Companies have more choices than ever when it comes to advertising spaces. Not only are there the traditional types such as newspapers and billboards, but there is also social media and online advertising. Many marketing teams look to shopping centres as a good place to display ads, but are they as effective as they used to be? Let’s look at the pros and cons of shopping centre advertising.
Pros
Shopping Centre Ads Have an Immediate Impact
Advertising at a shopping centre places your ads in front of a mainly captive audience as they can only walk through certain areas of the centre. This means that ads are more likely to be seen and acted on, especially if you have a branch of your store in the centre.
People generally have the time to look at the large mall video screens and act on any ads they see in a shopping centre, so there is more chance of an immediate impact on your ad.
They Are Cost-Effective
Even with the introduction of video displays, the cost of advertising on OOH is still more cost-effective than some other forms of advertising such as online ads. This makes the cost per impression low and with a busy shopping centre, it can make a lot of sense.
For small businesses that have a tight marketing budget, shopping centre advertising can be a cost-effective way to get your brand out there. It will also appeal to people who prefer to buy from local companies as opposed to large corporations.
More Chance of Being Seen Than Online
With 42.7% of people aged 16-64 years old using ad-blocking software online, it is getting harder for companies to get their brands seen online.
Cons
Success is Not Guaranteed
Because you are placing your ads in a busy shopping centre, there is a chance that your ad won’t be seen. If it is seen, there is no guarantee that people will act on it, especially if they are distracted by the other stores, or friends and family.
Ads Must be Easy to Read
Running ads on OOH displays requires a little more tailoring of the ad than on other platforms. It must be able to be scanned quickly as consumers will have just a few seconds to look at the ad.
If the ad isn’t correctly designed, then people won’t be able to understand what it is trying to convey.
Information Retention Can be Hard
If you put any type of contact information on your OOH ad displays, then you need to make it memorable as this can be difficult in public places.
Shoppers might not be able to take a note of a phone number or email, so it may not be acted upon.
Conclusion
The pros and cons of shopping centre advertising can make the choice difficult. However, when you weigh up both sides, using OOH at shopping centres offers more opportunities and potential than not using it.
With advances in new technology, the cons of OOH displays are becoming less important, making them more and more useful for brands to invest in.
