Introduction:
Outdoor advertising has been around for centuries, and it remains a powerful way to capture people's attention and increase brand awareness. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising refers to any form of advertisement that reaches people outside their homes; this includes billboards, transit ads, as well as street furniture.
Definition of OOH Advertising:
Outdoor advertising takes many forms, from posters to digital displays, you can make it as simple or complex as desired. You'll notice it in public places such as parks, airports and malls alike. OOH advertisements aim to capture people's attention while they're out and about engaging with the world around them.
The Importance of Creativity in OOH Advertising
Creativity is essential when crafting an OOH advertising campaign that stands out in a sea of advertisements. Effective creative campaigns leave a lasting impression on potential customers, while simultaneously building your brand image. OOH creativity can take many forms: clever wordplay, striking visuals or interactive displays are just some examples!
Here is our selection of 10 outstanding OOH advertising campaigns that caught our eye:
We put together this list to demonstrate the power of creativity in OOH advertising.
Coca-Cola's Share a Coke campaign offers personalised cans and bottles with personal names.
Apple's Welcome Home campaign: captivating displays that demonstrate the HomePod's capabilities.
Spotify's Year in Review Campaign: Engaging and Customized Ads that Showcase Listener Interests.
Nike's Unlimited Stadium campaign: A running track designed to look like a sole set in the heart of Manila.
McDonald's Fries, Not Friends campaign: Billboards featuring creative and humorous messages to promote their fries.
Amnesty International's campaign "Gay Turtle": A powerful reminder about marine pollution with an artistic flair
National Geographic's campaign "Genius, Picasso": immersive digital displays featuring content about Pablo Picasso's life.
Guinness' "Empty Chair" campaign: A touching reminder of our friends who can no longer join us for a pint.
Google's Pixel 2: Ask More Campaign: Interactive billboards encouraging people to ask questions.
Tourism Australia's Dundee campaign: An amusing effort to promote tourism in Australia by pretending it is a new Crocodile Dundee movie.
1. Coca-Cola's "Share a Coca-Cola" campaign
Coca-Cola's "Share A Coke" campaign began in Australia in 2011 and quickly spread throughout more than 80 countries. Bottles and cans were imprinted with people's names, encouraging customers to purchase personalized bottles for themselves or share them with their friends.
Campaign Objectives: The campaign "Share a Coca-Cola" was designed to boost sales, foster brand loyalty and foster an intimate connection with customers. It also sought to make Coca-Cola more appealing to younger generations who tend not to consume sugary drinks.
Campaign Execution: Coca-Cola worked with Ogilvy & Mather Sydney, a creative agency, to compile a list of 150 most popular names among Australian youth. These were then printed on Coca-Cola cans and bottles that were distributed throughout Australia. Additionally, social media, TV ads, billboards were utilized as tools for promotion throughout the country.
Results and Impact: The campaign "Share a Coke", which generated over 998,000,000 impressions on social networks in its first year, was an enormous success. Coca-Cola sales increased by 7% in Australia as a direct result of the campaign, leading to a 2.5% rise in soft drink consumption overall. Furthermore, it won several awards including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Outdoor.
Coca-Cola continued their "Share a Coca-Cola" campaign each summer, adding new names and expanding into other countries. This campaign proved the power and importance of personalization while emphasizing how important it is to connect on an intimate level with customers in order to increase brand loyalty and maximize profitability.
Campaign 2 - Apple's "Welcome home" campaign
Description of the Campaign. Apple's "Welcome Home" campaign featured animations, music and dance to showcase their HomePod smart speaker. Director Spike Jonze directed the ad while British singer FKA Twigs danced around an apartment building that was always changing.
Campaign Objectives: The campaign's primary objective was to promote Apple's HomePod smart speaker, positioning it as their answer to rivals like Amazon Echo and Google Home. To build excitement and anticipation around the product, the campaign showcased its sleek design, superior sound quality and user-friendly interface.
Campaign Execution: The "Welcome home" campaign was a multi-media spectacle that took over television screens, billboards and social media. FKA Twigs danced through an apartment complex that changed and morphed around her thanks to HomePod's advanced technology. Anderson.Paak provided music while Spike Jonze directed the entire project.
Results & Impact: Apple's "Welcome home" campaign was an enormous success, garnering millions of views across YouTube and other social media platforms. It received critical acclaim for its creativity, production quality and FKA Twigs' impressive choreography. The advertisement helped position the HomePod as an aspirational product that appeals to design and music enthusiasts alike. While other smart speakers were available on the market, Apple's campaign made it stand out from competitors by drawing attention from those searching for an innovative home audio system.
Campaign 3 - Spotify's "Year in Review" campaign
Spotify, a music streaming service, provides personalized playlists based on users' listening habits. In 2017, the company's Outdoor advertising campaign "Year in Review" honored these users' listening habits.
A brief description of the campaign: The "Year in Review" campaign featured billboards across different cities and digital screens around the world, featuring customized messages based on users' past listening history. These messages offered insights such as how many hours they listened to music, their favorite genres and top songs.
Campaign Objectives: The campaign's primary objective was to demonstrate Spotify users how much they value their listening habits and encourage them to utilize the service. Through personalized playlists, the campaign promoted appreciation of music on demand.
Campaign Execution: Spotify collaborated with outdoor advertising firms to design digital billboards that displayed personalized messages. To craft these customized messages, the company utilized information gleaned from users' listening habits. The campaign was unveiled globally across New York, London and Paris.
Results & Impact: The campaign "Year in Review" received positive responses from both Spotify users and the advertising industry. It engaged viewers, showcasing Spotify's unique features. Furthermore, it generated buzz on social media with many users sharing personalized messages across various platforms.
Spotify's "Year in Review" campaign was creative and effective in celebrating its users and highlighting the personalized playlists feature. This is an excellent example of how outdoor advertising can be used on a personal level to engage with viewers, showcasing unique capabilities a product or service offers.
Campaign 4 - Nike's "Unlimited Stadia" Campaign: Pushing the Limits in Out-Of-Home Advertising
Nike, an internationally-recognized brand of athletic apparel and equipment, has always been at the forefront of creative marketing campaigns. Their 2016 "Unlimited stadium" campaign in the Philippines serves as a prime example of how technology can be employed to create an immersive OOH advertising experience.
Nike's "Unlimited Stadium" campaign was an innovative outdoor advertising initiative that created an endless running track for customers to experience Nike's "Unlimited" brand message. The 200 meter long LED track looped through a field, replicating the look of traditional running tracks while actually looking like one made out of Nike running shoes.
Campaign Objectives: The campaign's primary objective was to spread Nike's "Unlimited" brand message and inspire people to reach their highest potentials. Targeting athletes and fitness enthusiasts aged 18-34 who wanted to find new ways to connect with Nike, this initiative demonstrated Nike's dedication to innovation while inspiring individuals towards their limitless potentials.
Campaign Execution: Nike's campaign "Unlimited Stadium" was unveiled in Manila, Philippines in 2016 by BBH Singapore. This cutting-edge technology created an engaging experience where customers could run on the track without any restrictions due to LED lighting and a leaderboard that displayed fastest lap times and real-time data.
Customers registered for the campaign via the Nike+ app and received an RFID bracelet to monitor their progress on an LED track once at the stadium. A variety of interactive activities were also included in this year's campaign, such as a photo booth where customers could share their experiences on social media platforms.
Results and Impact: Nike's campaign "Unlimited Stadium" was an enormous success, garnering widespread coverage through social media. Major media outlets, such as CNN and The Guardian, covered the campaign extensively; in turn, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awarded it with the Grand Prix for Media.
Nike's campaign attracted over 3,000 runners and generated more than 2,000,000 social media impressions. Customers were engaged with the experience, spending an average of 45 minutes on the LED track. Nike's campaign helped solidify their brand image as one that encourages innovation, encouraging people to push themselves beyond their comfort zones.
McDonald's "Fries, Not Friends" campaign.
Short Description of the Campaign: McDonald's launched an Out-of-Home (OOH) campaign in 2018 called "Fries, Not Friends". To encourage customers to eat at McDonald's instead of on their phones and instead focus on enjoying their fries, customers were urged to focus on enjoying a satisfying experience.
Campaign Objectives: This campaign had one aim, to remind customers that McDonald's offers more than just fast food. It aimed to encourage customers to engage in meaningful conversations over food without being distracted, thus encouraging them to savor each bite without feeling compelled to order another order.
Campaign Execution: McDonald's used OOH advertising to execute their "Fries, Not Friends" campaign. Placemats with an unique design resembling a phone keyboard were substituted for traditional tray liners and featured several messages such as "Look up more often than you look down" and "Time to switch your phone to airplane mode."
McDonald's also offered a special deal that enabled customers to purchase a "phone-off" meal, complete with a lockable case and meal. Customers were encouraged to enjoy their food and company instead of worrying about their phones.
Results and Impact in Sweden, the "Fries, Not Friends" campaign was a huge success. Customers took to social media to post pictures of their phones locked up with praise for it; additionally, this led to an increase in foot traffic to McDonald's restaurants by 7.8% across Sweden.
Industry professionals praised the campaign, which earned several awards at esteemed festivals like Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity's Gold Lion.
The "Fries, Not Friends" campaign achieved its objectives by encouraging customers not to use their phones but instead have real-life conversations while enjoying their food. This is an excellent example of OOH advertising at work.
