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Today's Edition...

Out-of-home advertising: It's booming as digital struggles

Cheetos: New campaign deserves (one-handed) applause

Chipflation: Have grocery shoppers finally had enough?

Why Out-Of-Home Advertising Is Booming as Digital Struggles to Click

(Source: Shutterstock)

The digital ad market is recovering after a few (very) bad years driven by Apple's privacy protections and other changing browser tech, the ubiquity of ad-blockers, and ever-evolving regulation.

But even with a good quarter for Meta and Alphabet's ad revenue growth — and with digital audio ads on a particularly strong trajectory — once-viable models are starting to look all but obsolete. Most users skip video ads. Cookies are out (at least in California). Generative AI search could hit online publishers with 20% to 60% traffic declines and billions in lost ad sales, according to AdWeek's sources.

Where does that leave your marketing budget?

One possible avenue might be making the old new again. B2C companies have increased traditional advertising spend by double digits in recent years. With price-per-click way up, old-school ad formats — print, TV and radio — all offer more bang for your ad buck, Ebiquity found.

That improved ROI reflects a population that's craving tangibility post-COVID, as we've seen from the return of shopping malls, along with record stores and bookshops. With 94% of Americans commuting to work again, transit advertising increased in 2023, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.

"When brands hit the subway, we see desired KPIs rise, from brand awareness — which is huge for small/medium businesses — to website traffic, discount code redemption, sales, and even social sharing," says Elizabeth Rave, VP of Marketing at Outfront Media. She adds, "OOH also drives 7X more social activations, per ad dollar spent, than any other media … and is rated the most trustworthy medium by the younger generations (millennials and Gen Z)."

So, does OOH work better for some brands or industries than others?

"For the small-to-medium players, transit ads make sense two ways: they are multilocation — fast casual does well — or they are a 501(c)(3) mission-based organization that can benefit from building out a public partnership," explains Sean Swensen, CEO of Momentum Strategy Growth Consulting and a veteran of the out-of-home ad space.

(Swensen cautions that takeovers of an entire station — usually the highest-tier transit offering — are "really only going to be cost-effective for the big business trying to do something very specific.")

It doesn't hurt that municipalities nationwide usually offer price breaks to local businesses.

In New York City, the subway acts as a rolling billboard for hordes of residents and tourists. "Regional advertisers … want to reach the MTA's millions of daily transit riders but have modest budgets, and appreciate the value and cost-effectiveness of the MTA Away co-branded programs," Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson Kayla Shults says.

Adds Rave of Outfront, "Public transportation is also the lifeblood of the city, making it the perfect canvas for any homegrown brand — founded in that city, colleges, restaurants, etc. … This allows brands and businesses an opportunity to speak the language and nuances of the community in which they are reaching."

Digital advertising is here to stay despite its recent troubles; you can't count out a $600 billion industry. Still, analog ads cut through the constant din of digital noise, instantly grounding your brand in the real world — which, as it turns out, is where people kinda want to be right now.

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How Cheetos Deliciously Embraced Its Most Annoying Quality

(Source: Cheetos)

Annnnnd speaking of real-world advertisements …

Let's face it, we'd rather eat Cheetos than apple slices or broccoli or whatever it is our doctor recommends. But there's just one problem: our now-sticky, powdered-cheese-covered fingers. It defines the Cheetos experience.

Most brands would never admit that their product leaves customers feeling annoyed; however, for its latest 360 marketing campaign, "Other Hand," Cheetos leaned into its worst quality in the best possible way.

"Cheetos fans everywhere know the feeling when they need to get things done but their fingers are covered in that beloved orange Cheetle dust," PepsiCo SVP of marketing Tina Mahal said in a statement, adding, "We're showing the world that it's okay to use your Other Hand and embrace the mess." Hence stunts like this:

(Source: Cheetos)

From a hilarious commercial to memorable billboards and signage, the "Other Hand" campaign takes a unique weakness (Cheetos are, like, the messiest packaged snack) and turns it into a fun, branded strength. So, own what makes your product special … even if a visit to the sink is necessary.

Annnnnd speaking of snacks …

Is the End of "Chipflation" Finally Here?

(Source: Shutterstock)

Shrinkflation, when grocery packaging gets smaller while prices stay the same, has Americans so peeved that it's an election-year issue. Whereas food conglomerates had previously boasted about their brand invincibility, perhaps — like a Dorito or Pringle between incisors — we've finally reached a breaking point.

After chip sales declined last year, food companies are cooling their price increases, the Associated Press reports. Another contributing factor: shoppers are opting for cheaper store brands.

"One thing I know for sure, people aren't eating less," Conagra Brands CEO Sean Connolly said in an earnings call last July after volumes dipped 7.7%. "So … they are making choices to manage their budget …"

(You might be feeling especially chipped-off if you live in Houston, which has seen the highest grocery inflation in the country, followed by Boston and Philly, according to the USDA. Talk about a salty situation.)

Today's podcast conversation is with Marty Beckerman, editor-in-chief of b., to discuss generational differences in the workforce, along with the highs and lows of running a business newsletter in 2024. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite audio platform.