Out of Home Ads Influence Alcohol and Non-Alcohol Purchases

Urban Consumers Respond to Alcohol OOH Ads

JCDecaux street furniture and billboard ads across top U.S. markets intercept a mass audience of urban residents, commuters, and visitors where they are most likely to be influenced by alcohol brand messaging - in close proximity to bars, restaurants, bodegas, liquor stores, and other convenient points of purchase. Because beer, wine, and spirits in particular make up an ultra-competitive industry where new products hit the market seemingly every week, it’s critical for brands to maintain prolonged, consistent visibility outside of the home where their potential customers spend their time. 

Vast digital OOH networks cover entire urban centers like Manhattan, Chicago’s Loop, Downtown Boston and beyond, as well as exclusive digital billboard coverage across all Chicago expressways. With these assets, alcohol advertisers are able to activate creative variants that rotate across the city, creating the framework for practically guaranteed repeat exposure and subsequent retention among target audiences.  

According to insights from The Harris Poll, 80% of US adults express interest in alcohol OOH ads, 78% in large cities of 1M+ population recently noticed an alcohol OOH ad, and 43% say OOH ads directly influence in-person shopping decisions. Of the 77% who recently saw an alcohol OOH ad and engaged, 52% made a purchase at a physical store. 

Alcohol Brands Leverage Special Event Anticipation

In the lead up to high profile special events like the FIFA World Cup and MLB opening day, JCDecaux’s high value outdoor advertising locations enable brands to join the conversation in real life, even extending official brand sponsorships beyond stadium walls. 

For any event, those in attendance are not confined to the venue. They must first travel to the event and likely make several stops before or after at local restaurants, bars, tourist hot spots, hotels, and retail. This is where OOH’s capabilities shine, as these on-street networks enable advertisers to activate multiple consumer touchpoints where event goers are expected to be, often priming these attendees ahead of parallel official brand activations at the venue. 

In other cases, JCDecaux OOH is used to drive success of a brand’s own special event activation. When Smirnoff, for example, announced a massive brand experience featuring a speakeasy pop-up and live DJ performance in Chicago, street furniture and billboard ads amplified the event in order to drive online ticket requests and broadcast other important event details via QR-code scans.  

OOH Drives Intrigue Non-Alcoholic Consideration 

Just as alcohol brands use OOH to reach their own diverse target audiences, non-alcoholic beverage makers find the same marketing success with street furniture advertising. These ads elicit brand recognition and consumer action that’s critical for sustained success in the face of ever-growing competition. Additional research from The Harris Poll indicate that of the 73% of US adults who engaged with a non-alcoholic beverage ad, 41% made a purchase including 46% of those in large cities of 1M+ population. 

Explore highlights from our recent alcohol advertisers here.