One of the most significant drawbacks to using out-of-home, or OOH, media is that it is hard to target specific demographics. OOH, media is built on the concept of mass exposure. The most well-known example of OOH media is the infamous billboard. These massive signs effectively reach an incredible amount of people both day and night. Depending on where these billboards can be placed, they have the potential to message literally millions of potential customers, however, they do so in a generalized way.
To some degree, these billboards can be placed in specific locations to target more specific audiences. For example, a billboard over a parking lot in a downtown area can advertise a good or service that may be more relevant to commuters, or shoppers exploring that part of the city. At the same time, a billboard placed along busy highways can advertise something that vehicle owners care about in general – like car insurance.
While there are ways of being smart about using your OOH media, the fact remains that this campaign strategy reaches people in mass. This approach can be more difficult to hone in on specific demographics, but there are also specific types of OOH media that can do this more accurately than others. One form of OOH media that allows for a high degree of specific targeting, is gas station advertising.
This form of OOH media may not have the reach and expanse that a billboard has, but it does have the advantage of a targeted and captive audience. If you have been wondering how a gas station advertisement could help promote your brand, here is everything you need to know.
What Exactly is Gas Station Advertising?
OOH media in general relies on some basic concepts of placing obvious signage in direct view of potential customers. These signs are typically designed to grab attention and show off specific messages. This form of advertisement is one of the oldest methods of marketing. One of the reasons that OOH media has stood the test of time is that it continues to give good results.
While the billboard might be the most instantly recognizable, OOH media comes in various forms, shapes, and sizes. Each type of OOH media has certain advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to gas station advertisements, one of the advantages that brands have is a chance to hone in on specific demographics.
The truth is, everyone who drives a car needs to buy gas, and the average length of time a consumer will spend at the pump is two minutes. This gives marketing campaigns that utilize gas station advertisements a unique chance to send very specific messages to a captive audience.
This of course is most useful to brands that are relevant to the demographic that needs gas. These could be people commuting to work, families, students, or adventurers. Brands that service the specific needs that people might need while taking a break from the road get a chance to do this intimately through gas station advertisements.
In general, there are two types of gas station advertisements, static advertisements, and digital. Most gas station pumps have a screen that allows for some kind of televised, promotional content. However, you can also utilize space on the gas station topper for signage, or even the gas pump handle itself.
The digital advertisement allows you to play a compelling commercial-style advertisement with potential customers. This can be more expensive, but since the audience is captive, it could have a very high reward. This can be powerful for brands that sell items meant to improve road trips or products and services that car owners care about.
Static options like the gas station topper and the pump handle are also great ways to spread a message. While they may not get attention as well as a promotional ad on a screen, they still interact with the customer.
Factors to Keep In Mind
As is the case with any marketing campaign, there are some factors that you have to keep in mind when considering gas station advertisements. This form of advertisement offers marketing teams the chance to hone in on specific consumers in a way that OOH media typically struggles to do, but that doesn’t automatically make it right for your brand.
Another factor to keep in mind is that while this is a highly cost-effective way of reaching a large audience with little to no marinating, it typically will reach a smaller audience than other forms of OOH media. Billboards and spectaculars have the potential to reach millions and millions of people a day, and this may not be the case even with the busiest of gas stations.
Conclusion
For brands that would benefit from more direct messaging to consumers at the pump, gas station advertisements are a powerful way to spread brand awareness.