Digital Out of Home (DOOH) landscape in Dubai is constantly evolving. The traditional way of advertising on billboards – minimum of one-week cycles, often for long-term clients in real estate and telecom sectors— is starting to fade as the future of DOOH lies in the flexibility and precision of targeting the right audience at the right time.
Time Sensitivity
To tackle targeting wastage, dayparting and flexible timings are now available to advertisers. For instance, for a coffee brand, the best time to advertise would be in the morning and for a luxury retailer, evening, when potential customers are likely to be shopping. This strategic approach boosts efficiency of the campaign.
Harnessing Real-Time Data with Weather Activation
Catering the launch of your campaign according to the weather drives higher engagement rates. For instance, when the weather turns wet, a raincoat brand could activate ads, reminding people to stay dry and stylish, enhancing the ad’s relevance to the immediate conditions. Similarly, during hot days, an ice cream ad could entice people to cool down with a refreshing treat, directly resonating with their immediate needs.
Removing Traditional Barriers
One of the significant barriers to attracting new advertisers in Dubai’s DOOH market is the insistence on minimum one-week cycles. By offering more flexible, shorter-term options, site owners can open the door to a wider variety of brands and campaigns. This shift will encourage advertisers from different sectors to experiment with DOOH, reducing the industry’s reliance on a few key clients and fostering sustainable growth.
Global Leaders
Countries like the USA, UK, China, and Japan have already embraced these audience-focused strategies, leading to a more dynamic and diverse DOOH ecosystem. By following their lead, Dubai can position itself as a global leader in digital advertising, attracting a broader range of advertisers and driving innovation in the industry.
As Mark Dolan, International Business Director for MAG International, puts it, “Dubai’s DOOH market is fast evolving, it has a truly global audience and a vast array of world class sites but to truly unlock it’s potential, we must move beyond traditional models and embrace strategies that prioritise audience engagement and flexibility. This is how we will attract new advertisers and achieve sustainable growth.”
Conclusion
For Dubai’s DOOH industry to expand, site owners must embrace a new paradigm of flexible, audience-focused media planning. By dismantling outdated barriers and adopting innovative strategies like time bands, dayparting, and weather-based activation, Dubai can draw in more advertisers and achieve long-term success. The future of DOOH in Dubai is bright, but it requires a willingness to evolve and adapt to a changing digital landscape.
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