Outdoor advertising at Christmas: beat the big brands to the locations you want

Over the Christmas season, the competition to attract consumers’ attention is stronger than at any other time of the year. With many advertisers focusing on TV advertising at Christmas, outdoor advertising offers a powerful opportunity for you to get your brand heard amongst the clamour of the holiday season.

Choosing the right location and timing to advertise your brand at Christmas enables you to compete with bigger brands in a way that other mediums don’t allow. No need to compete to be seen amongst the clutter of online marketing, or the piles of junk mail tossed into the recycling bin each year. It’s not necessary to blow your entire annual marketing budget on a TV ad to compete with John Lewis in order to engage a mass audience at Christmas.

A billboard or poster in the right location gives you the same opportunity as big brands to reach both existing and new audiences over the holiday season.

But to beat the big brands to the most effective out-of-home advertising locations for your brand requires planning and foresight. Many of the major brands begin booking all the best outdoor advertising panels earlier and earlier each year. That’s why it’s never too early to book your outdoor advertising space for Christmas. If you want to compete with the big brands at Christmas, book your outdoor advertising space now.

Why choose outdoor advertising for Christmas marketing?

Whilst much of the focus is on TV advertising during the holiday season, outdoor advertising can be just as effective. Studies have shown that 72% of people are likely to recall outdoor ads, compared to 77% for television ads.

We’ve talked about the benefits of outdoor advertising for small businesses on our blog. But at Christmas time in particular, outdoor advertising enables you to connect with consumers in ways that can be more effective than other mediums.

Outdoor adverts are seen by more people at Christmas

As consumers flock to shopping malls and high streets across the UK, the run-up to Christmas sees a sharp rise in footfall for many advertising panels. In other words, at Christmas, more people are likely to walk past adverts located in or near retail centres.

According to JCDecaux’s marketing director, David McEvoy, “footfall on our high streets and shopping malls is 25% higher in December compared with the rest of the year”. For example, the daily average footfall in London’s West End rises by 30% from 500,000 to 650,000 in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Research from Exterion’s work.shop.play panel also found that one in two urban consumers look for Christmas gift inspiration whilst out and about.

So, with this increased footfall, as well as consumers that are actively looking to be told what to spend their money on, advertising your brand on panels in malls and high streets is an absolute no-brainer at Christmas.

Out of home advertising enables you to reach shoppers at point of purchase

One of the most powerful aspects of outdoor advertising is that it enables you to reach shoppers at point of purchase. Raising widespread awareness of your brand or product when a customer is near a point of purchase gives you a powerful opportunity to drive that final consumer purchase towards your business.

As you can imagine, reaching consumers at point of purchase becomes particularly effective during the Christmas season. In the last few weeks and days before Christmas, consumers visit shopping centres and malls with the intention to make a purchase. With the pressure to buy gifts in time for Christmas, impulse buying increases and the power of a well-placed poster or billboard intensifies.

Choosing the right location for your out-of-home Christmas campaign

A poster placed in a shopping centre will take advantage of increased footfall at Christmas and direct consumers towards your brand at the very moment they are most likely to make a purchase.

Bubble’s online booking system enables you to find the panel that would be most effective to reach your customers. Panels are located on poster sites, billboards, street furniture, bus shelters and digital screens, and your campaign can run for as little as 2 weeks.

Many of our panels are placed within some of the UK’s busiest malls, including Castle Court in Belfast, Churchill Square in Brighton, White Rose in Leeds and Gateshead’s Metrocentre, which saw 100,000 shoppers come through its doors on Christmas Eve alone last year. A 6-sheet poster in the Metrocentre costs just £246 for a 2-week campaign beginning 5^th December.

When to book outdoor advertising space for Christmas

With the Christmas season starting earlier and earlier each year, there has long been much discussion about the ideal time to kick-off a Christmas marketing campaign. Whilst the point at which you reach-out to consumers will vary according to what you’re selling and the people you’re trying to reach, the time to book your advertising space is now.

Many SMEs get ahead of the big brands at Christmas by selecting the best locations for their outdoor ad around this time of year, before it’s too late. The earlier you start to plan your out-of-home Christmas campaign, the more likely you are to be seen in the best locations.

Find and book your outdoor advertising space on our online booking system, or contact us for more advice about the best locations for your Christmas campaign.