It’s my first week as a Media Buying Assistant Intern here at Matrix Media Services Inc. and as expected, my perceptions of out-of-home media were far from the realities of the industry.  First off, I was unaware of all that OOH advertising encompasses.  When I initially thought of OOH, the only types of advertising that came to mind were billboards, bus ads and benches. Now I’m sitting at my desk on my second day, overwhelmed by the countless ways a company can get their name out there using outdoor media alone.

Out-of-home media is divided into two segments, traditional and non-traditional media.  Traditional OOH media include the more standard advertising you see from day-to-day like billboard, transit, cinema and mall advertising.   Non-traditional is the out-of-the-box advertising that is often tailored to reach each company’s target market in a unique way. These innovative OOH media techniques can include the use of segways, street teams, projection ads, mobile billboards, sidewalk decals and yes even restroom stalls.  However, like every other industry, out-of-home advertising is subject to regulation. For example, in the United States- Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont have banned the use of outdoor billboards statewide. Bulletins and posters are zoned out in select cities across the US as well. (Don’t worry, the media staff here at Matrix Media are experts on zoning issues.)

Second, I was under the impression that companies who couldn’t afford glamorous forms of advertising such as television commercials, blockbuster movie previews and magazine ads were the only ones using OOH media. Over the past couple days I’ve realized that companies of all sizes use out-of-home ads. For some smaller companies it may be the only type of advertising used. Larger companies with sizable budgets often use OOH to supplement a vast, multi-media advertising campaign.

My last perception was that due to the recent recession, companies have cut back spending on out-of-home media. I couldn’t have been more incorrect. In fact, according to a recent study by PQ Media, alternative out-of-home and digital media are expected to increase to a total of $160 billion in 2012, a 55% increase from 2009.  As people are spending more time outside of their homes, more and more companies are investing in OOH media. For a senior in college closing in on graduation, this seems like a pretty good career path.

–Dee Dee McGuire, Media Buying Assistant Intern, a local music lover with a strong appreciation for food.