Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is one of the most effective ways to reach a wide audience. In Indonesia—where public mobility is high and traffic in major cities is dense—OOH has great potential to increase brand visibility. However, many businesses, from small to large, still make mistakes in their OOH campaigns, resulting in less-than-optimal outcomes.

Here are some common mistakes in OOH campaigns, along with tips on how to avoid them:

1. Overly Busy and Hard-to-Read Designs

The Mistake:
Cramming too much text, images, and visual elements into the ad space. This makes the main message hard to catch in a short glance.

The Fix:
Use a simple, high-contrast design that clearly displays your core message. Remember, people usually only have 3–5 seconds to take in your ad.

2. Wrong Location for the Target Audience

The Mistake:
Placing ads in crowded areas that aren’t relevant to your market — for example, advertising teen products in a business district for adults.

The Fix:
Do demographic research beforehand. Choose a location that fits your audience’s characteristics — age, lifestyle, and movement patterns.

3. No Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

The Mistake:
Only displaying the brand name without prompting viewers to take action — like buying, visiting a website, or following on social media.

The Fix:
Add a concise and clear CTA, such as “Visit our store at…” or “Scan the QR for a special promo.”

4. Ad Duration Too Short

The Mistake:
Renting OOH media for only 1–3 days, which isn’t enough time to reach a meaningful number of people.

The Fix:
It’s better to run OOH ads for at least 1–2 weeks, especially in high-traffic areas, to give your message enough exposure.

5. No Campaign Performance Tracking

The Mistake:
Failing to measure or evaluate the impact of the ad campaign.

The Fix:
Use simple methods to measure effectiveness — like special promo codes, QR codes, or custom URLs unique to the OOH campaign. These can show how much engagement your ad is getting.

Conclusion

An OOH campaign can deliver great results — if well-planned. Avoid the common mistakes above to make sure your ad investment really pays off. With the right design, strategic placement, and strong messaging, outdoor advertising can be a powerful tool — even for businesses with a limited budget.