Not every live engagement needs to be an elaborate event. In the age of diminished attention spans, a quick, memorable brand interaction supported by the right strategy can go a long way. That’s where interactive billboards and OOH installations are coming into play. Done right, they’re approachable, efficient and primed for sharing.
Instant Product Demos
As the men’s grooming category grows, Lynx (known as Axe in many global markets) turned to scratch-and-sniff billboards in London to promote its Lower Body Spray for men.
The whole concept was a play on what guys “have always done,” according to the brand—scratch and sniff down there. The installations were made using microencapsulation technology that allowed for the release of the actual fragrance when rubbed.
Axe took a similar approach to debut its Cherry Fizz fragrance. The brand took over a bus shelter in Greece with a digital claw machine game that consumers could interact with by scanning a QR code.
Participants who “grabbed the sweet” in the virtual claw game triggered a reward in the form of a tester strip doused in the new scent, which dispensed from the bottom of the installation.
When research from retailer Sweaty Betty revealed that 92 percent of Brits say they’re weather-obsessed, but the majority of them are willing to cancel plans rather than get stuck in the rain, the brand unveiled an All Good in the Hood campaign that touted its outerwear collection.
Across London, the brand installed its traveling “shelter,” a billboard featuring four of its actual coats, with the hoods propped open. When it rained, passersby were invited to step under one of the hoods for protection from the weather.
Carvel sweetened up the summer and cooled down consumers with the first-ever soft serve-dispensing billboard. For one day, New Yorkers could walk up to the installation and directly whip up a sample of the brand’s vanilla soft serve.
While not quite multisensory, HP’s live-printed billboard stunt promoting its Smart Tank printers certainly stopped passersby in their tracks as they watched the product in action. The installation printed one sheet of paper at a time to ultimately reveal a full OOH ad.
Gamification
Visit Las Vegas launched a “Code Match” live sweepstakes that transformed the Exosphere of Sphere Las Vegas into a gigantic, interactive mobile game. The experience invited consumers 21 and older to register on a microsite and choose the rounds they wanted to compete in for a shot at winning one of 16 Vegas-specific experiential prize packages.
On the day of the game at precisely 7 p.m., a three-digit code appeared on the Exosphere and on the microsite. If a player’s randomly assigned code matched, they won that round’s prize, with a new round taking place every eight minutes.
In the case of Spotify and Gorillaz, four billboards were planted around London, serving as artist murals that teased the band’s new album. Each artwork featured a QR code that unlocked a real-life treasure hunt. When all four were found, fans had the chance to win tour tickets, merch and signed memorabilia.
Sensory Spectacles
Ahead of season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Disney erected a digital billboard that included a real-deal waterfall feature—and people lapped it up.
The Hollywood-based installation simulated ocean waves when the tentacle of an on-screen sea beast periodically “cracked” the billboard’s display. A ground-level pool collected the running water, while flashing lights, audio and a consistent layer of mist added to the atmosphere.
For NASCAR, sound was the name of the game as it set the Guinness World Record for World’s Loudest Billboard with a stunt in New York that was designed to attract new audiences ahead of the Daytona 500. The installation featured a one-to-one replica NASCAR Next Gen engine, allowing people throughout Times Square to hear and feel the power of the sport.
Interactive billboards… out of home, but certainly not out of mind.
Photo credits: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Sweaty Betty
