OOH Amplifying Brand Visibility Amid Major Sports Moments

In densely populated urban areas, sports are deeply ingrained in the culture, community, and economy. Brands are leveraging OOH to create excitement and intrigue surrounding sports and sporting events, particularly for timely occasions with high viewership like the FIFA World Cup, the PGA tour, as well as this year's NBA championship, where the New York Knicks took home a historic win for the first time in 53 years.

Why brands are choosing OOH during sporting events

Across industries, brands see value and opportunity in the world’s collective interest in sports, allowing them to align themselves with these culturally significant moments regardless of the brand’s affiliation with the sports world. Advertisers want to join the conversation and capitalize on moments where all eyes are watching to bring real life voices to real life platforms. In fact, the overwhelming majority of adults (77%) say OOH ads for major sporting events are equally or more memorable than other advertising types, according to a joint study by OAAA and The Harris Poll.

Street advertising drives engagement across touchpoints

Sports advertising creates abundant opportunities for ad placements. In addition to targeting stadiums, arenas and other venues, OOH allows brands to establish multiple touchpoints among frequented areas of interest such as sports bars, restaurants, and transport zones. Other OAAA and The Harris Poll research found that 99% of fans who attended a sporting event after exposure to OOH advertising supported local establishments, and 66% of which reported spending a significant amount, proving OOH’s undeniable impact on stimulating the sports economy at large. 

Brands have many reasons for choosing to bring sports-centric ads to the OOH landscape, whether to drive ticket sales for an event, generate interest in products, boost tune-in rates, or simply maintain relevance. Among those who recalled recently seeing a sports OOH ad, 90% took action, including by looking up more information online or talking about it with friends or family (both 42%) or visiting the event’s official website or social media pages (30%), according to the same study. 

Prediction markets and fandom

OOH’s ability to drive online engagement lends well to advertisers in the prediction market space. As events like the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup have taken over city streets, apps like BetMGM and Kalshi are seeking to drive prediction market activity. Out of all consumers who engaged with prediction market OOH ads, 51% shared advertiser information by word-of-mouth, 47% visited the advertiser’s website, and 41% made a purchase online, proving OOH’s extensive reach capabilities and the cultural relevance of prediction markets in today’s world.

Amplifying partnerships with OOH

Not only do sports organizations have the chance to advertise for themselves, but their sponsors and partners can maximize opportunities to align themselves with a certain sport, team, or event and meet individual advertising goals. While this is crucial for landmark events that generate national or global attention, advertisers can follow the same playbook for regular season sports to establish year-round relevance.

Many advertisers have taken advantage of the buzz surrounding events like the World Cup and NBA championship, using OOH to highlight official partnerships. Out of those who encountered major sporting event OOH ads, 16% engaged with sponsors or brand promotions related to the event, proving the impact of spotlighting the brands behind the scenes making the event happen.

DOOH for timely sports engagement

At the NBA Championship parade, JCDecaux advertisers were front and center in the action, sharing in the excitement of a decades long drought coming to an end. By leveraging full-motion OOH, brands were able to bring static images to life with video or animated content displayed in public spaces, creating a more immersive and interactive experience for audiences. 

Additionally, during major sporting events, digital advertisers have a unique opportunity to activate contextual, timely ads in rapid response to game outcomes and other iconic moments, otherwise known as turnkey activation. DOOH displays can also embed live scores, countdowns to a game, or team match-up information through dynamic content to keep people in the know and “ride the wave” of fan excitement, making brand messages more memorable.

Check out how other advertisers are leveraging OOH during sports moments here.