Swift Response to Outdoor Planning During COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 on media consumption is undeniable. The nature of the outdoor industry, with long-term, non-cancellable contracts made it difficult for advertisers to adapt plans to the new reality: fewer people traveling outside of the home. Which in turn meant fewer than expected impressions on contracted inventory. Add on that the industry was not set up for real-time measurement and many advertisers and agencies were left wondering how to proceed.

Red Comma Media took a proactive approach by working to secure bonus inventory before some geographies were even officially shut down. This swift action allowed us to start making up for under-delivery right away. Media partners were able to place our advertisers on inventory as openings arose, giving us access to many prime locations. By scheduling this inventory as early as April and May, we were also able to get ahead of the rush of advertisers expected to reenter the market over the summer months.

Eventually, GeoPath published tools to evaluate real-time exposure. Some trends we found include:

• In the weeks prior to COVID-19, traffic was up significantly versus 2019 averages, in some cases offsetting the down weeks during COVID closures

• Larger metro areas saw more significant decreases in traffic, while some smaller markets experienced very minimal change

• By the first week of May, traffic numbers in most markets appeared to be recovering

After analyzing our clients’ original schedules versus revisions with the bonus, we were able to quantify the true impact of the pandemic, as well as identify any impressions that might still be owed. As a result of our quick action, our advertisers saw less adverse effects to their outdoor media plans.