Commuting is a daily part of life for millions of people worldwide. In bustling cities like Chicago, the commute offers a unique opportunity for individuals to engage with out-of-home (OOH) advertisements during their journey. When strategically placed, OOH ads like billboards, bus shelters, or street furniture can capture the attention of even the busiest commuters, from the high-level exec rushing to get to a meeting on time to working or stay-at-home parents trying to balance it all or college students on tight schedules. To get the most out of your outdoor advertising campaign, consider what a typical day in the lives of different commuters looks like in the Windy City. Our neighborhood experts can help you turn spaces commuters encounter every day into OOH touchpoints from start to finish.
Creating Ads Targeting the High-Level Executive
You know the drill for high-powered executives in a bustling city like Chicago. They have early starts each morning and rush hour traffic to beat. These individuals are all about business, and their commute reflects that. Whether high-level executives in the Windy City travel in their cars or use public transportation, their goal is to have as efficient a commute as possible. For this reason, you’ll want to create outdoor ads that are concise enough to get the attention of these busy, often-rushing professionals.
An executive living in the elegant, affluent Gold Coast neighborhood likely frequents the area’s luxurious retail stores and boutiques. Aesthetically pleasing OOH ads nearby Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci stores in this neighborhood will capture their eyes as they shop for tailored business suits and attire. Try to catch their eyes outside their community and on their way to their destination, too.
From Gold Coast to the Loop
A high-level executive likely joins other professionals daily to fill the Division and Chicago red lines during rush hour to make the 15-minute trip down to the Loop or River North for work. Create outdoor ads that are so aesthetically appealing they make high-level execs look up from their phones as they head toward the office. For this, consider a dedicated Wild Posting. Wild Postings are eye-level ads strategically placed in popular areas with high-pedestrian traffic near retail and public transit to give your brand or product the boost it needs.
Our experts can help you transform a corner wall on West Lake Street into a dedicated Wild Posting near regularly frequented venues that can be seen by busy executives when they’re in West Loop grabbing a quick bite to eat in this foodie paradise.
Sending Messages to Students
On the subject of Wild Postings, these OOH ad types are perfect for specifically targeting millennial demographics. Our experts find spaces in trendy neighborhoods and places with heavy foot traffic near public transportation for you to put up Wild Postings for your exact intended audience to view. This visual media easily lends itself to social media promotion and interaction, which is effective for reaching millennials.
Wallscapes are another form of hyperlocal advertising that is attractive enough and share-worthy on social media by millennials. These OOH ads can be painted directly on buildings and the walls of other ad surfaces, allowing them to:
Seem more akin to murals and pieces of art than billboards and signs
Add a sense of curb appeal that makes them feel representative of the culture and experience of Chicago living
Feel established and permanent in the community
A third option for reaching millennials—especially those attending college—is through ads based on public transportation. It’s common for millennials and college students of all ages to use city transit to make their way to class. Consider a University of Chicago student residing in the vibrant Pilsen neighborhood. As they travel, they take in the rich Latino culture that characterizes Pilsen, like the colorful murals and local art galleries that line the streets. While the neighborhood’s artsy vibe makes it the perfect area to put up wallscapes, its geography makes it the ideal place to use bus wraps.
Most direct routes from Pilsen to UChicago’s campus in Hyde Park are by bus, with most commuters making at least one transfer between neighborhoods. If you’re promoting educational opportunities, extracurricular activities, or nightlife events for young adults, using Bus Wraps allows thousands of bus riders and people on the busy streets to see your ad multiple times a day and ultimately become experts in your products. Through targeted bus routes through Chi-Town’s most dynamic neighborhoods, our Bus Wrap consultants can help you use these moving billboards for advertising in highly sought markets.
Promoting Products to Parents Living in the City
If your business concerns products or activities meant to be enjoyed by people of all ages, including those younger than millennials, you can benefit from knowing the most family-friendly areas of the city and the commutes parents take daily.
Consider a working parent balancing it all and living in McKinley Park, a neighborhood that attracts residents and visitors from surrounding areas. Our expert consultants can help you turn vacant space on a train overpass on Western Boulevard into an eye-catching ad for commuting parents to see as they:
Drop their children off at nearby schools before work
Spend time frequenting the area’s pizzerias and other restaurants, grabbing dinner on the way home
Shop at the markets and home improvement stores like Home Depot after work
The working parent may commute to Lincoln Park for work. In this case, they’ll venture north, crossing the Chicago River on Fullerton Avenue and entering and going along diverse streets like Armitage Avenue and Halsted Street. At View Chicago, we provide space on these streets for you to transform into persuasive, informative HotSpots that highlight family-oriented attractions, educational programs, and other convenient services your brand offers that cater to parenting needs.
These same styles of HotSpots can appeal to stay-at-home parents running errands in the city. Think of a stay-at-home parent living in Logan Square, home to landmarks like the Logan Theatre and the Illinois Centennial Monument and small neighborhood eateries that attract families and young people. This parent balances it all, too, and uses their time and energy to be productive with shopping for clothes, fresh produce, and goods for their family. Their commute may continue on Fullerton Avenue, where our HotSpot consultants can find vacant ad space nearby a drugstore, appliance repair stores, a laundromat, a family dentist office, and many other places a stay-at-home parent may frequent.
HotSpots Are Hyperlocal
HotSpots are OOH ads that allow you to put your local expertise on display. They’re typically smaller and more affordable than billboards but just as impactful, especially when strategically placed. You can leverage all the space and placement you need for an outdoor ad campaign because you can buy these ad types on a budget. Utilizing multiple HotSpots allows you to target several spots within a specific neighborhood that working and stay-at-home parents frequent daily, ultimately reaching more of your audience. A HotSpot located near a popular, regularly frequented store and another at a busy intersection can create millions of impressions among residents as they commute to and from their homes.
Position Your Ads to Target Suburban Parents
Consider that working parents and stay-at-home parents commuting all over the city as they balance their work, children, errands, and social life have a different commute than working parents and stay-at-home parents traveling into the city from the suburbs. The suburban parent might have their child with them as they journey to Downtown Chicago and witness the quiet suburban streets transition into the city’s dynamic urban landscape.
Suburban parents and children commuting from the widely diverse Bridgeview suburb are used to neighborhood attractions that appeal to all ages throughout their area. Street furniture is a great way to raise awareness and boost brand recognition for your goods and services in the suburbs, as parents will see your furniture pieces as they run errands or spend the day outside with their children or friends. In addition to advertising to them in their neighborhood, promote family-friendly attractions, events, and products along their route via HotSpots and Wild Postings.
These parents utilize major highways and expressways to get to Downtown Chicago from Bridgeview. Suppose you’re in the business of retail or entertainment. In that case, it’s in your brand’s best interest to post billboards along their route tailored to their suburban lifestyle while showcasing the best of city life for families, from theatre shows to shopping destinations to other tourist attractions.
Have Your Brand Identified in Industrial Spaces
Blue-collar workers in the suburbs may have to commute throughout the suburbs and city based on their labor and the industrial and construction services they provide. These commuters have similar experiences to the suburban parent: they access highways and interstates to reach the city. This is especially true for workers in Harvey, a suburb considered part of the Chicago metro area. If traveling from Harvey to Halsted Street, these workers have the daily experience of working at or passing industrial sites such as
Warehouses
Construction companies
Manufacturing plants
Automotive services
Trade education providers
In this case, you can use street furniture to promote your goods and services to these workers and other residents, locals, commuters, and visitors who traverse the busy industrial area. Likewise, you can use HotSpots to advertise hyperlocal once these commuters arrive in the city. Our experts can help you turn vacant ad space on South Halsted Street into an eye-catching HotSpot that speaks to their needs and interests in the industrial workforce.
Reach Retired and Older Adult Consumers
For older individuals and retirees in Chicago, their daily commutes may take on a different shape than executives, students, parents, and industrial workers. Rather than rushing to work or class or trying to get the kids out the door, they have the luxury of embracing and experiencing the city at their own pace.
Retirees and other residents across the metro area love the Lincolnwood suburb. This area is charming and filled with a lot of life. Made up of affluent, older adults, this neighborhood presents a highly sought audience with ultimate buying power. These Lincolnwood residents might start their day with a stroll in their community before spending time at their regular country club. Reach them at these spaces of comfort and leisure by utilizing street furniture. With street furniture pieces, you can capture the attention of these retirees and older adults in an affordable way while expanding your coverage to new target audience members.
Retirees and older adults living in Lincolnwood may commute to the Lakeview neighborhood for city activities. As they travel, they encounter vibrant communities and commercial areas. Going from Lincolnwood to Lakeview, these adults drive through the tree-lined streets of Lincoln Avenue, passing by local parks, community centers, and charming residential areas. Many residents and visitors from the suburbs and other parts of the city come to Lakeview to experience its casual and welcoming feel, explore its attractions, and enjoy its plethora of amenities. Suppose you’re a professional in healthcare services, retirement properties and communities, cultural events, outdoor activities, and entertainment for all ages—you could use HotSpots and Wild Postings to create an efficient campaign in Lakeview that appeals to people who are no longer bound by a work schedule and can take their time to fully enjoy the area's gorgeous shorelines and top-notch entertainment for all ages.
Meet Your Audience Where They Live and Travel
Chicago neighborhoods are so diverse, each being different from the other, but all providing both sides of the coin in their own ways. There are quiet sectors where residents enjoy being away from the city, but there are also busy intersections full of traffic. Show residents and visitors of your target audience that you’re an authority on both aspects of Chicago living and put up strategically placed ads that enable you to position your brand as an established part of the community.
As experts in your area, you should work with experts on your area to start a successful OOH ad campaign in Chi-Town. At View Chicago, we’ll create custom-based packages for you and provide you with suitable locations for the cost. Tell us where and who you want to market to, how soon you want to start your campaign and how long you want it to run, and your monthly budget, and we’ll provide a custom quote for you. Just as you want your ads to be with commuters at every step, our expert consultants at View Chicago will be with you at every step to ensure your brand and products gain and maintain deserved attention.