The Secret to Incredible OOH Dwell Time

 

In the marketing world, there’s quite a vast library of metrics to help with planning campaigns and measuring the impact of every decision. For OOH advertisers, dwell time is an important one. 

Digital advertisers have the advantage of hyper-detailed analytics that show things like time on page or an exact number of impressions based on after accounting for factors that vary by platform. 

On the other hand, OOH advertisers have historically had to estimate impressions and potential dwell time. While digital measurement techniques are starting to make their way into the OOH sphere, there’s still a certain level of inaccuracy and wishful thinking. 

Today we’re going to talk about the problem with OOH dwell time measurements and how you can optimize dwell time for your future campaigns. Hint: It all begins at consumers’ doorsteps. 

The link between dwell time and OOH advertising

OOH dwell time applies to the time spent by a targeted audience in the visibility area of your ad. 

So, naturally, this metric will vary depending on the type of media and where it’s used. 

For OOH advertising campaigns, dwell time can be calculated using average visibility distances and approach speed. Alternatively, you can lean on anticipated behavioral variables within interior or exterior environments. For example, if you place an ad in a public transportation shelter, the average dwell time may be somewhere between 5-15 minutes. However, many factors must be considered, including passenger demand and loading, bus stop spacing, and payment procedures. 

In contrast, a roadside billboard may only get a few seconds of dwell time, depending on the location and traffic speed. If you place that ad at an intersection, you could see that number jump to 15-20 seconds. Since viewing time is so brief when driving past billboards, your message must be simple and easy to grasp at a glance. It’s all about understanding your ad’s location, format, and traffic patterns. Plus, the message you want to send.

To provide more of a story, you’ll need to focus on channels that increase dwell time. 

Examples of how brands have historically increased dwell time 

When you think of OOH advertising throughout history, a few brands come to mind — Kellogg, Coca-Cola, and Palmolive. All three brands began utilizing OOH advertising in the early 1900s, mass-producing billboards as part of their evolving marketing strategies. However, brands had to fight for consumers’ attention as the competition increased. 

Throughout the decades, OOH advertising opportunities grew outside of billboards. Whether it was transit ads or place-based media, OOH dwell time has long been a critical factor concerning the effectiveness and ROI of campaigns.OOH has stood the test of time thanks to constant innovation and adaptability — and in the process, marketers learned a lot about dwell time. The key is to engage consumers with interactive elements and choose the best location.

For example, physical interactivity is one of the most engaging strategies because it’s hands-on and instantly piques interest. As the market became more crowded, door-to-door distribution provided a way to connect with consumers who were unresponsive to other forms of outreach. Campaigns could also be targeted, allowing brands to create tangible marketing materials based on where a consumer may be within the buyer’s journey. After all, one of the best ways to increase dwell time is to encourage more interactive experiences while offering greater exclusivity — front-door marketing ticks both those boxes and more. 

Dive deeper: A Brief History of Print Advertising

Front-door marketing can boost OOH dwell time

When the goal is to increase OOH dwell time, your best bet is to invest in quality front-door marketing campaigns. Today, people are so desensitized to ads that it can be challenging to get a busy consumer’s attention, let alone keep it. Online ads are often lost in the digital noise of social media, email, and affiliate marketing. Even if these ads offer consumers value, many won’t see them. 

For OOH advertising, you need to meet consumers where you know they’ll interact with your message, and what better place than their front door? For example, if you place printed door hangers on targeted homes, these consumers will remove them before entering their homes. You have the opportunity to grab their attention for a few seconds. If your message is strong or interesting enough, people will bring your door hanger into their houses, significantly boosting OOH dwell time.

Related: 12 Brilliant Door Hanger Campaigns to Spark Your Next Idea

The added benefit of front-door marketing in 2023 and beyond is the available options for high-quality marketing material. From scratch-and-sniffs to sample kits, coupons to scratch-off cards, many options allow you to instantly engage consumers’ senses. This approach can significantly increase dwell time because the recipient interacts with your marketing material. Better yet, they’ll often keep these OOH marketing materials around, placing them on their counter or fridge. 

Using various data-driven strategies, you can also personalize door hangers and other front door media. QR codes are an excellent approach for lead generation and retention strategies. 

The media created by Power Direct is so sturdy that people refer to them as mini-billboards. We’re not talking about flimsy fliers or a small postcard that can just be tossed in a split second.

Power Direct is the leader in front-door marketing

Are you interested in reaching your audience in an exclusive, uncluttered environment?

Invest in the pinpoint accuracy and measurable results you can achieve with front-door marketing to improve your campaigns’ average dwell time. Contact Power Direct to receive a media kit and kickstart your front-door marketing campaign today!

Power Direct is an advertiser with OOH Today