as clients began to embrace alternative media more enthusiastically and social media became a key element in campaigns.
In the coming year out of home will keep up that slow but steady growth, as digital options receive increasing attention and the glut of political ads on television pushes advertisers toward other media. Of course that continued growth will depend largely on the economy.
Buyers say that the sluggish recovery overshadowed all other out-of-home issues this year. "I think the biggest development in 2011 was actually the economy," says Dana Burleson, senior vice president at Wilkins Media Co.
"I believe continued pressure on advertising budgets forced agencies to do a hard reevaluation of all media types, which allowed out-of-home to be looked at with fresh eyes. I think that efficiency had to be approached more creatively and OOH was a big beneficiary. "I also think that an increasing focus on low-cost 'buzz' allowed OOH to showcase one of its best attributes."
