As technology develops, we want to keep an eye on what’s to come. It seems like digital technology is advancing at an ever-increasing pace these days, and the digital industry is keeping pace with it. 
A recent article on Digital Signage Today outlined the biggest changes that are on the way in the next eighteen months. So what are these changes, what do they mean for you, and why is out-of-home advertising so important?
The article focuses on out-of-home ads for good reason. With the advent of ad blocking technology, ads that are intended to reach consumers in the home—particularly on desktop or laptop computers—are often never reaching their intended audience. Usage of ad blockers is particularly high among those ages 18-24, and among high earners, and ad blocking may soon be coming to mobile devices. As people work to keep their devices ad-free, what they see outside the home becomes more important than ever. This may be one of the reasons that, as the article notes, digital signage is going to become more and more present in public spaces.
(Other reasons include lower cost of production and changing city ordinances.)
Several of the predictions involves the technology getting “smarter”: we can collect and analyze more data now than ever before, and that means more targeted advertising opportunities. One thing that the article doesn’t mention is the polarizing potential of this. Though the technology is undoubtedly exciting, consumers often respond to data collection with concern or mistrust. This might indicate that now is a time to focus on a trustworthy image: emphasize transparency, and tell people what you’re doing with their data in simple language, not just a dense thirty-page privacy policy.
Most of this boils down to one thing: nobody has to look at advertising anymore. TV shows are pre-recorded so that the viewer can fast-forward through the ads, internet ads are blocked, and the digital advertising market outside the home is set to become more and more saturated. In a world where nobody is required to look at your content, it’s time to make sure that people really want to see it.
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