Outdoor advertising has no clicks and no cookies. Even so, it is quite possible to judge whether a campaign has worked. The key is to decide before launch what the campaign should achieve, and to choose the right metrics for it.

Here are the metrics available and how to collect them.

Step 1: Set the goal

A brand awareness campaign is measured differently from a promotion meant to drive store visits. Typical goals are:

  • Awareness: more people should know your brand.
  • Image: your brand should be perceived differently or more strongly.
  • Activation: people should do something, such as visit a website, sign up or come by.

Choose one main goal and two or three metrics to go with it. Trying to measure everything usually means measuring nothing properly.

Step 2: Understand the media metrics

These metrics describe how many people could see your campaign.

  • Contacts (OTS, opportunity to see): the number of opportunities to see the ad. Someone who passes five times counts five times.
  • Reach: the number of different people who saw the campaign at least once.
  • Frequency: how often one person saw the campaign on average. Reach times frequency gives the contacts.
  • CPM (cost per thousand): the cost per 1,000 contacts. It lets you compare sites and media on a common basis.

For every Hyde Media site we provide the contacts per day. Our article on calculating the reach of an outdoor campaign shows how to turn that into the contacts for a whole campaign. The terms are also explained in the glossary.

Step 3: Measure the impact

Contacts show the potential. Whether the campaign worked, you measure with these methods:

Surveys before and after

A short survey in the target region before launch and towards the end of the campaign shows whether awareness, recall or image have changed. Ask the same questions both times.

Searches for your brand

Many people look a brand up online after seeing it in the city. Compare searches for your brand name in the region during the campaign with a period before it.

Website visits and direct traffic

Watch direct traffic and visits from the campaign region. A dedicated short landing page, promoted only on the outdoor ad, makes the effect easier to see.

QR codes and promo codes

Where people stand still, such as at a tram stop, a QR code can make sense. A promo code that appears only on the banner shows how many customers come via the campaign. One example is the campaign by EVO Fitness in Basel, where a QR code on both sides of the banner led straight to sign-up.

Store visits

If your store is near the site, compare footfall or sales with a period without the campaign.

Step 4: Create a comparison

Impact is easiest to show when you have something to compare with:

  • Before and after: the same metrics before, during and after the campaign.
  • Test and control area: the campaign runs in one city but not in a comparable one. The difference shows the effect.

Make sure as little else as possible differs between the periods or areas, such as price promotions or other campaigns.

Common mistakes

  • Looking only at contacts: contacts show how many people could see the campaign, not whether it worked.
  • Starting too late: if you only think about measurement after the campaign, you have no baseline.
  • Last-click thinking: outdoor often works indirectly. Counting only the last click underestimates its contribution.

Read more about how outdoor supports other channels in OOH in the media mix.

FAQ

How do you measure the success of outdoor advertising?

With a combination of media metrics such as contacts and reach, and impact metrics such as brand awareness, searches, website visits and store visits. Set a goal and a baseline before launch.

What does OTS mean?

OTS stands for "opportunity to see". The figure is gross: someone who passes several times is counted several times.

Is a QR code on a scaffolding banner worth it?

Mainly where people stand still, such as at a stop or traffic lights. In moving traffic, a short, memorable web address often works better.

Want to plan your next campaign so it can be measured? Contact us and we will help you choose the right sites.