Out-of-home or OOH advertising refers to exactly what the name suggests – advertising you see outside the home.

This could be anything from a billboard on a major roadway, to a wallscape attached to the side of a city structure, to a poster at a train station, airport terminal, or kiosk. OOH also includes branded merchandise and apparel. In recent years, OOH has been evolving from static printed ads to dynamic digital formats, including video.

In an era of digital everything, OOH connects brands with real people in the physical world. Depending on the format and location, that connection could happen at a crucial moment in time during the target audience’s journey.

Historically, OOH has focused on mass advertising targeting consumers. Place ads in high-traffic areas to reach as many people as possible. Direct them to a website, brick-and-mortar location, or mobile app, or simply increase awareness of an important issue, like mental health disorders, Covid vaccine availability, or an emerging medical procedure.

However, medical event organizers and marketers are now taking a much more targeted approach with OOH. More specifically, pharmaceutical companies that support healthcare conferences, medical symposiums, research summits, conventions, trade shows, and other industry events are being given the opportunity to extend the experience and their brand beyond the venue.

For example:
⦁ You would find the pharma brand and messaging on various types of signage in and around the venue.
⦁ You would see a wallscape across the street from the venue.
⦁ Posters would appear in businesses and at transportation centers in the local community.
⦁ A video wall would play continuously at a registration table and in the lobby.
⦁ The pharma company’s collateral would be placed throughout the venue, perhaps even in the rooms of attendees and speakers.
⦁ All pens, folders, notebooks, apparel, and the mobile event app would feature the pharma company’s logo.
⦁ A pharma company senior executive might be invited to deliver a presentation or moderate a panel.

By owning share of voice around the event as the top sponsor, a pharmaceutical brand can take advantage of captive audience and connect with industry stakeholders and decision makers in attendance.

Of course, success with OOH at a healthcare industry event requires significant research, analysis, and planning months before the event. How and where are audiences traveling before and during the event? What media options are available in the surrounding area (airport, accommodations, local businesses, transportation, highly visible buildings, entertainment venues, etc.)? Who will manage media planning, buying, production, installation, and verification of all media placements?

To be clear, a highly targeted, event-focused OOH strategy is a heavy lift with many moving parts. However, the reward can be significant for medical event organizers and marketers, as well as the pharma brands that take advantage of these sponsorship opportunities, if you have a media partner that has experience with this type of campaign.

AMC Media Group has delivered tremendous results by planning and executing OOH strategies in the medical sector. To learn more about this approach and how OOH can achieve unequalled share-of-voice for your organization, contact Phil Soufleris, AMC’s Vice President of Sales, GConselyea@AMCMediaGroup.com