Out of Home Collaboration: The Enduring Power of a Special Build

If you read our previous collaboration with Orb, you’ll know that over the last few months we have collaborated with some of our media partners to take a deeper look into the different areas of creativity in OOH. This month, we teamed up with XL Media and turned our focus to the enduring power of a special build.

Talon’s research shows that special builds not only position a brand as exciting and innovative but positively influence consumers’ purchase behaviour. In 2018, Talon UK conducted a special build campaign effectiveness research study whereby they compared those exposed to special builds vs those that were exposed to standard OOH formats. The results showed a +15% increase in positive impression of the advertising, +17% increase in consumer action and +35% increase in purchase consideration.

Before the pandemic, there would be no denying that the demand for special builds was low. However, the tides have turned and since 2020 we have seen a marked increase in appetite for creativity. Brands are looking to interact with and encourage consumers to remember their OOH ads – while also hoping for that share on social media. With all the new creative briefs hitting our desks, we sat down with Jeff in XL Media to take a look back at some of our favourite out-of-the-box moments.

As we’re entering a new era of creativity in OOH, looking back what campaigns stick out for you & why?

I very much liked the special that we built for White Claw. Mark Anthony Brands wanted to create something memorable around the New Year’s Eve celebrations, so we built a large freestanding ‘2022’ installation, with each number made out of real White Claw cans. White Claw has 4 flavours, so each 2022 number was built from that flavour can. We further reinforced this with 4 custom programmed LED colours for each number, representing each flavour. These LEDs pulsed individually for each flavour and then simultaneously at the end of the sequence. From a rigging perspective, this was above a canopy and footpath so plenty of behind-the-scenes work had to be carried out to ensure a structurally safe installation without causing any damage to the building. The main reason I like the campaign is because of its simplicity and that it looked as strong both during the day & the night.

Another campaign I liked was the launch of Lucozade Alert. Suntory wanted a giant oversized can, to literally pop from the billboard. My concern with these types of builds is that often, products when enlarged never look like the real product when finished and sometimes look a little cartoonish. Our goal for Lucozade Alert was to provide a very premium looking can that looked identical to the real product in terms of proportions and finished look. For the build, we scaled the cans support frame from a real can and worked from there. We were delighted with how this one turned out.

What are your thoughts on the future of creativity and what advice can you give to brands who are looking to find the best route to take, e.g., special build, murals etc?

Creatively, there is always something good brewing with numerous great ideas being regularly proposed to clients. However, in terms of deciding on the best route to take, I would advise you to work hard on the creative and the tag lines. Identify an unusual element of the creative (that ideally has never been done before) and build that into your OOH special. More than ever, as consumers, we are being bombarded by messages fighting for our attention, good OOH campaigns need to, not only be clear & simple but, incorporate a clever attention-grabbing twist with the standard printed message which results in increased audience engagement and ensures that the campaign’s message not only registers but STAYS with them.

About XL Media

XL Media Ltd is a Dublin-based OOH advertising company specialising in quality one-off builds & installation. We seamlessly connect a diverse range of skills, experience & craftsmanship to deliver premium OOH projects to the highest professional standards. Visit www.XLmedia.ie