The Canadian Out of Home Marketing and Measurement Bureau (COMMB) has released a new report – Ads That Speak to Generations – that looks at how OOH resonates with different age groups.
“The report really delved into the nuances between generations. Not only their consumer trends and behaviours, but also how receptive they are to advertising, specifically out-of-home. Additionally, we found what truly resonates with them from an ad exposure perspective,” says Jennifer Copeland, COMMB’s director of Brand Communications.
The findings of the report show that OOH resonates across all age groups, primarily with younger Canadians. According to the research, those age 18 to 24 (90%) and 25 to 34 (86%) are most likely to engage with OOH, followed by 35 to 44 (83%), 45 to 54 (84%), 55 to 64 (78%), 65 to 74 (75%) and 75-plus (75%).
“It was incredibly interesting uncovering these intricacies between each generation through cross tabular analysis,” says Copeland. “It proves that if you aren’t taking the time to understand your audience, you could be missing out on reaching them in the way that you were hoping. Good campaigns start with audience understanding.”
The report also found that younger generations are more likely to notice digital out-of-home ads while in shopping, recreation or transit environments. Older generations are more likely to notice static out-of-home ads while in shopping or roadside environments.
The research dissects each generation to cover employment, income, attributes, activities and media consumption. Gen Zers, for example, are early adopters, outgoing and active and favour activities that include dancing, entertaining at home, aerobics and fitness. Looking at their media consumption, more than half say they discover new products and services easily through OOH advertising. Slightly less than half stay informed about new businesses, as well as sales and events through OOH.
Some of the types of ads that influence Gen Z to purchase are funny ads (55%), ads with pets (34%), sales promotions (32%), ads with good music (31%), animated ads (30%), and ads with testimonials or with celebrities (26%).
Gen X views on OOH advertising are similar to Gen Z and Gen Y, with 14% saying they’ve purchased a product, attended an event, visited a retailer or restaurant, or commented on the ad or product on social media after seeing an outdoor ad. They are also more likely than other generations to be influenced by ads with picturesque nature/environment images, celebrities, babies, and good-looking models.
