front of the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

So why should OOH be included on a media buying plan?

 

Influencing the Sales Funnel

OOH ads have been reported to have influenced the sales funnel by creating awareness. By creating awareness, outdoor touch points can cause an audience to take action and learn more about an offering. Not only this but studies have also suggested that OOH can also affect the consideration and buying phase of the funnel.

 

Attention and Emotion

The creative opportunities in OOH are limitless, from dynamic ads, immersive 3D campaigns, to special builds, the attention grabbing nature of OOH is perfect for impactful entertainment campaigns. A great example of a special build was for the campaign carried for Netflix show Man vs Bee. Located on our Trafford location, the campaign on the digital screens was complimented by giant bees resting atop totem poles. Read more about it here.

Immersive OOH is known to elevate feelings of joy and excitement with consumers and can help people engage with a brand campaign in a memorable way. In turn, emotions are effective on driving behaviour, but most importantly, emotions can influence decision making which is paramount in measuring the effectiveness of a campaign.

The growth of the entertainment industry doesn’t seem to be slowing down with the value of UK entertainment sales increasing for the eleventh successive year in 2023. Forecasts indicate that the the UK cinema market is estimated to reach a massive £2bn by 2027. Couple this with the exciting nature of OOH, adding out of home onto an entertainment campaign plan can yield tremendous results and drive an impressive return on investment.

 

Sources: UK Cinema Association, Statista, pwc.co.uk, ofcom, YouGov, advanced-television.com, billups.com, Amplify Outdoor, Talon, mediacat magazine, cinema.org.uk