How to maximize event-based OOH advertising at scale

Published on March 07, 2023
Valerie Williams
Content Marketing Manager

Digital privacy is limiting the way advertisers can target audiences

One of the most important steps in creating campaigns that engage consumers and promote brand awareness is to collect and analyze their personal data. However, with changing consumer preferences and regulations, it's becoming increasingly challenging to collect and utilize this data at scale. This is why audience targeting has become one of the biggest challenges out-of-home advertisers and media buyers currently face.

The trend began back in 2018 with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU which protects personal data linked to individuals, followed by Apple's bold change to its Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) rules in 2021 where 96% of customers opted out of being tracked, and continues to be compounded by Google's "pivot to privacy" which will phase out support for third-party cookies in their Chrome browser starting in 2024. 

These changes are a major roadblock for advertisers across the board considering the target audience’s demographic, location, interests and preferences, and more all play an essential role in deciding where and when to place advertisements, and what messages to communicate. 

This is why the time is now to broaden your approach and explore alternative sources of data that shed light on what motivates consumer behavior. Today, we’ll talk about how to make use of intelligent event data to make more informed decisions about ad placement and maximize the impact of their campaigns despite changing consumer preferences and regulations. 

Use event data to understand consumer behavior and target them effectively

One way to work around these restrictions to identify what your target audience is interested in, and where they’ll be in droves is to use intelligent event data – granular, location-based details about events such as concerts, expos, sports events, and more. Intelligent event data includes details such as predicted attendance, precise locations include venue data, predicted start and end times, and more to provide out-of-home advertising agencies with the information they need to find exactly where their target audience is at a particular time.

By using insights into impactful events across the globe, out-of-home advertisers can gain a better understanding of their target audience and the events that are likely to impact them at scale – then target advertising displays around these events. Whether it’s a highway billboard on the route to a major venue, a digital billboard on a nearby building, or a digital screen in small places where people are temporarily held captive (such as in an elevator in a local hotel, at a nearby gas pump or EV charger, inside of a taxi servicing the local area, etc.) – the key is to use events to contextualize where and when consumers will be in a certain location, and why

Armed with these details, the result is a more effective advertising campaign that reaches the right audience at the right time, with the right message – with no need for individual data tracking. For example, in 2019 when Pepsi invaded Coca-Cola’s hometown right in time for Super Bowl LIII. One ad agency capitalized on the fact that Pepsi was the official sponsor of the Super Bowl that year – which was taking place in Atlanta, the official home of Coca-Cola headquarters. They taunted the competition by plastering the city with outdoor media with slogans like 

  • Look who’s in town for Super Bowl LIII.

  • Pepsi in Atlanta. How refreshing.

  • Hey Atlanta, thanks for hosting. We’ll bring the drinks.

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Whether it's a live TV event, major sports event, a concert, or a conference, intelligent event data provides media buyers with the details they need at scale to make informed decisions for each of their out-of-home media placements to deliver better results for their clients. Let’s review four ways to use event data to power effective event-based marketing campaigns. 

Four ways to use event data to maximize the impact of OOH advertising

Event-based marketing is a proven tactic that out-of-home advertising agencies have leveraged to maximize the impact of their campaigns. Here are four examples of how to use temporary or permanent installations at events, attractions, and public spaces to better reach your client’s target audience with event-based marketing:

1. Building wraps near concerts and sports events

Wraps are particularly effective during big events that draw large crowds, such as concerts and sports events. In fact, major venues like Madison Square Garden in New York and the O2 Arena in London often feature large-scale building wraps to promote upcoming shows and games. 

By using intelligent event data to identify the location, timing, and predicted attendance of high-volume events attracting swells of music and sports fans, ad agencies can place building wraps in strategic locations where their target audience is likely to pass by on foot on their way to or from the event. With a large eye-catching display, building wraps are a unique way to drive awareness and get people talking about your client’s brand.

2. Digital out of home (DOOH) around live TV events

Digital displays in high-traffic spaces such as transit stations, shopping centers, and airports can be used to reach a wide audience with event-based advertising, particularly during live TV events such as the Super Bowl, World Cup, the Olympics, and more. 

By using event data to target fans of particular sports teams, advertisers can create timely advertisements that play on current rivalries or big games coming up. Furthermore, the use of dynamic displays allows for changing advertisements to engage with audiences in real time, delivering relevant messages that are aligned with the event, such as: 

  • current scores during live sports events

  • live updates and highlights from the event

  • real-time social media content related to the event

  • event cancellations to communicate important updates to event attendees

3. Transit advertising during conferences and expos

During large conferences and expos, people traveling from out of town will need to commute from the airport to the hotel – which presents a prime opportunity for transit advertising on buses, trains, and subways. By using event data to target conference or expo attendees, out-of-home companies can place advertisements to serve as multiple touchpoints during their commute and any travel they do within the city. This type of advertising can help drive brand awareness and reach a large, captive audience while they’re in town for a short period of time.

For example, during Comic-Con in San Diego, transit agencies within the city and surrounding areas have been known to feature advertisements for the event on buses, trains, bus shelters, and other transit infrastructure to generate excitement for the event.

4. Street furniture advertising during marathons

During a marathon event, street furniture advertising on bus shelters and benches can be an effective way to reach large crowds of people who are out and about, particularly the marathon runners and participants cheering them on from the sidelines. Those who are walking or taking public transportation anywhere near the event are also likely to pass by street furniture promoting brand sponsors and partners, which is an opportunity to spread awareness within the proximity of the marathon event, maximizing the impact of the advertising campaign. This is often the case during high-profile running events such as the New York City, London, and Boston Marathons, where advertisers use street furniture such as newsstands and phone kiosks along the marathon route to reach participants and spectators.

Quickly identify events that have your target audience’s attention

Unlock better targeting at scale by using event data to identify target audience locations and interests, and to fine-tune messaging to ensure your advertisements hit the mark every time. Each month, PredictHQ collects nearly 400,000 new events globally to enrich with key details – that way you can always be fully informed of events that matter most to your target audience. 

Whether you're targeting a specific audience or a broader market, event data can help you reach your target audience in the most effective way possible, increasing the chances of capturing consumer attention and achieving your marketing objectives. Additionally, we also partner with point of interest data provider SafeGraph, enabling you to access both event data and POI data quickly and easily. This partnership provides even further granularity and precision for use cases such as market research, campaign planning, site selection, and demand planning and forecasting. 

Join the ranks of out-of-home companies incorporating event data into their workflows and advertising strategies to drive successful, data-driven marketing campaigns. Even if you’re already using events in your strategies, leveraging PredictHQ data will enable you to access events at scale. 

We recommend starting by taking a look at what our event data looks like. You can sign up for a free account where you can search for upcoming events, export data and explore the API.