Only in Out of Home: The Canvas That’s Pushing Creative Boundaries

Only in OOH: Pushing Creative Boundaries of the Advertising Canvas

The power of creativity to break through the clutter and capture consumer attention is undeniable. In late May, Netflix launched a global activation for the fourth season of its popular series, Stranger Things. The activation, which opened up a virtual portal to the ‘Upside Down,’ took over 15 landmarks across 14 countries, including the Empire State Building in New York City, Bondi Beach in Sydney, Duomo Square in Milan, the Gateway of India in Mumbai, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. The placements were big, bold, and visual spectacles that could only be possible in out of home (OOH).

An Airbus campaign, developed in collaboration with Talon’s award-winning digital OOH creative and production agency Grand Visual is another prime example. The creative execution projected a commitment to sustainability on the 2,700-plus foot tall Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai. There’s also PUMA, who in collaboration with Talon America, Havas Media Group, Grand Visual, and Nowadays, rolled out a cutting-edge digital OOH (DOOH) campaign to promote the launch of NBA superstar LaMelo Ball’s first PUMA signature basketball sneaker, MB.01. The award-winning advert appeared on DOOH bus shelters throughout New York City, which were outfitted with augmented reality (AR) technology and took passersby on an otherworldly journey.

Such campaigns underscore how OOH can serve as a veritable blank canvas with endless creative possibilities. The opportunity to capture the attention of audiences in their surroundings is what sets OOH apart – and creative is a proven competitive advantage. The world’s biggest brands are increasingly bringing the creative, immersive, and experiential capabilities of OOH to the next level.

What’s more is that these brands and their OOH partners are getting recognized for their creative excellence. At Cannes Lions, an international festival of creativity, OOH took home 48 Lions awards, including the top Grand Prix honor for ‘Liquid Billboard’ by Havas Middle East, Dubai, Cultural Insight for adidas. The world’s first swimmable billboard was created to promote the brand’s new inclusive, full-cover swimwear collection. With this single billboard, adidas reportedly reached 300 million people in over 50 countries. This campaign exemplifies the undeniable strength of OOH to help brands engage in-the-field and swim to victory.

Designing these types of one-of-a-kind executions begins with visually bold and creative storytelling to bring campaigns to life. And when combined with the latest in digital OOH innovations and emerging technologies like AR and virtual reality (VR), brands can enter the next dimension with campaigns that deliver powerful larger than life moments. What’s more is that great creative can also be a location driver, spark buzz, and deliver measurable results.

Elevating OOH creative begins with understanding the facts:

  • It all starts with the creative: Seventy-five percent of an ad’s effectiveness is determined by its creative, according to The Advertising Research Federation.
  • OOH is booming: OOH ad revenue increased 40.5 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 compared to the previous year, accounting for $1.8 billion, according to the OAAA. And DOOH led total OOH growth with a 57 percent increase over first quarter 2021. Furthermore, the following notable brands were among the top 10 OOH advertisers in Q1: Apple, Capital One, McDonald’s, Netflix, HBO, American Express, Amazon, AT&T, Verizon, and Universal Pictures.
  • DOOH powers compelling ad experiences: When it comes to creativity, context, and relevance, the potential of DOOH to deliver dynamic campaigns makes it the most exciting ad channel around right now. Advertisers are increasingly utilizing DOOH’s interactive elements, from AR and VR to 3D and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as other visual effects (VFX), to create attention-grabbing ads.
  • Another valued aspect of OOH creativity is its amplification effect: The vast majority – 91% of Gen Z-ers and 82% of Millennials – say they would reshare OOH ads on their social media platforms, based on research from OAAA & The Harris Poll. And when such a campaign goes viral, advertisers receive buzz, social currency, and what can amount to millions of dollars in free media.

By its very nature, DOOH offers a lot of flexibility and limitless capabilities in terms of creating compelling advertising. And those attributes offer advertisers the chance to build everlasting moments, powerful statements, and lasting impressions.