Russ Curry, Ministry of New Media
After a year of social distancing, Americans are optimistic about summer travel, with 51 percent of consumers stating that they are going to travel as much or more than in pre-Covid times.
This is one of the key findings from ‘Consumer Insights and Intent: Q2 2021 Summer Travel‘ the latest research report from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) conducted by The Harris Poll.
John Gerzema, CEO, The Harris Poll said “With ‘revenge spending’ building up and Americans hoping to let loose this summer, OOH will play a critical role. Americans are excited about travel and summer fun. Pair that with increases in awareness of OOH advertising from big city consumers and strong traction with other audiences too, and you have a significant opportunity for OOH.”
In fact, more than half (56%) are expecting to travel 201+ miles across the U.S. – with 42 percent of Americans who will vacation this summer planning to take a full two weeks or more off for travel. While the car is still viewed as the safest mode of transportation during the pandemic (95%), Americans are growing significantly more comfortable with other forms of transportation: planes (59%), trains (56%), ride share (50%), and subway (38%) compared to last Spring.
The survey also confirms that these trends are in sync with consumers’ renewed appreciation for being outside – especially among urbanites in larger cities (1M+). Since January, there has been a 4-point increase in big city dwellers stating that they are noticing OOH more now than before the pandemic began.
More than half (51%) of these urbanites say that they will be going out of town for a concert, sporting event, or theatre show this summer. Out of home advertising has a significant opportunity to influence these big city consumers, since they are likely to become aware of concerts (44%) and sporting events (37%) from OOH.
The research also shows that OOH is driving Americans online to seek more information about advertisers: half of consumers (49%) say they have used an online search to lookup information about an advertiser from OOH. Plus, a third say that they have been prompted by OOH advertising to engage in additional activities on their smartphones, and the same say that out of home ads have inspired them to access digital coupons or promo codes. The percentage who are motivated by OOH ads to search online is even higher among consumers living in heavily populated cities (60%).
Anna Bager, President and CEO, OAAA told us “After the challenges of lockdown, it’s great to see that consumers are embracing the prospect of travel and planning to be out-and-about this summer. This research confirms that Americans are beginning to move beyond the pandemic – and that OOH has the power to influence their summer activities.”
‘Consumer Insights and Intent: Q2 2021 Summer Travel’ was sponsored by The Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education (FOARE), a 501 (c) (3) not for profit, charitable organization. It was released as part of the Future Proof: OOH Media Conference from the OAAA and Geopath.
To review the findings pick here.
Methodology. The Harris Poll conducted the online survey from April 16 – 19, 2021, with a representative sample of 1000 U.S. Adults 18+. Data is weighted to reflect the U.S. general public across age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, income, household size, and employment.
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