The Difference Between Being Seen Online vs. In Real Life

Brands have more ways to reach people than ever before. Paid social, search ads, display advertising, email, streaming and influencer marketing can put a business in front of millions.

But seeing an ad online and seeing a brand in the real world are two very different experiences.

Online advertising is built for targeting, interaction and immediate action. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is built around physical presence. A billboard, transit ad or street-level display puts a brand directly into the places people live, work, shop and travel.

For marketers, the question is how combining the two can make a campaign stronger.

What Is the Difference Between Online and Out-of-Home Advertising?

The simplest difference is where the advertising experience happens.

Online advertising reaches consumers through digital devices, while out-of-home advertising reaches them in physical, public spaces.

Digital advertising includes formats such as paid search, social media ads, display advertising, video and sponsored content. OOH advertising includes billboards, digital billboards, transit advertising, street furniture, airport advertising and other place-based media.

Both can generate awareness. But the way that awareness is created is very different.

Online, your ad is competing with everything else happening on a screen.

In the real world, your brand can become part of the environment.

Online Attention Is Crowded

Think about the last time you opened Instagram, searched something on Google or read an article online.

How many ads do you actually remember?

Digital advertising gives marketers incredible targeting capabilities, but it also exists in an environment where consumers are constantly moving, scrolling, past sponsored posts, and skipping content.

That creates a difficult attention problem.

Even a highly relevant digital ad may only occupy a small portion of a screen for a few seconds before something else replaces it.

A 14-by-48-foot bulletin alongside a major highway doesn’t have to compete with another post directly above or below it. The message occupies a physical location and can remain there for days or weeks, reaching people repeatedly as they move through that area.

OOH Advertising Builds Familiarity Through Repetition

One of billboard advertising’s biggest advantages is how naturally frequency can occur.

People tend to follow routines. They take similar routes to work, drive the same highways, visit familiar shopping centers and travel through the same neighborhoods.

A strategically placed billboard can become part of that routine.

Someone may pass an advertisement Monday morning without giving it much thought. On Tuesday, the name looks familiar. By Friday, they may recognize the brand immediately.

This type of repeated exposure can help build brand awareness without requiring the consumer to click, watch or otherwise interact with the ad.

Online Advertising and Billboard Advertising Work Better Together

Brands don’t need to choose between digital advertising and OOH.

In many cases, they serve different parts of the same customer journey.

Someone might see your billboard during their morning commute but have no reason to act immediately. Later, they search for your company. The next day, they encounter one of your paid social ads and recognize the brand.

That relationship can work in the opposite direction, too. Someone who has already encountered a business online may see its billboard and recognize it immediately.

Take Your Brand Beyond the Screen

BillboardsIn helps businesses find and book outdoor advertising across the country, from traditional and digital billboards to other OOH formats.

Whether you’re building awareness in one local market or expanding a campaign across multiple cities, you can explore available advertising locations and find placements that match your goals.

Ready to be seen in the real world? Explore billboard advertising opportunities with BillboardsIn.