Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for the entertainment industry at large. As families gather for the long holiday weekend, top entertainment producers including streaming, film, and live theatre are investing in outdoor ads to drum up awareness, anticipation, and most importantly, action.
Whether streaming online or playing in theatres, these entertainment advertisers are activating timely messages in front of a diverse, on-the-move audience who spends most of their time outside of their homes- where they are most susceptible to critical brand messages and more likely to respond with action.
Insights from Morning Consult indicate that 78% of US adults took an action after recently seeing an OOH ad, including using online search to look up information about the advertiser (44%), making an online purchase via a mobile device (43%), and talking about the advertisement with others (21%). These various actions taken are critical to live or digital entertainment advertisers.
Street furniture and billboard ads achieve mass urban reach
A streaming service, a major film studio, and a downtown theatre all require mass awareness to stay top-of-mind against an endless sea of entertainment competitors- especially during the holiday season as Americans seek activities to fill their time-off. With urban outdoor ads, these advertisers acquire a real-life voice that doesn’t fall victim to oversaturated online spaces where ads can be ignored, skipped or closed out.
JCDecaux street furniture and billboards cover some of the most congested pedestrian and vehicular urban corridors in the country, offering advertisers the ability to target iconic shopping destinations, tourism landmarks, residential neighborhoods, and beloved in-person holiday traditions. And by activating multiple locations across our networks, these advertisers can guarantee repeat exposure that aids message retention and viewer response.
Airport advertising targets an influx of holiday travelers
Airport advertising is a crucial, high-value component of the entertainment marketing mix, particularly during high-volume periods like the winter holidays. Popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Universal Pictures and Disney use this environment to their advantage, recognizing that an audience in transit is highly receptive. With nearly 18 million Americans flying over Thanksgiving week alone (TSA), this influx of travelers provides an unparalleled opportunity to reach diverse and captive audiences who are actively seeking distractions and entertainment options for their journey and time off.
The extensive passenger dwell time of approximately 45 to over 140 minutes per passenger allows brands to deliver engaging, multi-sensory campaigns. This captive environment dramatically increases brand recall and drives immediate action, such as searching for a new show or movie on a mobile device. For example, Disney executed a clever static domination for Zootopia 2 at the entertainment capital’s airport, LAX. This placement granted Disney 100% share of voice for arriving passengers, reaching them the moment they arrive, and capitalizing on a movie that has already seen a record-breaking opening of $556 million globally.
Walt Disney