Digital Place-based advertising has a ton of benefits:  Low cost per impression, amazing reach, location specific targeting… But it’s important to pay attention to your creative, and think about how, and where it’s going to be seen.  What is the audience’s frame of mind?  Are they on the move or settled in?  Can they interact with the medium, and if so, would they really want to?  Here are just a few common pitfalls to watch out for!

• Inappropriate Amount of Copy – Local advertisers, I’m looking at you.  I know there are a ton of amazing reasons why the viewer needs to choose your business over others, but save it for subway advertising.  It’s true, my morning commute just flies by when I have the chance to read a good Dr. Zizmor article, but aside from that, the more information you include on your ads, the less likely I’m going to read any of it.

Even in an elevator, the viewer only gets a few seconds to take a look, so do yourself a favor: Choose a message and keep it simple.

• Lame Interactive Experiences –  What are the benefits of interactive advertising?  You get to track how well it’s working, and the interactor will be so impressed that they’ll tell someone else leading to a veritable snowball of organic marketing.  Well, only if you put in the effort to provide an intriguing experience.  If all you have to offer is a link to your website (which they can easily find on their own) stay away from QR codes, SMS and have faith that they know how to use The Googler.  However, if you have the means and budget to create something brilliant, please do.

How fun is THIS?!

• Narrative-Based Creative –  You know how in movies they turn on the TV right as the breaking news hits?  It’s called a “Coincidental Broadcast”, and they do it because it’s more nobody wants to watch Ryan Gosling watch TV for an hour waiting for the relevant news to break- okay maybe Gosling was the wrong choice for this analogy, but I digress…  Most out of home viewers will catch a random 4 seconds of your ad (not always from the beginning), and have no idea what is going on- And you just wasted a perfectly good yarn.  When reaching people who are on the move, it’s important that they know what your message is instantly.  This means keeping your logo and call to action prominent for the duration of the ad. If you’re advertising in an environment where viewers aren’t sitting in a chair with a bowl of popcorn, nix the narrative.

If you have to tell a story, tell it with a single image.

Your television spot wasn’t made to go on a billboard, and your print ad wasn’t intended to be broadcast on television.  If you respect the medium, your advertising will have greater impact, and your ad dollars will be wisely spent.