Facebook Publishes New Report on the Benefits of Combining Facebook and Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor ads - including bus shelter campaigns and billboards - might not be within the budget of most SMBs. But for those businesses that can afford it, there can be significant benefits to running outdoor campaigns in combination with Facebook promotions.

As per Facebook :

"With the widespread use of smartphones, the high visibility of out-of-home goes hand in hand with actions on digital channels such as social media. For example, nearly 4 in 10 adults surveyed (38%) in the US say they have visited a Facebook Page or posted on Facebook after seeing an OOH ad, and 25% have posted to Instagram."

To examine the specifics of the relationship between outdoor campaigns and Facebook, The Social Network recently commissioned Kantar and Accenture to glean some insight into how Facebook and outdoor ads can work together as part of a strategic media mix, looking at users in the UK, France and Germany.

Here's what they found:

For the first element of its research Facebook examined the specific results of a recent Facebook/outdoor campaign run by Danone, which sought to reach new buyers for its French organic yoghurt. Danone utilized TV, out of home (OOH) and Facebook ads for its campaign.

"When comparing different approaches, using both Facebook and OOH ads worked best - with the combined impact proving to be 13% more efficient than expected."

That's a significant boost - again, such options will not be in the budget of all brands. But for those that can utilize an expanded reach campaign, there can clearly be benefits.

Interestingly, Facebook's study also found that outdoor ads are key for product discovery in certain verticals among younger European users.

That further underlines the potential value of combined campaigns - which is reinforced again in this element of the study.

For food and beverage brands, there are clear benefits to utilizing a combined Facebook/outdoor advertising approach, especially in the awareness phase. The increased exposure potential, combined with the ease of connection via social apps, can help guide consumers towards your product offers, and boost awareness among these audience groups.

There are some interesting considerations here - again, not all brands will have the option to undertake such campaigns. But for those that can, it may be worth considering.