Outdoor Advertising as Experiments

Abstract

Can outdoor advertising substantially influence in pur chase rates? The answer in brief: the limited evidence from field experiments indicates that outdoor advertising is likely to increase sales.

The evidence from survey research studies in the form of verbal reports indicates substantial increases in shopperl visitor traffic and purchase rates associated with the use of outdoor advertising signs. However, only two published and no unpublished studies could be found that include the use of true experimental or quasi-experimental designs to learn the effects of outdoor advertising on purchase rates.

Research on the sales effects of another form of advertis ing media signage is available for comparing the relative quality of outdoor advertising effectiveness studies. Tell ing evidence does exist indicating that indoor (point-of- purchase) advertising increases purchase rates. A substan tial number of field studies using true experimental and quasi-experimental designs are needed to provide similar hard evidence that outdoor advertising works. Some sugges tions for using such research designs are provided for the outdoor advertising industry.