Trust. A key element in any relationship, including the relationship consumers have with advertising. Building brand trust is hard to do if consumers have low trust in the medium being used to advertise. And with so much false information available to consumers, they have become wary of many ad mediums. So, what mediums do consumers trust?
According to Nielson, Out of Home (OOH) advertising is one of the most trusted mediums. Even in millennials, OOH is trusted more than online display and online video. There’s no doubt that millions of consumers spend hours online, but over saturation and overexpose could contribute to the lack of trust. Consumers view OOH as a traditional media form and hold value in the fact that it is physical and more regulated than online ads.
OOH is not only trusted, with 56% of people trusting the medium, it is also highly effective. The study found that 58% of people are likely to take action after seeing OOH. These high levels of trust and high levels of activation in OOH should not be taken lightly by advertisers. A US study found that 58% of drivers who viewed billboards saw an event they wanted to attend or saw a restaurant they later visited, and 56% of drivers told friends and family about an entertaining ad they saw. OOH influencing people to talk about ads may not seem important but research by Nielsen shows that word of mouth is extremely influential, with 83% of people trusting recommendations from friends and family.
OOH alone is great for building brand trust but is even more effective when combined with other mediums. As mentioned before, millions of people are online everyday so online ad campaigns should not be ignored but combined with OOH. When added to a mobile or web campaign, OOH increased reach by as much as 303%. A multimedia campaign can also help build trust from consumers because familiarity nurtures trust. Seeing campaign messaging on multiple mediums on multiple occasions helps consumers find value in the brand and increases consumers awareness of the brand.
When taking into account all the research and the current climate where it is important for brands to be noticed but more important that consumer are trusting the messages from brands, it is clear that OOH is special. It can help build brand trust through its trust from consumers as a medium, it can help heighten activation and extend reach, and helps strengthen campaigns.