All posts in Technology

MINI Does It Again with New DOOH Campaign

by DOmedia on September 16, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Billboards, Digital signage, Out-of-home advertising, Street furniture, Technology with No comments

worldrecordMINI MINI’s utilization of out-of-home advertising opportunities never cease to amaze (and entertain) me. To say each is more creative than the last would be a lie–not because the quality goes down, but because each individual execution is so unique, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Over the past few years, MINI has managed to take one of the oldest forms of advertising–billboards–and transform it into an event, capturing attention nationwide. But recently, they’ve added a new element to their approach: digital out-of-home.

MINI-Countryman1-224x300 For the launch of the new 4-door MINI Countryman, the company took more of an interactive approach, actually getting consumers involved in the advertisement. Over the summer, replicas of the new car made special appearances in shopping centers, stations and streets around the UK. The challenge: how many people can you fit in a MINI? And although the cars looked packed to the brim with crammed-in people gasping for air, they were, in fact, empty.

So how did they do it? Using video cameras inside the MINIs, passersby could take the challenge, packing as many people as possible into the car while recording the whole scene. Then, the footage was projected onto the inside of the MINI, as if the challengers were still inside. Participants could then share the video with friends via Facebook.

Remember some of MINI’s other executions the past few years, some of which landed them in the 2010 OBIE Awards Hall of Fame and as finalists for AdWeek’s Best Out-of-Home Ad of the Decade?

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The campaign for MINI Clubman also made it as a finalist for the 2009 Out-of-Home Media Plan Awards.

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Eco-Friendly OOH Takes Over the Arena District

by DOmedia on May 7, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Billboards, Branding campaigns, Events, Guerrilla Marketing, Out-of-home advertising, Technology, Trends with No comments

If you were anywhere in Columbus’ Arena District today, it would have been impossible to miss. Parked right on Nationwide Blvd in the heart of the district (and conveniently across the street from DOmedia World Headquarters) is a huge GE: ecomagination semi truck carrying a larger-than-life propeller from a wind turbine. The truck and propeller are part of ecomagination, GE’s effort to help “solve the world’s biggest environmental challenges,” according to their site. One of the program’s commitments is to engage the public through creative advertising. So they got their hands on a giant wind propeller, branded it, and are now taking it on the road as part of the “Catch the Wind Tour.”
GE: ecomagination
Aside from its sheer size, the traveling campaign is raising awareness in the mid-west by encouraging people to make a commitment of their own. Written on the side of the propeller is a simple sentence: “I’m helping to build America’s energy future.” By signing their name on the propeller, passersby join the thousands of others already committed to the cause.
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GE wasn’t the only company taking advantage of the busy pedestrian superhighway on this gorgeous Friday. Toyota was also in attendance, complete with a wrapped plug-in hybrid car touting an amazing 100+ mpg.

And I can’t forget CD101, parked in front of the arena, handing out free ice cream (now we’re talking)! The picture below shows the Arena District is no stranger to OOH. The four large billboards continuously spotlight the biggest brands, while the main digital screen is a great resource for weather, upcoming concerts at the arena, and much more. And, of course, the reliable Miller Lite clock off to the right.

Morphing Advertising and Faces All at Once

by DOmedia on April 27, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Digital signage, Out-of-home advertising, Technology, Trends with No comments

Once again, Inwindow Outdoor proves successful at combining advertising and advanced technology to create a buzz-worthy campaign. DailyDOOH and TechNews Daily did a great job of highlighting the advertising efforts marking the release of the hit movie, Avatar. Inwindow Outdoor created a 60′ by 10′ structure that includes three ‘€˜morphing stations’ and one large-scale video wall framed with vinyl and branded in Avatar themes. The display, located at The Grove in Los Angeles, attracts audience members to the screen, recognizes facial features and then transforms their face into a famous, blue Avatar creature, the Na’vi. After their transformation is complete, users can type their email address on the interactive touch screen to obtain a video of their morph, as well as information about where to pick up the Avatar Blue-ray disc.

This technology offers a glimpse of what advertisers are pushing these days: interactive out-of-home media executions. The technology, called ‘€˜augmented reality,’ adds virtual imagery to the environment as the audience sees it. A notable example is the yellow ‘€˜first down’ line in football games on TV. In this case, the Na’vi cat-eyed, blue face staring back at users is augmented reality. Other technologies gaining popularity in the OOH advertising world include holograms and nearby motion generated sights and sounds. According to Lance Porter of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communications, ‘€œTechnology has finally caught up with what marketers have dreamed about since the Internet went commercial in 1995. [Technology] has moved so quickly now that so many things are possible.’€

This isn’t the first digital out-of-home campaign Inwindow Outdoor has created. Similar campaigns for Sprint Mobile, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, and the popular children’s movie, Coraline, were featured in big cities across the United States. The Avatar advertising experience (also delivered by FOX Studios, Zenith Media and Blue Bite) is on display for a month, beginning April 16^th.

Digital Out-of-Home Unites, Shows Up for Haiti Relief Effort

by DOmedia on January 26, 2010 in Agencies, Digital signage, Events, News, Out-of-home advertising, People, Press, Technology with No comments

Since the earthquake in Haiti, DOOH has really stepped up to the plate and proved its worth the past couple weeks. In the aftermath of a tragedy felt around the world, everyone knew something needed to be done–but what? And we all wanted to help–but how? A single, unified message had to be created and made available to the masses. Quick, effective and capable of reaching millions of people worldwide.

So when Matthew Stoudt, CEO of Outcast, rang up the presidents of Zoom Media, TargetCast Networks, CBS Outernet, PumpTopTV, Premier Retail Networks, Captivate Network, AdSpace Networks and IndoorDIRECT, it wasn’t as a competitor but as a fellow industry leader trying to take action. With combined efforts and the help of the Red Cross, the group is now running “Text ‘Haiti’ to 90999” ads across thousands of screens in malls, grocery stores, gyms, doctors’ offices and much more. By running the message across all of the biggest digital screen networks (40,000+ screens to be exact), the donation effort will reach about 100 million Americans each month.

Originally, the Ad Council worked with the Red Cross to develop a digital image to distribute across OOH screens. From there, it was picked up and distributed through OAAA. Lamar, Clear Channel, Health Media Network and Zoom Media have all picked up these ads as well. Some of the Ad Council messages include Michelle Obama or Bill Clinton and George Bush asking for donations. Some companies, such as iDklic Digital Signage and Narrowcasting in Belgium, put together their own ads and began running them across all of their networks. RAMVISION is also running a 2-week campaign for the Disaster Emergency Committee, broadcasting across their Shopping Centre Network.

Interested in joining the effort but don’t have the time or resources to put a spot together? The Preset Group has you covered. They’ve put together PSAs for use by anyone in the digital out-of-home community. For more info, click here.

Submedia: Interactive displays that actually move with you

by DOmedia on September 16, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Out-of-home advertising, Street furniture, Technology, Trends with No comments

In today’s world, ads are everywhere. To be effective and catch the eye of consumers, an ad has to bring a little something extra to the table, give people a reason to notice. Submedia’s recent campaigns for Dasani water and Coca-Cola did just that, literally stopping people in their tracks.

It’s rare to find ads that people get excited about. That’s why Submedia’s work is always so effective. They bring advertising that is fresh, innovative & entertaining. Take the Dasani and Coke campaigns, for example. Using storefronts, Submedia created 3D interactive displays that actually moved with passersby. In that way, they not only caught attention, but actually got people interacting with the ads… to the point that some were even running up and down the sidewalk. Well done, Submedia! We can’t wait to see what you do next.