Richard n Williams

Digital out of home (Dooh) is one of the most effective advertising mediums in the digital age with its effectiveness surpassing that of the internet, mobile advertising and other modern ad promotions.

Taking a screen outdoors has many advantages, especially for advertisers. High footfall and audience numbers and the lack of other digital competition can make an outdoor digital signage campaign very rewarding.

Digital signage, once a novelty used by only a few advertising companies is now a mainstream form of promotion, branding and marketing with more and more screens appearing in all sorts of locations from retail stores, gas stations, bus terminals, airports and shopping malls.

The outdoor digital signage market is fast on the heels of indoor. Increasingly we are seeing digital outdoor signs being erected in city centres, towns and around airports and other transport hubs.

Over the last decade televisions have gone from merely devices for entertainment to being commonly used out of the home for advertising, promotion, branding and information.

Outdoor advertising is a huge industry. In the UK alone it accounts for nearly £1.4 billion annually and is growing over ten percent each year (source Outdoor Media Centre), driven partly by the outdoor digital signage market, which currently makes up 14% of all outdoor sales (£1 in £8 spent).

Digital signage, or digital out of home advertising, is similar to other advertising mediums in that its effectiveness, is in part, governed by human psychology. There has been much research by psychologists into the effectiveness of advertisements and recent studies in digital signage have reflected the relevance of psychology on the effectiveness of a Dooh campaign.

There are many outdoor locations where running a TV screen, whether it is for outdoor digital signage, information or to provide entertainment, looks to be impossible. Many outdoor locations are either extremely hot, very cold, under intense sunlight, or under severe weather.

Technology in schools and classrooms has moved a long way from the slate and chalkboard of a hundred years ago. Many schools are now chock-full of technology that aides the learning process making teaching and studying easier.

Digital signage has been one of the fastest growing advertising industries of the last decade. The industry is currently worth nearly $4 billion and is continuing to expand with more and more out of home installs being deployed all the time.