Just go on a walk in any modern city, and you’ll come across something very interesting. Every billboard, kiosk, and digital screen will display a product or a service that’s just too hard to look away. You have just got a glimpse of the future of outdoor advertising. Smart cities are making way for outdoor advertising by changing how brands advertise and communicate with us. A whole new tech makeover is coming to outdoor advertising with the help of smart cities. But what exactly does the future hold for outdoor advertising in smart cities? Keep reading this blog to understand:
What Is A Smart City
Innovation and technology in a city are what create a smart city. An urban area that uses technology and data to handle a city’s energy flow, traffic, infrastructure, and other public services is called a smart city. These cities can track multiple public transport modes in real-time, adjust street lighting using AI for pedestrians, and monitor air quality using smart sensors. Smart cities help brands to connect with people in an exciting way. It creates a whole new opportunity for marketers in how they advertise products or services in real time, but it also has certain concerns (more on this later).
Let’s see what the trends look like for 2025
Traditional Vs. Smart Outdoor Advertising
Traditional outdoor advertising includes banners, vinyl billboards, skywalk ads, static posters, unipole advertising, etc. They used to rely on a traditional advertising approach to display brand messages. Same content on the posters would be displayed for many months, and the impressions would decrease as well.
Unlike traditional outdoor advertising, smart advertising in smart cities are digital, dynamic, and data-driven.
For example, you’re walking in a busy street filled with stores, and it starts raining, there’s a billboard nearby that suddenly shows “Sale on Umbrellas at XYZ store”, which would just be around the corner. This is just one way of how smart advertising works in smart cities, the possibilities are endless.
How Smart Infrastructure Helps In Outdoor Advertising
The infrastructure of smart cities is built with connectivity in mind. Bus stops can have touchscreens and lighting based on the time of the day, street lamps can provide Wi-Fi to nearby buildings, and digital kiosks can provide a wide range of solutions for passersby. All these infrastructures are a part of DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) advertising. Think about digital billboards that can change the advertising based on real-time data like weather, local events, crowd, etc–that’s what a smart city is all about. If a sunscreen ad is displayed at the peak of the afternoon, it will surely be noticed and would create an interest in consumers. There are some advanced technologies that can make outdoor advertising a reality in smart cities.
Citizen-Centric Outdoor Advertising in Smart Cities
Today’s advertising strategies can feel a bit intrusive to consumers in some cases, which can lead to them ignoring whatever products or services are advertised. Smart cities are changing the way how advertisements are displayed so that it feels more relevant and less intrusive.
So, instead of consumers feeling that the ads are pushing products, outdoor advertising in smart cities offers real value, which increases their interest. Examples include, digital kiosks displaying maps, local restaurants, and real-time offers in tourist areas, or a billboard that displays an emergency alert and then goes back to displaying the advertisement, etc.
The citizen-centric outdoor advertising approach is more about providing timely and relevant information through ads or alerts for better awareness and engagement with brands. Smart city outdoor advertising is more customized, so the ads capture more attention than a generic advertisement.
How Smart Cities Allow For Sustainable Outdoor Ads
Instead of using more materials like vinyls for billboards, papers for posters, etc., smart city outdoor advertising can meet both sustainable & smart infrastructure needs without creating a ton of waste. It can include solar-powered digital billboards, bustops that provide lighting in the night for safety, or street lamps that dim the light when there is no foot traffic. This is important for cities that are working towards building a sustainable future.
Ethical Responsibility of Smart City Outdoor Advertising
Real-time advertising using geotargeting & data analytics raises a question for ethical responsibility. Brands that want to make use of outdoor advertising in smart cities should be transparent about their consent and data privacy, and also comply with GDPR and other regulations to gain the trust of consumers.
How Smart Cities Collaborate For Outdoor Advertising
By collaborating with brands, smart cities can improve their public service and also revenue with the help of outdoor advertising. This creates more public-private partnerships for a better economy.
The Future Technologies Playing a Role In Smart City Outdoor Advertising
- IoT (Internet of Things): Uses digital devices, sensors, and city infrastructure to provide real-time advertising like traffic updates, weather, etc.
- AR: Changes static ads into interactive experiences, which increases brand engagement with consumers. For example, 3D product demos, virtual try-ons near retail stores, etc.
- Voice Integration: Allows smart city infrastructure to be used as voice assistants for easy information. A kiosk integrated with voice features allows consumers to interact with it hands-free to make advertising more accessible to all.
- AI-driven Advertising: AI models can analyze the demographics in a smart city and understand behaviors or emotional responses to display a more targeted ad to consumers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, smart cities are changing outdoor advertising by using dynamic and data-driven strategies that improve consumer engagement while still following a sustainable and ethical marketing practice. Smart cities are not only changing how brands connect with their audiences but also setting the bar for citizen-centric advertising solutions in urban areas using smart public infrastructure.
