While spending money on advertising might not initially seem like a good idea during a recession, OOH can actually help your company grow its reach and market share without breaking the bank. Our versatile street-level formats are ideal for those with small budgets who want to develop their brand in Chicago. Read below to learn more about our OOH options perfect for this moment.
We have to be honest—the pandemic has affected many sectors of the economy, and advertising is one of them. At the moment, many brands feel that advertising is not their main priority. We have written about why advertising during a recession is effective, but we understand why some brands, especially smaller businesses, would take a break from advertising.
However, advertising is all about the approach. Just in outdoor advertising, there are many options you can go with to advertise your product or brand. For those brands who are wallet-conscious, investing in large billboards in Chicago may not always be the best choice.
Many people are frightened by the price tag on Chicago billboards but don’t know there are other options. What about a smaller investment that reliably delivers the results companies look for when they advertise?
What you’re looking for is street-level media, and lucky for you—it’s our specialty.
Street Furniture Is the Answer
Our collection of street-level media can help you continue advertising in Chicago while also being friendly to your bank account. Although not as flashy or large as a billboard, street-level media is very reliable and tends to be more focused on reach. It makes many small impressions directly on the neighborhood and demographic you’re looking for.
Street-level media like bus shelters are both cost-effective and available in many different Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. You’re guaranteed to be able to find your audience and put an ad near their home for a price that still allows you to maintain your other business expenses.
Furthermore, Chicagoans are starting to re-emerge. Chicago is the 3rd city with the most daily miles traveled. And the beauty about advertising in the Windy City is the diversity of traffic you have. Every year, the number of Chicagoans who rely on public transit and don’t have cars grows. Advertising in bus shelters, for instance, captures both the public transit passengers along with pedestrians, drivers, and passengers.
Eye-level advertising targets pedestrians, and passengers of public transit and private vehicles. And this is what we focus on. Our Street Furniture, Wild Postings, and even our Bus Wraps are designed to make an impression on the pedestrian or the drive/passenger.
Alternatively, our HotSpots are also a great option if you’re looking to advertise on a smaller budget. Jamila Huq, our National Account Executive, talks about how brands are using our HotSpots without making huge investments in advertising.
City & Neighboorhood Takeovers
A City or Neighborhood Takeover is essentially filling an area with your brand. In a city like Chicago, this can often be done in select neighborhoods that meet your demographic requirements without having to target the entire city. It’s a simple way to increase your reach quickly.
Many people think this might be a waste, but market saturation is actually super cost-effective when using suburb-focused street furniture formats like bus shelters. Let’s say your target audience lives in Berwyn. Imagine putting your brand on every bus shelter in Berwyn, and the impact that would have for your brand. Many brands opt to have different messaging and creative on each bus shelter, telling a more complete and engaging story. It’s a powerful maneuver—it disrupts your audience and immerses them into a world of your creation.
Ultimately, a takeover is your moment to shine, to be in the spotlight. They share super well with social media (think Instagram posts of your billboards), and they leave a lasting impression that can make a notable difference in awareness, purchase, and loyalty.
The idea is to be smart with your advertising dollars. At a time like this, you don’t want to spend money on superfluous advertising. However, a takeover can do incredible things for your brand, especially when many companies are shying away from advertising. This tactic could put you at the top of your category with your target demographic. It’s an excellent way to maximize your investment.
Advertising is Key
At the end of the day, you don’t want to stop advertising. Killing your ad budget almost guarantees you’ll lose market share to your competitors, especially if they’re savvy and have invested in more advertising during COVID. Although cutting back on marketing could save costs in the short-term, it might be disastrous in the long-term.
The 1990-91 recession serves as a good cautionary tale for companies looking to stop advertising. In the 90s, marketing investments affected sales up to five years later. The companies that cut spending did increase business as the economy stabilized, but companies that maintained or increased ad spending during the recession had huge returns on sales and market share.
If you’re struggling to strategize or develop a marketing campaign for your brand at this moment, our account executives would be happy to help you find the right tactic to put in place while being wallet-friendly.
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Contact us today to set one up and let us show you how OOH can revitalize your brand.