Street Furniture Advertising: An Intro and Why It's Essential for Brands

Glossier bus shelter OOH advertisement in Paris for one of the beauty brand's fragrances.

Picture this: you're walking down the street on your way to grab coffee when a brightly colored ad on a bus shelter catches your eye. It features the words, “Now open!” bolded in a contrasting color, with an address listed below. This isn't just a random placement; it's street furniture advertising, an impactful form of out-of-home (OOH) media that leverages public amenities to reach audiences right where they are.

From transit shelters and LinkNYC kiosks to newsstands, street furniture advertising offers brands a way to engage consumers at a street level. These ads are often placed in high foot traffic areas, providing a public amenity while simultaneously reaching urban commuters as they wait for their bus or train, and even vehicles passing by, at the same time.

Our goal with this blog post is to familiarize you further with street furniture advertising, its benefits, and to share examples of how brands can use the format.

What is Street Furniture Advertising?

Street furniture advertising utilizes existing public amenities as advertising spaces. The most common formats in this category include:

• Benches: A simple yet impactful space where riders sit and wait for the next bus, highly visible due to its curbside location.

• Bicycle racks: Brands can wrap bike racks, stands, or docks, with some locations having adjacent panels to include larger advertisements. Bikeshares can also run advertising, such as Citi Bike stations in New York City.

• Bus or transit shelters: The ubiquitous bus shelter serves as an effective ad space that reaches commuters daily. With its eye-level location and longer dwell times, ads here easily grab attention and encourage social interaction.

• Kiosks: Providing directional or navigational information, often with interactive elements, this format yields engagement, meaning more eyeballs.

• Newsstands : Similar to bus shelters, these are common in most markets and effective during dwell times as people purchase newspapers, magazines, etc.

Bus bench OOH advertisement for clothing brand Faherty in Los Angeles, CA.

The Advantages of Street Furniture Advertising

Street furniture advertising offers unique benefits that can help both large corporations and small companies alike connect with consumers in their daily urban commute, engaging them at street level where they live, work, shop, and play.

1. Capturing Attention

Billboards are placed high above ground, but street furniture ads meet your audience right where they're most receptive - at eye level. This is particularly effective during dwell times, such as when people are waiting for buses, crossing streets, or simply pausing. Viewers have more time than usual to absorb the message, giving advertisers an extended opportunity to not just display but also explain complex ideas and messages.

Research indicates that four out of five pedestrians noticed ads in bus shelters over the past week, demonstrating powerful reach.

2. Traditional and Digital Options

The transition into digital screens has led to a resurgence in popularity for bus shelters and kiosks. With traditional inventory, brands get 100% Share of Voice (SOV) of the unit. With digital screens, there are other advertisers that are a part of the rotation, but there’s more flexibility and creativity than ever before. This includes:

• Real-time updates: Change content according to time or weather conditions (e.g., a hot coffee ad on a cold morning).

• Interactive features: Create engaging experiences on-the-go for passersby.

• Dynamic experiences: Tailor messages based on specific events happening nearby or around the world, such as live sports scores.

These innovative displays have encouraged longer dwell times as people are more inclined to interact with eye-catching digital content, leading to higher engagement rates compared to traditional billboard advertisements due to their close proximity and relevance.

3. Social Interaction:

A unique aspect of street furniture advertising is its potential to encourage social interaction. By incorporating interactive elements, you can make your advertising more engaging and foster connection between your brand and target audience. Studies show that individuals are likely to discuss interesting ads they've seen on street furniture with others—an organic word-of-mouth effect that increases brand awareness.

A commuter sits at a bus shelter OOH advertisement for Minute Maid, on a seat facing the sun, with the words "Enjoy an extra dose of vitamin D" above them. Photo: VMLY&R.

4. Benefits for Both Big and Small Companies:

This type of OOH media isn't just for large corporations. Small companies can also benefit significantly from street furniture advertising, especially when they aim to target specific audiences within their vicinity.

For instance, a cafe might place ads on bus benches or transit shelters near their location. These ads would not only reach people waiting for public transportation but also pedestrians and motorists passing by, significantly increasing brand awareness among potential customers in that locality. It's a flexible and effective tool for any campaign media mix.

How to Use Street Furniture Advertising

Street furniture advertising can be strategically leveraged by all categories to achieve specific marketing goals. Here are some ideas to get your imagination started:

• Fashion Brands: High-end fashion brands often strive for maximum visibility while maintaining their exclusive appeal. This balance is perfectly achieved through strategic placement of street furniture ads at bustling city centers or near upscale retail outlets. You’ll often see fashion brands in New York, Chicago, Miami, and more. These ads can capture daily urban commuters' attention effectively, increasing brand awareness and creating memorable impressions. Read this success story of how Celine included newsstands in its NYFW activation.

• Food & Beverage Brands: Food and beverage companies use inviting visuals that encourage immediate action from viewers—like grabbing that latte or trying out the new burger joint across the street. The immediacy of digital kiosks or convenience store panels becomes particularly useful here, as they are located close to where people commute or shop regularly. This helps increase foot traffic into nearby establishments and encourages social interaction around shared experiences (like discussing over lunch).

• Fintech/Banking Brands: Many financial or consumer banking brands use OOH media for product or service launches. Established brands looking for lower-funnel results invest advertising budgets in street furniture media because of the longer dwell times. Out-of-home advertisements that include calls-to-action like downloading an app or scanning a QR code have a higher probability of engagement when displayed on street furniture. Read this success story about PayPal’s campaign which included street furniture as a part of their OOH media mix.

To conclude, street furniture advertising isn't just about ads on benches or bus shelters. It's a strategic tool that puts your brand in the heart of urban life.

You've learned how it leverages high-traffic street locations, reaching consumers at eye level through various parts of their day. Whether on their way to work, home, or food and entertainment hubs, every brand, big or small, can use street furniture advertising to connect with their audience.

Bus shelter OOH advertisement for Visit Myrtle Beach using contextual messaging for a local market.

To fully maximize the potential benefits of street furniture advertising for your brand, consider partnering with experts like us. Drawing on extensive knowledge in this area, we can construct an engaging ad campaign to make the most of street furniture advertising, offering comprehensive solutions that help your brand reach large audiences while resonating on a personal level.

Connect with us today to get started on your next campaign!