Just Out-of-Home » Brainstorms & Campaigns

And the 2009 Award in the Mobile Category Goes to… Sprint

justoutofhome — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:11:14 +0000

Via Gesturetek.com

Recently, the closet artist and designer in me led to a growing interest in the art of Data Visualization. It turns the usual bland data and graphs that we all run into as business professionals day to day into artistic visuals that are far more pleasing to the eye as well as attention getting. They are all over our media these days, from TV to online, and now, in the digital out of home / out of home words.

When the first of the new Sprint Network advertisements came out this year, the ability to show many different data in a fun and exciting way; there was no doubt that Sprint understood the effectiveness of data visualization, and the capabilities of them. Sprint utilized motion graphics and data visualization as their basis for their campaign and used them incredibly well. They started to roll them out and blasted all the media with its goodness. “Welcome to the Now Network.” Some examples:

Of course, the discussion is not complete (at least in this site…), if it does not related it to the experiential marketing, mobile, out of home, and / or digital out of home world. The initial thought when these commercials aired on TV was “”how well or great this would work in these four medias…”

Well, it seems that Sprint and the agency thought the same way, as Digital Signage Insights covers in its Inwindow Outdoor Launches Sprint Interactive Storescapes, as well as well as GestureTek’s work. Between these two: the overall campaign is a culmination of what is possible today in the D / OOH, Mobile, and interactive worlds, and an absolutely stunning use of media, content, integration strategies, and ad planning and buying to hit us in all senses.

Whether Sprint and their Palm Pre can beat out the duopolies that are At&T / Verizon, and the IPhone / BlackBerry is yet to be determined (and probably still not doable at the end of the day unfortunately..), but with such a great campaign; there is no doubt Spint has turned some heads and gained at least some market share from the two-headed monsters.

So far, in 2009: the award in the mobile advertising category no doubt goes to Sprint and their agency.

Socially Conscious Meets OOH / Alternative Advertising

justoutofhome — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:26:12 +0000

Image from Springise

Here is an example of how a brand can be socially conscious as well as take advantage of moment of crisis in order to generate a positive brand perception as well as some free PR. About the campaign:

Aircel’s billboard, erected by outdoor agency Primesite near Mumbai’s Milan Subway, bore a large, inflated dinghy along with the line, “In case of emergency, cut rope.” And on July 15, such an emergency did indeed arise when monsoon floods made the Milan Subway virtually impassable. The rope was cut on Aircel’s billboard, the boat was released, and stranded pedestrians were ferried to safety. The result? Near constant local media attention for Aircel, even including the headline, “Aircel did what [government agency] BMC did not.” Reportedly, Aircel now plans to implement something similar in Delhi and Kolkata as well, according to afaqs.

The interesting thing about this particular campaign is that it begins as a simple billboard / Out of home campaign, but the when the right moment hits; in this case, an expected monsoon, the full potential of the campaign is unleashed where the street team effects kicked in as well, and probably save some lives.

The thoughtful planning of the campaign resulted in receiving tons of positive coverage in print and online, and certainly a positive brand image for the telecommunication company in India. More details and pics on the campaign here: http://www.aircel.com/Mumbai_sails_through_aircel/

GOOGLE “Out of Home” at work

justoutofhome — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:41:31 +0000

Various sites are buzzing about the new Google Out-of-Home advertising campaign which is focused on getting Microsoft Office users to switch to GOOG’s online business communications and applications. What seems pretty significant is that Google; notorious for its lack of marketing and advertising, seems to be starting to open up their Very large wallet slowly, but surely. Not sure if the lack of marketing and adverting strategy derives from their strong brand and market dominance; both of which were pretty much organically built up so far, but with their numerous applications / services, and factors such as the rise of Microsoft’s Bing, it is certainly good to think that Google can finally be perceived as an actual sales target instead of being an “untouchable.”

The campaign, themed “Go Google,” is being held in New York, Boston, San Fran, and Chicago markets, and will have daily creative switches (what a headache for AdOps ). A great by-product is that the vinyl being used as the billboards will be recycled to make products such as shopping bags, which is good to know. This is not just an Out of Home campaign either; more of an integrated campaign, where online (https://sites.google.com/a/googleapps.com/go-google/), as well as Social media (@GoogleAtWork) are being combined in the overall campaign as well. Effective media integration / mix is always a welcome strategy here.

Whether Google will be able to take on Microsoft in the Office suite war is yet to be seen, but at least the least; Google’s marketing strategies seems to be shifting in a manner that is beneficial for the advertising, marketing, and branding worlds.

LEGO Augmented Reality: Totally AR; Totally DOOH/Retail Marketing

justoutofhome — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:58:24 +0000

Growing up on LEGOs and still collecting them here and there; the LEGO brand has been some thing that is near and dear. The “Augmented Reality: My Kind of Reality” was one of the most read post in this blog by far in just a few days (thanks to all the readers!), and it’s pretty obvious that people really like this media technology in terms of how the content is delivered as well as its potential in many different fields of marketing and advertising.

Anyway, @metaioUSwas kind enough to tweet an Excellent example of the message the previous post tried to convey (thanks you very much also!), which was Augmented Reality’s potential in the Digital Out of Home / Out of Home spaces in addition to the other media / advertising spaces. Anyway, without further a due; watch how LEGO is utilizing AR in a retail store. Perfect example of Augmented Reality meets DOOH!

555 KUBIK: An Insane Example of 3D Projection Technology

justoutofhome — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:45:48 +0000

The 555 KUBIK project by Urbanscreen utilized 3D projection technology to create what looks like a living and breathing building. The video below simply blew me away in terms of the Projection capabilities / technologies that are available in the current market. Quite amazing! and obviously relevant in terms of its potential in the Digital Out of Home and Out of Home media worlds.

Augmented Reality: My Kind of Reality

justoutofhome — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:29:04 +0000

Augmented Reality (AR) campaigns have been popping up at a steady pace in the past year, whether they are ad / branding campaigns, apps, and even business cards; in fact, “rampant pace” may actually be the better way of putting it.

The first AR I witness and tried out was General Electric’s “Plug Into the Smart Grid” campaign where it immediately caught my attention, and I started to think it was one of the best thing created ever since the invention of sliced bread!

Being a natural fan of tech, this reaction was quite expected; especially considering how well the technology worked, but when the professional hat came on, I also realized the vast possibilities of advertising and marketing that was attached to this new technology, whether it be in the online, mobile, and indeed, in the out of home and digital out of home worlds. In fact, Augmented Reality could be one of the rare, “once in a blue moon” options that can really tie all these medias together. That is indeed a feat in itself.

There are 2 main components needed to pull off an Augmented Reality campaign:

1) The computer generated map (I believe a process called “Chroma-Keying”)

2) A digital display with a camera that can read the Chroma-Key, and a computer that can process and display the outcome / resulting 3D visual of the Key.

In staying on the theme of this particular blog, the 1st component could be delivered by mobile devices or simple handouts (whether by Point-of-Purchase, or street teams, etc.) The 2nd component also seems very viable in terms of the digital signage world as well (whether they are digital signage with webcams / media players with the necessary programs installed, or kiosks built for these specific purposes).

So far, Augmented Reality campaigns have been mostly delivered by web and mobile medias (and a bit by OOH media), but as stated above, there is no reason to think that this technology cannot be fully integrated into the digital out of home media space, and provide brands and agencies with a new and fresh way to capture and engage the consumers to develop lasting and memorable campaigns in addition to creating interesting content. Entertainment, product demos, branding, sweepstakes are some of the things that come to mind.

Of course, with many things in the DOOH, it will take some time and investment, but the ROI may just be all worth it. Until that day comes, here are some inspirations:

BMW’s Mini Cooper AR campaign

Transformers Movie AR Campaign

Experience The Enterprise – Star Trek Augmented Reality

United States Postal Service AR Campaign

*Update*

Coraline (Movie) Out of Home / Digtial Out of Home AR Campaign (thanks to @stephenrandall!)

YrWall: Interactive Digital Graffiti Wall

justoutofhome — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:58:30 +0000

Graffitti jacked from yrwall.com

It’s Friday, and time to close out the week with something fun, yet relevant and interesting; YR Wall.

This blog is all for Digital screens that people can interact with as interaction generally results in better engagement and more impressions for the money. YR wall, though they seem to market themselves to the graffiti / art crowd more than anything; with such technology, the real monetization probably lies in using it for consumer marketing. Nike ID on a big screen where people can color in their own versions; something like that comes into mind. Anyway, another cool tech and have a cool weekend!

LocaModa Teams Up with Viacom for Another “Ridiculously” Fun Time Square Campaign

justoutofhome — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:21:24 +0000

via "Prof. Karolow"

One of the newer LocaModa creations comes to us via the new Stride Gum campaign on Time Square.

The concept combines the factors of web and mobile media, as well as user created / submitted content (LocaModa’s flagship concepts) in order to get the brand out there. JustOOH’s readers know the eternal love affair with the web, mobile (tech) and Time Square stated here.

A more deeper description by “Prof. Karolow,” a LM insider:

Another first for LocaModa this week, as we’ve connected Viacom’s iconic framed MTV screen in Times Square to the web, enabling user generated photos and text messages to be submitted (via phone or web), moderated in real time, and displayed for 5 minutes an hour (on the half hour). Users are notified by text or email when their messages are approved and have gone live.

More importantly, the campaign should be measurable as well considering the abilities to track web and mobile traffic/submissions, as well as the immense traffic going through Time Square daily.

The formula?: Web Traffic (uniques) + Web & Mobile Submissions + (daily Time Square traffic (around 1.5 mil to 750: wow!) / A certain percentage) = Great and fun campaign.

A 2D Boy in a 3D World: The History Channel 3D Storefront Campaign

justoutofhome — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:51:16 +0000

Well, it wasn’t long ago where the discussion pertaining to 3D technology ran rampant on Twitter with the DS / DOOH crowd, and one of the ultimate point was that the “fact” that people would need 3D glasses with them in order to get the full effect was the biggest hindrance. But what IF people didn’t need the glasses??

This seems to be the case with the new History Channel (love the channel) Out of Home Campaign executed by Pearl Media and History’s agency Horizon Media, one of the top agencies in the game today. Running through June at 521 5th Ave and 382 W. Broadway in NYC, the campaign is promoting the channel’s new show, “Expedition Africa,” which also looks to be an interesting program.

And this is an example of how fast this particular media sector that is OOH and DOOH are changing. Only a few weeks ago, the concept was deemed “Not Valid,” but a company come along to create a solution that shatters the previous notions in a matter of few weeks later. Alioscopy also conducted a similar (but smaller in size) campaign with Digital Signage, which the video describing their technology is posted on the JOOHtv section. Looks like those unbelievers; including myself, were just “2D boys in a emerging 3D world.”

The details / press release of the History Channel campaign is here: Pearl Media Launches First-to-Market, All-Emcompassing, 3D Storefront This is something that was forwarded to me by a friend at Pearl Media on 5/19, and told not to release til the next day. Since then, there has been a Lot of press that beat me to a pulp in terms of the speed of getting the news out, so for a startup; their PR power and the campaign are Indeed strong.

MIT’s Futuristic Bus Stop Design Makes Digital Out-of-Home Drool

justoutofhome — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:20:23 +0000

Those whom know me well out there know quite well how much of a sucker for technology I am and like to think as a futurist in many things including media. This is a site based on OOH and DOOH, but when a glimpse into the future comes along (whether it be a concept or not); it is very exciting.

It wasn’t long ago (last week actually), when I was discussing and suggesting similar technologies and visions with a certain someone working on a very relevant / similar environment. He is also a futurist in my eyes, and dubbes himself a geek at times (probably why we got along right off the bat). He shared the vision I had, but being more experienced than I, stated that the concept I suggested was too expensive to execute. Ah.. budgets.. But it always great to get confirmation that you are conceptualizing the right way, and by MIT, no less.

And well: Here it is! A vision of a DOOH future! A bus stop with projection, network, and interactive capabilities! The mother of all public transportation stops with perfect information distribution capabilities. Public transportation is likely to be around in the future, and as are the “eyes” outside the home, so this all bodes well for this particular environment. Special thanks to @saaze & @JohnRyanGlobal for bringing this to my attention! For further details on the project, go here: EyeStop. Enough talk; pictures speak a million words.