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Imagine this: you're walking down the street and spot a real estate ad on a billboard. Minutes later, the same apartment pops up on your Instagram feed, in your Google search results, and even on other apps you use. Sounds unreal? Not quite. This is the power of mobile targeting—and it’s already here.
Mobile targeting in Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising bridges the gap between the physical and digital world. By using tools like geofencing and retargeting, brands can reach people who’ve seen an outdoor ad directly on their mobile devices, keeping the message consistent and top-of-mind.
And it works. Studies by Ocean Neuroscience show that consumers are 48% more likely to engage with a mobile ad after seeing the same campaign out in the real world. And industry experts are betting big on this tech-driven marketing approach.
This phenomenon is working wonders not only for the real estate sector but also the auto, FMCG, travel, fashion, apparel and much more. The possibilities are endless.
Rajat Sikder, Director, Walk The Talk, underscores that this enables brands to offer their consumers with a dual exposure- the high impact through a typically unavoidable OOH, along with a chance for an immediate action through a mobile device.
“There’s a definite likelihood of an enhanced engagement in this case. While OOH primes the consumer, and when the same consumer set comes across a related communication while browsing or using an app on the phone, it triggers a stronger recognition and boosts engagement,” he says.
Further building on this sentiment, Adil Khan, Head of OOH business, Cheil India shares, “OOH serves as the first real-world touchpoint, building subconscious brand awareness. When followed by mobile retargeting - via in-app ads or social media - the brand message feels more familiar and trustworthy, effectively shortening the conversion path.”
He explains, “With tools like mobile ID tracking and geo-fencing, brands can retarget users who have passed by an OOH site, delivering hyper-personalised ads to their mobile devices within minutes or hours.”
This effect can be seen more in India, where mobile usage is pervasive, as per Sumit Taneja, Business Head, HyperGlocal (Interspace Communications). “Integrating OOH with mobile strategies such as geofencing and retargeting creates a cohesive brand experience, leading to increased brand recall, higher click-through rates, and improved conversion rates.”
The ‘OOH’ factor of mobile targeting
Similar studies show that OOH ads can boost mobile engagement by up to 38% and increase store traffic by as much as 2.5 times.
Adding to this, Taneja mentions that mobile targeting technology has certainly enhanced OOH advertising by enabling precise campaigns with location targeting. Through geofencing, agencies are delivering personalised ads straight to consumers’ smartphones as they enter specific demarcated areas that enhance engagement and ROI for the brand while also providing them with real-time actionable data. This integration transforms static billboards into dynamic, interactive experiences.
Hence, one is for sure that mobile targeting is definitely a novel way for brands to reach out to their audience, supported by a more intelligent and data-driven ecosystem.
“Integrating a synergy between physical media and digital engagement, allowing brands to not only reach out to their consumers, but also follow up with an immersive personalized experience, from pushing specialized promotional offers, to store locators or even an AR experience,” adds Sikder.
Pitfalls in mobile targeting
Despite its potential, this approach faces significant challenges, wherein data privacy is the foremost concern for most industry players.
A senior executive at a leading outdoor firm warns about using the technology with caution. “We cannot make any comments about this technology as of now since we ourselves are trying to explore this avenue and can’t assure its safety and authenticity,” he claims.
Similarly, Adil Khan believes the increasingly stringent data privacy laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and India’s DPDP Act restrict access to user data. While telecom providers possess vast datasets, legal and ethical constraints limit how this data can be used. Additionally, OS-level restrictions have further complicated legitimate large-scale tracking efforts.
Data privacy is undoubtedly one of the foremost concerns and it's becoming even more relevant as the country transitions into a cookieless world, along with the introduction of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act), according to Sikder.
With GPS inaccuracy still flaring up every now and then, mobile retargeting is still an evolving tech, as per him.
Additionally, Khan says, the Indian OOH market is highly fragmented, with a multitude of media owners and formats. Unlike digital channels, OOH lacks standardized metrics and uniformity, making it difficult to measure campaign impact or attribute conversions accurately.
Other challenges are also present like ensuring user consent for location tracking, compliance with data protection laws like India’s DPDP Act, highlights Taneja. Moreover, to leverage this advanced technology, there is also a significant investment cost to integrate real-time mobile data with OOH inventory.
Way forward for the Mobile+OOH technique
Overall, Taneja, Khan and Sikder are of the same opinion that while adoption may start slow, increasing digital literacy, better data infrastructure, and regulatory clarity will accelerate growth.
As a solution, agencies must balance innovation with responsible data use to maintain consumer trust while leveraging the full potential of mobile-targeted OOH campaigns, underlines Taneja. “Strategic partnerships between agencies and brands which gives the investors measurable ROI, will see mobile targeting become a mainstream innovation.”
Following the same chain of thought, Sikder says, there’s a strong chance for this technology to succeed in India, provided the industry comes together to solve the key challenges, as well as crack the code post the cookieless world and the DPDP implementations.
He further suggests, “Given the traditionally slow adoption of innovations, it is imperative that all stakeholders invest in knowledge building initiatives through case studies and workshops, to clearly illustrate the value this integration can deliver across the ecosystem.”
Khan stresses on the fact that to enable effective mobile and digital integration, the OOH industry needs a unified measurement framework - one that reflects audience flow across key locations like roadsides, malls, transit hubs, and airports. High-dwell zones are particularly valuable when consumers first encounter striking OOH creatives in such areas.
“By bridging this gap with cohesive data, standardized metrics, and privacy-compliant targeting, brands can unlock a seamless, cross-channel advertising experience that amplifies both reach and impact,” he concludes.
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