In today’s competitive advertising landscape, brands focus on reaching customers in contexts where they’re most receptive. Venue-based advertising enables brands to connect with consumers in specific high-traffic locations, such as pubs, sports bars, gyms, malls, and stadiums. By targeting audiences within these settings, brands can create tailored messages that resonate with people at the moment, aligning with their needs and interests. This blog explores what makes venue-based advertising so effective, how it differs from CTV advertising and provides real-world examples illustrating its impact.
What is Venue-Based CTV Advertising?
Venue-based advertising involves strategically placing advertisements within popular public locations where certain demographic groups are likely to be found. Unlike regular billboards, venue-based ads are integrated into the environment to enhance the user experience and increase brand recall. These are TV screens consumers watch when they aren’t at home, and they’re an important segment of DOOH and CTV. Venue-based CTV ads can be served during live TV programming or displayed on digital screens within the venue.
For example, airports often display ads for tech and luxury brands aimed at frequent travelers and business professionals. Gyms host ads for health, fitness, and lifestyle products, targeting health-conscious individuals, while shopping malls feature fashion, electronics, and beauty ads to engage shoppers. In stadiums, food and beverage ads cater to sports fans. This approach lets brands make memorable impressions on highly specific audiences, resulting in increased engagement.
The Importance of Venue-Based Advertising
Venue-based advertising offers the advantage of connecting with consumers in settings that complement their activities or mindset, making brand interactions feel more relevant and memorable.Â
CTV Advertising vs. Venue-Based Advertising
| Feature | CTV Ads | Venue-based CTV |
| Viewing Location | Reach a broad audience at home. CTV ads are about reaching a large audience at home through their preferred streaming devices. | Venue-based CTV is about reaching a specific audience in a specific location through screens within that venue. |
| Targeting | Demographics, interests, viewing habits | Location, venue demographics, content on screens |
| Devices | Smart TVs, streaming devices | TV Screens within venues |
| Ad delivery | Ads are shown on smart TVs and streaming devices | Programmatically replaces regular TV ad inventory with customized ads or displays ads on screens within the venue |
Here are a few key benefits:
- Enhanced Targeting: Brands can use venue-based advertising to reach consumers in real-time at specific locations. For example, a coffee brand may target morning commuters at transit stations with a promotional ad, ensuring the message aligns with the audience’s immediate needs.
- Increased Brand Recall: Ads in high-relevance venues boost brand recall, as consumers are more likely to remember brands they encounter when they’re in a receptive state, such as at a concert or gym.
- Better Engagement: Consumers are more likely to engage when ad messaging aligns with the audience’s interests within the venue. For example, a fitness app ad in a gym context feels relevant and encourages on-the-spot interaction.
- Higher ROI: By targeting specific locations, brands will likely see higher returns, as they reach relevant audiences in environments that are more open to engaging with the brand’s products or services.
Use Cases of Venue-Based Advertising
Across the U.S., venue-based advertising is thriving, especially in cities with popular, centralized locations:
Retail Brands in Malls: Fashion and tech brands use interactive screens to promote new collections, drawing immediate foot traffic.
Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs) in Airports: Ads positioned in waiting areas or lounges make busy travelers aware of dining options, increasing customer flow.
Sports Merchandise in Stadiums With a captive audience, sports brands showcase ads throughout stadiums, prompting fans to buy merchandise on the spot.
Health Brands in Gyms: Wellness brands promote supplements and products in fitness centers, resonating with audiences focused on health and fitness goals.
How Lemma Supports Venue-Based Advertising
Lemma provides brands with tailored venue-based advertising solutions, leveraging advanced targeting and data insights to engage audiences in high-traffic locations, by integrating ads across venues like Pubs, Retail Outlets, Gyms, etc. With a commitment to ensuring brand messages resonate meaningfully with audiences, Lemma recently partnered with Taiv Media (U.S.) to transform advertiser access to CTV and venue-based advertising. Through real-time targeting and analytics, Lemma supports brands in boosting recall and driving engagement, establishing itself as a dependable partner in venue-based advertising.
