Summer OOH Ads: Captivating Crowds, Boosting Brands

Introduction

With the arrival of summer, the world becomes a stage for thrilling sports spectacles - the Euros, the Olympics, Wimbledon, and more. Increased outdoor activity, extended daylight hours, and the heightened emotional engagement of summer events make it a prime time for brands to connect with audiences in meaningful ways. What better time to use Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising to capitalize on brand visibility and advocacy?

The Summer Vibe: Sports and Festivals Fever

There’s an undeniable energy in the air this summer as sports and festival fever sweeps the globe. The feel-good factor is everywhere. Stadiums roar with excitement, screens light up with athletic prowess, and communities unite over their love for games, music, and holidays.

Win Big with Summer Sports

Sport, in particular, evokes emotions like passion, unity, and triumph. Amidst all the cheers and camaraderie lies an unmissable opportunity for brands to score big in the world of OOH advertising. It's a chance to stand out in high-traffic areas, capturing the attention of both locals and tourists immersed in the buzz of the season.

Brands have been planning for months, aiming for the perfect time for billboards to attract the attention of the hordes of sporting fans out and about, catching all the action.

Sky Sports: 'The Greatest Show on Earth' Campaign

A great example of a perfect summer campaign is Sky Sports' ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ featuring Ella Toone from Manchester United WFC on Hotel Football's banner. With football fever high during this season, the visually impactful banner, placed where fans enter the stadium, grabbed attention.

Ella Toone's celebrity status added credibility and emotional appeal to the campaign, making it a memorable part of the summer football experience.

Venus and Sure: Capitalizing on Women's Euro Fever

Meanwhile, other brands also jumped on OOH success. Venus and Sure both capitalized on the wave of excitement generated around the Women’s Euros with simple, effective timing and placement.

Venus’s 'MoveYourSkin' campaign featured several iconic images with minimal copy aiming to inspire women to get moving with sports. Similarly, Sure displayed images of the team with their famous strap line and logo, creating a strong emotional connection with viewers.

Shine Bright with a Sunshine Boost

It’s not just the events that increase the volume of OOH audiences; it’s the warm weather and the holiday vibe. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology reveals that warm temperatures increase the reliance on social proof. As temperatures rise, so does the tendency for consumers to follow popular trends.

The warmer weather encourages more spontaneous outings and increased foot traffic in urban areas. This surge in activity is a goldmine for advertisers.

Starbucks' Summer Campaign

For instance, last summer, Starbucks seized on this perfectly, targeting roadside commuter audiences with enticing images of their products alongside summer-themed copy such as ‘Who’s in summer mode?’. The result was a noticeable uptick in foot traffic to their stores, driven by the timely and visually appealing campaign.

Ads that Scream ‘Summer’

Whether promoting beer, stylish apparel, or travel destinations, OOH advertising during the summer of sport offers a prime opportunity to tap into seasonal trends and consumer preferences.

San Miguel's Ice-Cold Campaign

San Miguel utilized our Wembley Boxpark site to promote their new product last summer. A stand-out image of an ice-cold beer with a summer backdrop screamed ‘summer’ to a targeted audience passing by.

High Street Surge

Summer is the ideal moment to introduce new products to receptive consumers for many reasons. Over the school summer holidays, data from MRI Springboard saw a surge of +4.8% in high street footfall, showing they are a prime position to display an ad campaign using OOH.

Not only do school holidays promote a rise in footfall, but events like summer bank holidays encourage people to get out and about. Last year's summer bank holiday in May showed a 5.4% increase in footfall around shopping areas.

According to Barclays, there was a huge surge in summer spending on non-essential items last June - by 5.7% – more than in May (3%) – all because the sunshine makes people want to socialize with friends and family while inspiring shoppers to renew their summer wardrobes.

Sizzle and Shine - Make the Most of OOH

Summertime is literally sizzling with opportunities for OOH. The sun is shining (well, sometimes), putting everyone in a good mood, making it the perfect time for brands to connect with audiences. Whether it's the thrill of the Euros, the adrenaline rush of the Olympics, or the timeless tradition of Wimbledon, there's a host of sporting events just waiting to captivate audiences worldwide.

So, gear up for next year: get creative, and let next summer be your winning season in the world of OOH advertising. Pencil in the championships, the games, the festivals, the tours, and more. Think about how you can tap into the summer hype, be visible, be emotional, and be memorable.

If your brand can catch the wave of summer appeal, your audiences will remember it long after the sun has set on summertime