As a proud mother of a 3-year-old toddler, I can admit that there is never enough time to do anything! So in targeting a busy working parent like myself, getting my attention is difficult. I admit I have a routine, and as millions of parents do, and I follow that routine every day. To get my attention you have to break my routine.

Break a Parents Routine By Getting Their Attention

First things first, keep it simple. Wordy messaging gets busy and who has time to read lengthy messages these days? Not to mention trying to understand an ad that is difficult to comprehend at quick glance. I can understand and respect that not every ad takes a second to grasp, but it should make me want to look again or hold my glance for more than that quick second.

Go Where They Go

Out-of-Home advertising is expanding and as the popularity of this age-old media increases, there is a need to find new ways to reach parents. I, like many parents, commute to work. On my normal route to work there are a handful of bulletins and wallscapes I see every day. I work in the heart of a downtown city, so wallscapes and billboards are common and is a great way to reach the average working parent. But purchasing a large-scale outdoor unit isn’t always enough. Get creative with a standard bulletin or an over the top wallscape. Since I see the same units daily, I typically only recognize drastic changes in creative.

Be Where They Are

Let’s take it a step further. When I am away from work the most common areas you will find me in (like many parents) are a park, museum, entertainment area for kids like Cosi, the library, an indoor play area, coffee shop, daycare center, the gym or the grocery store. By getting creative you can, not only catch my attention on my way to work but also at my most common areas of interest. Placing a simple poster on a message board next to the waiting area within a coffee shop is a great way to reach not only the busy on the go parent, but a large audience, for those few minutes you have a large target audience looking for something to read or catch their attention, anything to keep their mind occupied while waiting for their coffee. Take this concept a step further and have me take your ad home or to work by putting your message directly in my hands on a coffee cup or coffee sleeve. I don’t know about you but I have to glance at my cup before I drink it, and when I do that, I will not only see your ad once, but multiple times.

My son is now at the age that he is not only in childcare but is in a preschool program. Whether I pick him up or drop him off that particular day I pass the entrance to the facility, and always glance at the common area where brochures, posters, and information is displayed. I am naturally interested in the material and programs the facility thought and agreed to put out to help a busy parent like myself. By displaying signage or posters in this area you will catch your busy audience’s attention easily.

TV Ads a Nuisance, Outdoor Ads a Helpful Resource

I heard a quote the other day that I found both fascinating and also very true:

These days’ people are quick to fast forward past a commercial on TV, but they expect to see ads or search for them outside of their home.

Although we are not jumping out of bed to look for our favorite billboard every morning, after hearing that I realized I do exactly that. Whether it be at the grocery store with digital signage at the checkout or the ad on my grocery cart as I shop, or the signage at a daycare facility, the gym, even the park, I am consistently looking and searching for information. I’m always seeking out the next thing what will make my life easier or my family happier. So get creative and step out into outdoor advertising. With all the clutter and technology these days, out-of-home advertising may be one of the easiest and best ways to reach that on the go parent!

Sara Laudeman, Media Buyer – a proud parent and working mother, able to balance life due largely to her minor coffee addiction.