All posts in Out-of-home advertising

We continue with our notable billboards series, and today we bring you lightbulbs, roads and more optical illusions.

Image Sources: Ads of the World

1- The Economist: Lightbulb

Motion sensors in this billboard make the bulb light up as a person walks underneath it in the iconic “IDEA!” fashion. Not only would this make for some pretty fun Instagram posts, a giant lightbulb flashing is sure to turn some heads. The simple design is also very efficient. You know what the ad is for very quickly without having too much else to distract you from the fun.

2- Hot Wheels: Curl

This creative ad captures the imaginative and fun nature of Hot Wheels, and a loop in an overpass is sure to catch the attention of drivers and passengers alike. The loop emulates many of the Hot Wheels tracks, and calls out to thrill seekers of all ages.

3- Ford Mustang: Fast

Ford achieves another stunner with this ad. Capturing the feeling of speed, the board gives the visual of going so fast that everything around you is a blur. The billboard is made of a strong, semi-transparent resin so that it can withstand weather while still delivering the effect regardless of time of day or conditions. There were also installments in a desert scene and tropical scene that you can view here and here.

This isn’t the first time Ford has appeared in our ad series. Check it out in our previous post.

Disappearing content is becoming an increasingly valuable marketing tool with the rapid increase in Snapchat users and the creation of Instagram stories. Disappearing content is made up of messages that vanishes after a certain period of time (usually 24 hours). Snapchat is one of the fastest growing social media platforms out right now, with over 100 million users and counting. Snapchat users represent a large audience and collectively watch over 10 billion videos every day. A multitude of companies including CNN, Buzzfeed, Food Network and ESPN already utilize Snapchat’s Discover feature, creating stories of their own.

As a marketing tool, disappearing content’s attractiveness is due to it’s exclusivity, low cost, and easy deployment. It also combats the consistently decreasing attention spans of consumers by creating marketing messages that are compacted into extremely short videos or fleeting images. Last August, retail company J Crew used Instagram Stories to preview their September collection a week before its release. It also featured discounted pricing on their sunglasses, which quickly sold out.

Disappearing content can also be used to increase excitement and brand loyalty. Giving behind the scenes looks, exclusive interviews, and never before seen content encourages users to keep coming back to a company’s page. The NFL regularly has players or teams take over their Snapchat or Instagram accounts for a day, creating content that feels personal and gives fans an otherwise inaccessible perspective.

The fact that the content disappears adds to its value, because once it’s gone, it’s gone. It also keeps people coming back, because everyone is afraid of missing out. Similar to livestreaming, brands can hire celebrities and influencers to create content for their stories, creating an opportunity to bring in consumers who follow the celebrity but may not necessarily follow the brand. You can read more about live streaming in our previous blog post here.

Live streaming video has caught on quickly over the past several years. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google and Snapchat have all added live video capabilities, but companies have only recently begun to utilize this format in their marketing. While there is still debate over the effectiveness of live streaming content, more and more companies are taking the plunge and getting behind the new tech, and many are seeing positive results.

Live streaming allows brands to more directly connect to their customers. It targets those who are already interested in a brand and therefore are more likely to turn into profitable action. It can be used to  provide behind the scenes looks into the company or special events. Live streaming has also been used for product unveilings. Nissan streamed the launch of the 2016 Maxima and General Motors rolled out the Chevy Volt EV on Facebook Live. UFC uses live streams to go behind the scenes during weigh-ins, and the NFL has begun streaming entire games on Twitter.

Live streaming helps to give a more human aspect to brands and let consumers feel that they are part of the experience. Brands have also begun to have celebrities and social media influencers be a part of — or even take charge of — live streams for their brands. Just a few months ago, Wendy’s teamed up with YouTube duo Rhett and Link to promote their Fruit Tea Chillers, which you can watch below.

Live streams also allow for brands to directly learn what it is that their consumers want to know and what their concerns are. Since those watching streams can comment, those running the streams can easily switch gears and adjust the conversation to address viewer concerns. However this presents the challenge of being adaptable and willing to go with the flow. When it comes to live content, viewers don’t want to see a cut and polish production. The general population tends to prefer raw, personal experiences without the script.

Another attractive factor of live streaming is the fact that it’s free, the only cost incurred is paying whoever is in front of and behind the camera. This makes live video an equalizer for smaller brands, who don’t have the huge amounts of cash to put towards advertising campaigns.

 

55 years ago, JCDecaux introduced the bus shelter. Since its creation, bus shelters have become a new medium of advertising, and companies have come up with plenty of creative bus stop campaigns.

1- Ikea

Ikea has been turning bus stops into tiny living rooms for several years now. Using comfy furniture and bright colors, they try to lighten the commute of bus riders while also promoting their products.

2- Vitaminwater

Vitaminwater installed charger ports in their bus shelter ad to give bus riders a little juice, well aware that everyone (and their electronics) occasionally needs a charge.

3- Sun Smart

Sun Smart helped to promote skin cancer awareness and prevention by creating a bus shelter ad that dispensed free SPF 30 sunscreen. Standing outside waiting for a bus, sometimes the shelter gets full and you have to stand in the sun. Thankfully outside of this bus shelter, that won’t lead to a nasty sunburn.

4- Victoria Bug Zoo

This bus shelter ad lets you get a bug’s eye view to promote the Victoria Bug Zoo. Using hundreds of magnifying lenses, the ad replicates the vision of a fly, giving an interesting new perspective while waiting for the bus that never seems to run on time.

Image Sources: Coca Cola and Creativity

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the OBIE awards, which are hosted annually by the OAAA. Not to be confused with the Off-broadway Obie’s, OAAA’s OBIE awards recognize outstanding advertisements in a variety of industries including retail, public service, and beverage. In honor of the occasion, we’ll be looking back at some OBIE awards winners.

Coca Cola “Yes Girl”

One of the most iconic Coca-Cola billboards in history, the “Yes Girl” ad won OBIE’s first ever Best In Show award. Haddon Sundblom, one of Coca-Cola’s most successful artists, is responsible for the artwork in this piece. Sundblom is the same artist who created the modern day depiction of Santa Claus for Coca-Cola’s holiday campaign back in the 1930s, which you can read about here.

Starbucks “Port Authority Stream of Consciousness Installation”

This poster series in a New York subway station won a gold OBIE in the beverage category in 2010. Playing on the wandering mind, the posters make up a narrative of how your mind wanders on a long walk, ending with an encouragement to buy Starbucks coffee.

Dos Equis Las Vegas Mural

This mural by Dos Equis in Las Vegas earned its spot as a finalist in Individual Execution in 2013. Promising an “interesting time”, the number on the mural is to an automated machine that can respond to number and voice inputs. From bachelorette parties to otters that play blackjack, the Most Interesting Man in the World certainly lives up to his name. For the full script of his answering machine, read the story in AdWeek here.