With the rise of mobile and social technologies, brands around the globe need to find new ways to connect and engage with consumers. When most people talk about engagement, however, the majority of time they are referring to social or mobile campaigns — but that’s really only part of the picture. Graphics, interactive displays, and digital signage all play a part in getting the customer engaged with a brand.
JCDecaux OneWorld offered up three “best of” OOH campaigns during December focusing on experiential. Making the most of the unique strength of OOH, advertisers were able to place themselves in the same physical space as their key audience. Using experiential brands could grow their relationship with their consumers and establish a higher brand recall, leading to brand loyalty.
—Denise M. Gustavson
Play Fetch with Lost Dogs’ Home | JCDecaux Australia
Advertiser: The Lost Dogs’ Home
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Duration: 1 week, December 12 – December 18, 2016
Format: Transport
Creative Solution: Digital, motion recognition, interactive, experiential
The Lost Dogs’ Home needed to increase awareness for dog adoption in Melbourne, Australia. Working with JCDecaux Australia and GPY&R, The Lost Dogs’ Home ran an interactive motion recognition and experiential campaign in Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station.
Passers-by could stand in front of a digital panel displaying footage of a Labrador in the park. They had to then pretend to throw a ball. The action activated the motion recognition technology embedded into the panel. This prompted an animation of a tennis ball flying off and the lab running to fetch it. When the dog ran back and released the ball, a real ball would roll out from under the screen with promotional information printed on it.
By allowing the public to experience the joy of having a dog, the campaign effectively communicated its message. The campaign delighted the passers-by with hundreds of interactions during the week. The memorable event also generated a considerable online and TV coverage.
A Giant Roulette with Holland Casino | JCDecaux Netherlands
Advertiser: Holland Casino
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Duration: 1 day, November 25, 2016
Format: Transport
Creative Solution: Vinyl wraps and stickers, experiential
Holland Casino turned a tram stop in Amsterdam into a giant roulette game. JCDecaux Netherlands designed custom floor stickers showing numbers 0 to 36. The stickers were placed on the ground in front of the shelter. The team also wrapped a tram and stuck a sticker of a giant roulette ball to its side. When waiting for the tram, commuters could “place their bets” by choosing a number to stand on. As the tram pulled up, the roulette ball lined up with one of the numbers. The person standing at the number would win a prize distributed by the “croupiers” on site.
The campaign was captivating and entertaining for both the participants and the lookers-on. And Holland Casino effectively increased its brand recall and perception.
Huawei Throws a New Year’s Party | JCDecaux Cityscape, Hong Kong
Advertiser: Huawei
Location: Hong Kong
Duration: December 24, 2016 – January 1, 2017
Format: Street Furniture
Creative Solution: Domination, experiential, special build, gifting, social media (Instagram) integration
Every year the Tsim Sha Tsui road in Hong Kong closes to traffic for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Huawei took advantage of this to throw a party and launch their Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro smartphones.
To the pedestrians’ delight, the four bus shelters along the street shot snow into the air to make it feel like winter. Participants could enjoy free gifts and food distributed by the brand ambassadors. The public could take photos at the shelter and print them out on the spot. Huawei featured them on their Instagram feed with the hashtag #DreamItPossible1617. Finally, on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a countdown gathered crowds to celebrate the holidays together.
Denise Gustavson is the Editorial Director for the Alliance Media Brands — which includes Printing Impressions, Packaging Impressions, In-plant Impressions, Wide-Format Impressions, Apparelist, NonProfitPRO, and the PRINTING United Journal — PRINTING United Alliance.