Nielsen conducted a mass survey that asked participants about their online visits over the previous six months in response to advertising they saw. Nielsen discovered that, per dollar spent on advertising, out of home leads to more online activity than TV, Radio, or Print.
In this example, out of home accounts for 22% of search activations but only 7% of the media ad spend; therefore outdoor advertising's search activation index is 335. This “over-performance” for outdoor advertising continues in the other three activity categories, where the index value is greater than three times the expected rate.
Desktop banner ads totaled almost $9 billion in 2016, so this research helps position outdoor advertising in realignment of budgets focused on driving online results. Billboard advertising's connection to digital media is stronger than ever, boosting online search and social media activity more than other traditional media and online banner ads. Billboard advertising and digital ad spend is on the rise because the media perfectly complement each other, working to drive people in the real world to go online.
Download the Nielsen Online Activation Study »
Sources: OAAA, Nielsen
