The immobility of lockdown life deprived out-of-home (OOH) communication of large parts of its effective areas. There was a lack of people who could come into contact with outdoor advertising on the way to their offices, to their favorite pubs, to friends' houses or to the shopping mile downtown. So the OOH changed. It focused on residential environments and media that served local supply and leisure touchpoints accordingly. The forced readjustment of addressing unsettled consumers manifested itself in the attempt to create emotional proximity. However, many advertisers did not know whether the campaigns could develop their advertising impact in the right places at the right time, which in turn unsettled them.
On behalf of the Fachverband Aussenwerbung (FAW), rheingold conducted the depth psychological impact study "Active Space" in the weeks after the third lockdown. The effect of OOH on consumers and possible advertising potentials in and due to the "new outdoors" as well as the regained mobility were examined.
The study revealed that the public space is perceived with heightened senses by the "returned" people. They are receptive to fresh impulses, ideas and inspiration. The longing for sociability, activity, the feeling of normality is great. It is also satisfied, but always while maintaining social distancing and the obligation to wear a mask.
The resulting discrepancy between the existing uncertainty and simultaneous joy about the "new outside" is broken through OOH communication. It offers chance encounters with the familiar and the new. An unexpected pandemic-free flirtation is created. People are approached on the street, offered distraction and given attention. At the same time, the encounter remains noncommittal and unobtrusive, since it takes place in public space and can be resolved in a self-determined manner. In addition, the size and presence of OOH communication act like a public statement, which particularly emphasizes the importance of the brand.
In the presentation at the Advertising Impact Summit 2021, Judith Behmer and Sebastian Buggert present the results of the Active Space study
These are the key findings:
- In a lust-deprived time, outdoor advertising flirts with customers and makes them "beautiful eyes"
- With OOH, brands motivate people to participate in life again and leave their private bubbles of retreat
- In a world where everyone is called upon to (self-)control, OOH has a refreshingly random effect
- As a public statement, OOH comes across as genuine and trustworthy and provides orientation in terms of common sense
- After more than a year of spacing out and shutting down, OOH directs attention forward to new ideas and perspectives
You can read the study structure and results here and download them as a PDF:
Sebastian Buggert holds a degree in psychology and is a member of the management team at rheingold. His research focuses on retail, media, and the service and financial industries. He is an expert in the field of digitalization and has long been intensively involved with the influences or opportunities of digital change both for markets and for qualitative market research.
Phone: +49 221-466 828 0
E-mail: buggert@rheingold-online.de
Judith Behmer holds a degree in psychology and is a member of the management team at rheingold institut für tiefenpsychologische Markt- und Medienforschung (Rheingold institute for Depth Psychology Market and Media Research), where she conducts research in various industries (including media, retail, and financial services). The cultural psychological aspect of her research projects is particularly close to her heart.
Phone: +49 221-466 828 0
E-mail: behmer@rheingold-online.de
