Location. Location. Location: Why Placement Is Everything in OOH (A Mustard View)

June 20, 2025

In the dynamic world of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, creativity counts, butlocation is king. Whether it's a high-traffic billboard in the hub of Sandton or a muralon a township spaza, where an advert lives can make or break its impact.

Why Location Matters More Than Ever

In South Africa’s most urbanised cities, daily traffic congestion is a certainty. According to the TomTom Traffic Index (2025), Johannesburg ranks among the top50 most congested cities globally, with drivers spending an average of 145 hours per year in traffic. This presents a captive, repetitive audience for OOH ads, especially in zones with long dwell times. Strategically placed billboards, like those on Grayston Drive or along the M1, take full advantage of this. It’s not just about being seen. It’s about being remembered while the consumer is sitting in peak-hour traffic, with nothing else demanding their visual attention.

Mustard’s Approach to Location Strategy

We don’t just sell space – we position stories. At Mustard Outdoor, we invest time in understanding foot traffic, traffic flow, regional habits, and cultural triggers before recommending a site. Our planning is deliberate, our placements intentional. This is how we ensure your brand doesn’t just appear in a space, but becomes part of the fabric of that environment. From massive billboards to street-level murals, we apply a mix of data, intuition, and cultural relevance to every decision we make.

Local Know-How Meets Data Science

At Mustard Outdoor, we believe effective placement is a blend of gut feel and geo-data. Using tools like mobility data, heatmaps, and footfall analytics, we analyse:

• Daily pedestrian and vehicle traffic patterns,
• Socioeconomic data of specific neighbourhoods,
• Visibility metrics like line-of-sight and dwell time.

This allows us to place OOH where it's not only visible, but culturally resonant. A beautifully designed ad is wasted if placed where no one relevant will see it. Placement is what turns creative work into business results.

Case in Point: Visibility Drives Conversion

According to Nielsen (2019), 46% of adults searched for a brand online after seeing an OOH ad, with 66% of smartphone users taking some form of action after exposure. This reinforces a truth we at Mustard Outdoor live by: the street doesn’t scroll, and OOH doesn’t compete with thumb fatigue. A well-placed billboard isn’t skipped – it’s noticed, shared, and remembered.

Lessons for the Industry

So, what can the broader OOH sector learn from this?

• Don’t chase clicks. Chase context. Good placement understands where your audience is, not just who they are.

• Think like a commuter. If you’re stuck in traffic on the N1 North, what’s goingto hold your attention? That’s your creative starting point.

• Get local, stay relevant. A billboard in Soweto should speak differently thanone in Camps Bay, and that starts with where it’s placed.

• Use data, but don’t forget instinct. Some of the best placements we’ve seen 0are part science, part street smarts. OOH works because it exists outside the digital vortex. The moment you try to mimic online formats, you lose the magic. Be bold. Be physical. Be present.

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References
• Nielsen. (2019). The Power Of Outdoor Advertising. Retrieved from: https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2019/case-study-the-power-of-outdoor-advertising/
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• TomTom. (2025). Johannesburg Traffic Report. Retrieved from: https://www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/johannesburg-traffic/
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