Buses Drive Big Business for Brands, According to Several New Attribution Studies
NEW YORK and BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT), one of the largest out-of-home media (OOH) companies in the U.S., and StreetMetrics, a leader in Moving OOH (MOOH) measurement, have partnered to enhance dynamic measurement for bus advertising campaigns. Through this alliance, the two companies are teaming up to bring dynamic measurement and attribution to the industry.
OUTFRONT and StreetMetrics have come together to show that bus advertising can lead to positive outcomes for brands taking advantage of it. And together, OUTFRONT and StreetMetrics are taking a new step that aims to leverage dynamic data to plan, to uncover campaign insights, and provide attribution analysis for bus advertising.
Marketers have long recognized that placing their brands on bus exteriors provides mass reach and connects with consumers along their journeys and that campaigns are seen by riders, pedestrians, and others along each route. However, through qualitative research, a transformative shift of how bus advertising is being leveraged by brands has now become apparent. Beginning in 2020, of the attribution studies commissioned by OUTFRONT across all media, 90% were focused predominantly on brand lift, but the pendulum has swung: over 50% of the studies commissioned in 2023 alone has been dedicated to lower funnel metrics (e.g., store/website visits and app downloads), demonstrating brands’ changing perception of the value and role of OOH in omnichannel marketing.
Said Christina Radigan, SVP, Strategic Research & Insights, OUTFRONT: “While measurement is table stakes, we are seeing and proving a paradigm shift in OOH’s role in the overall marketing mix. StreetMetrics’ groundbreaking tools and data are enabling advertisers to understand the value proposition of bus advertising by offering a continuum of data to plan, reconcile (in the future) and ultimately connect that exposure with lower funnel behaviors through attribution. We are transforming how advertisers and marketers can look at bus advertising, well beyond its power to showcase brands with proof points to support what we’ve known all along – that bus advertising works.”
This partnership ties into the OUTFRONT Powered By Audiences (PBA) strategy, putting data at the center of its approach to positively impact its clients’ businesses. Leveraging StreetMetrics’ measurement and analytics capabilities, OUTFRONT is able to share to its clients actionable insights that measure media performance, and provide campaign effectiveness and ROI for bus advertising, similar to digital media. This shows that bus advertising can be effective in accomplishing advertisers’ performance goals and will also enable bus advertising to be included in multi-touch attribution (MTA) and media mix modeling (MMM).
OUTFRONT, in partnership with StreetMetrics, conducted several attribution studies across a variety of categories, which produced great results. For example, in spring 2023, a popular app took to the streets with a myriad of bus ad formats and StreetMetrics’ analysis showed that those exposed to the ads were 79% more likely to download the app.
OUTFRONT through StreetMetrics has seen similar client success in driving website visitation and store visitation using bus advertising. For example, Sheertex ran a 4-week campaign in New York with the intention of increasing visits to their website. Those exposed to the bus ads, overall, were 98% more likely to visit the website than those not exposed, additionally, those exposed to the bus ads were 117% more likely to reach the checkout page than those not exposed. The Wendy’s Company ran a campaign in its Boston division, and we found that those exposed to the bus ads were 63% more likely to visit a Wendy’s in the area than those not exposed. All proving that bus advertising not only creates awareness but can drive consumers down the funnel.
While OUTFRONT has successfully used these attribution solutions to show that exposure to bus advertising can lead to a positive change in consumer behavior, the ultimate aim is to use the StreetMetrics’ data set through the entire campaign lifecycle from planning to attribution and leverage those insights to inform and optimize future campaigns.
Drew Jackson, CEO, StreetMetrics: “Recognizing the demand for transit advertising measurement metrics like reach, frequency, and impressions, the StreetMetrics technology was born out of the industry’s need for reconciled transit out of home advertising measurement. Our partnership with OUTFRONT further proves that measuring lower funnel metrics like store and website visits is a priority for advertisers and media operators alike. With StreetMetrics’ trusted measurement and attribution solutions, OUTFRONT has been able to move the needle with its customers, offering a never-before-seen look into how bus ads are really performing.”
About StreetMetrics
StreetMetrics is a media measurement company serving the out-of-home advertising industry. StreetMetrics’ planning, measurement, and attribution solutions help media operators prove the return on investment for their out-of-home ad campaigns. For more information, visit www.streetmetrics.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
About OUTFRONT Media Inc.
OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.
OUTFRONT Media Contacts:
Matt Biscuiti
The Lippin Group
212-986-7080
[email protected]
Courtney Richards
OUTFRONT Media
646-876-9404
[email protected]
Stephan Bisson
OUTFRONT Media
212-297-6573
[email protected]
SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.
