Weather Reactive Digital OOH - McDonald's McCafe Iced campaign
To promote the cold drinks available on its McCafé Iced menu, McDonald’s has launched a weather reactive digital OOH campaign.

Weather Reactive Digital OOH - McDonald's McCafe Iced

The UK-wide campaign showcased the brands’ latest cold drinks, just in time for Summer. Created by Leo Burnett, the bright campaign creative featured two cold drink products, “Strawberry Lemonade” and “Millionaire’s Frappe.”

When temperatures rose above 22 degrees Celsius, campaign creative was played out on screen. If temperatures rose above 25 degrees Celsius, campaign creative updated to also include the live temperature and city name. During the evening as the temperature dropped, the live temperature and city name was removed from the creative.

The campaign was produced by Grand Visual, with planning and buying by OMD and Talon. OpenLoop, the DCO ad server from ad tech specialist QDOT, took the weather API feed to update creative in real-time. Live from 27th May, the campaign will run through to 28th July 2019.

McDonald's McWeather Digital OOH
McDonald's McWeather Digital OOH
McDonald’s launched a national digital outdoor campaign that used MET Office real-time data to bring to life April’s unpredictable weather conditions.

In order to take part in Britain’s favourite topic of conversation, Leo Burnett London turned the McDonald’s menu into weather icons to represent the live temperature and 5-day forecasts.

For example, an unwrapped burger represents the sun, while an upturned box of fries signifies rain. There are eight different icons to show how volatile April weather can be.

Breaking on 26 April, the dynamic campaign ran for three days with media planning and booking by OMD and Talon, production by Grand Visual, and campaign management and distribution through OpenLoop.

Hannah Pain, Senior Brand Manager at McDonald’s said:

“We are very excited to be using some of our most loved products to join in the very topical April weather conversation.”

Ben Newman, Creative at Leo Burnett London added:

“Don’t trust the weatherman. This April, McDonald’s has got you covered.”

Ebay Weather-Driven Digital OOH
eBay brings colourful shopping inspiration to the streets in a UK-wide digital out of home (Digital OOH) drive designed to bring the online retailers vibrant product lines to life. Popular springtime pursuits and product lines are aligned to real-time weather conditions in a campaign that spans transit, retail and roadside environments and runs until the 8th April.

The campaign taps into those activities ritually undertaken at the start of the spring season and encourages passers-by to “shop like nobody else” and to “make springtime spectacular.” Colourful product offerings are then matched to real-time Met Office data, for example, promoting their range of gardening products during sunny days, or suggesting a wardrobe overhaul, or some home improvements during wet and cloudy conditions.

The automated campaign is agile, adapting to Britain’s turbulent springtime weather to contextualise its offering. Dynamic content is managed and delivered by QDOT, using the ad tech platform OpenLoop to analyse real-time Met Office data and distribute to multiple screen formats and networks across the UK.

The campaign was created by 72andSunny Amsterdam, produced by Grand Visual, with media planning and buying by MediaCom. The digital OOH activity supports a broader campaign created by 72andSunny, which runs across digital, social, radio, VOD and TV and encourages shoppers to break away from “beige”.

Gareth Jones, senior marketing director at eBay, said:

“This campaign shows eBay’s vibrant and colourful wears in a way that is responsive and useful and aligned with consumers mindset and surroundings in that moment. It’s great to be able to promote our marketplace in a way that is agile and tactical throughout the duration of the campaign.”

Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Technology Officer, Grand Visual, said:

“This campaign uses the medium as a real-time marketing platform that is plugged-in and responsive. Promotions are agile, tailored and contextually relevant. That is powerful.”

Welcome to the Grand Visual Out of Home (OOH) Glossary, a comprehensive guide designed to familiarise you with the key terms and concepts within the dynamic world of OOH advertising. Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, this glossary offers clear definitions of commonly used words, technical jargon, and GV-specific phrases. Covering everything from digital billboards to transit advertising, it’s a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of OOH media and its evolving role in today’s advertising landscape.

A


Ad Recall
A metric that measures how well an audience remembers an ad they have seen. It’s a crucial indicator of an OOH campaign’s effectiveness.


Airport Advertising
Includes internal and external displays of various sizes.


Ambient Media
Unconventional or non-traditional media that integrates advertising into the surrounding environment, often blending seamlessly into urban spaces (e.g., branded street furniture, bus stops).


Animation
Animation involves special treatment such as moving units, flashing lights, etc, used to gain added attention and awareness. It is more commonly used in rotating, permanent or spectacular sites.


Anamorphic DOOH
DOOH creative with 3D illusionary effects to make content appear as if it’s leaping out from the screen. These designs often leverage forced perspective and are typically displayed on large curved or angled digital screens, creating a highly engaging and immersive visual experience for viewers.


Asset
An individual site of any particular OOH format.


Audience
A group of people that an advertising message is aimed towards. This group can be defined by age, gender or any other grouping specified by the advertiser.


Audience Impressions
Audience Impressions are calculated by taking the won impression and multiplying it by the impression multiplier passed by the exchange. This allows advertisers to understand the potential number of viewers of our OOH campaign and not just the number of times the ad was shown.


Audience Reach
A term that provides a count of the total number of people who were likely to be exposed to the message.


Augmented Reality (AR)
A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.


Augmented Reality OOH (AR OOH)
A blend of digital and physical environments, where OOH ads use augmented reality to create interactive and immersive experiences. Often involves mobile apps or digital screens to bring the creative to life in a new dimension.

B


Backlit Billboard
A billboard illuminated from behind by lights, ensuring visibility in low-light conditions, such as at night.


Beacon Technology
Small wireless devices that use Bluetooth to communicate with nearby smartphones and deliver personalized messages or ads, used in proximity-based OOH campaigns.


Billboard
Large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances, generally more than 50 feet. Billboard displays include, but not limited to: bulletins, junior posters, posters, and spectaculars.


Brand Awareness
The extent to which a brand is recognized by potential customers, often a key objective in OOH campaigns.


Bulletin
The largest standardized OOH format; typically measuring 14’ x 48’ in overall size. Sold either as permanent displays or in rotary packages.


Bus Shelter
A curbside structure located at regular stopping points along urban bus routes.


Bus Wrap
An advertisement site which covers the whole of a single or double deck bus. Effectively ‘wrapping’ the entire bus.

C


Campaign
The interval of time when an OOH advertising campaign is run.


Campaign Amplification
Strategies used to increase the impact of OOH campaigns, such as integrating social media, PR stunts, or experiential elements to extend the campaign’s reach beyond traditional OOH placements.


Campaign Flight
The duration or scheduled period in which an OOH ad runs.


Client Services
Our client services team are responsible for bringing your campaign to life. They are your point of contact, overseeing the campaign’s progress from start to finish.


Contextual Advertising
OOH campaigns that are tailored to the specific environment or moment in which they appear, enhancing relevance and impact. Based on audience demographics, location, or behavioural data.


Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
The cost of reaching one thousand viewers or impressions of an OOH ad. It’s a common pricing model for buying media space.


Creative Development
The process of conceptualising and producing creative assets specifically tailored for OOH campaigns. This includes everything from artwork to motion design, ensuring the visuals align with the brand message and the environment.


Creative
The design and content of an advertisement, which could include images, graphics, or text.


Custom Builds
Unique OOH installations created specifically for a campaign, often incorporating physical structures, interactive elements, or bespoke designs to enhance engagement and visibility.

D


Dayparting
The practice of scheduling OOH ad displays to run at specific times of day when the target audience is most likely to be present, commonly used in digital OOH.


Digital Billboard
Billboards that can change advertising content using digital technology. Content is static with multiple advertising message presented in rotation every few seconds.


Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)
OOH ads that are displayed on digital screens, often allowing for dynamic and real-time updates of content.


Domination
When a campaign has a domination of an OOH format, it means that a single advertiser occupies or controls the majority, if not all, of the available advertising space in a particular OOH location or platform. This strategy is designed to create a powerful, high-impact presence by overwhelming the environment with the brand’s message, making it impossible for consumers to miss.


Dwell Time
The interval of time when a consumer is in close proximity to an OOH ad.


Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO)
The use of technology in digital OOH to change and optimize creative content in real-time based on variables like weather, time of day, or audience demographics. This allows for personalized and responsive advertising.

E


Effective Reach
The number of persons within the target audience exposed to the advertising schedule an average of three or more times.


Engagement Rate
A measure of how much an audience interacts with or responds to an OOH advertisement. This can include direct actions like scanning a QR code or engaging in social media.


Experiential OOH
A form of advertising that focuses on creating an interactive, immersive experience for the audience. This can include live events, pop-up installations, or digital interactions that engage passersby in a memorable and meaningful way.


Exposure
As derived from TAB’s visibility research, a physiological or behavioural measure of actual eye contact with an OOH media unit and its advertising. TAB OOH Ratings are derived from the adjustment of circulation or passing to those who notice the advertising.


Eye Tracking
A survey methodology that records the movement of the eye and its fixations in relation to what an individual is looking at. The fixations are used to determine the factors that influence a person’s Likelihood To See (LTS) an advertising face.

F


Footfall Tracking
The process of monitoring the number of people who pass by or engage with a specific OOH ad location. Often used to evaluate effectiveness.


Format
Refers to the type of OOH media: Billboards 25sqm+, Bus/Tram/Kiosk, Retail, Airport, etc.


Frequency
The average number of times an individual notices an OOH advertising message during a defined period of time. Frequency in OOH advertising is typically measured over a four week period, but can be reported for any campaign length.


G


Geographic Targeting/ Geofencing
Targeting audiences defined by their location in the real-world. Location attributes can vary from granular attributes such as mobile/GPS-enabled latitude/ longitude data to broader attributes as post code or state/province. In technical specifications, targets may simply be referred to as “geo”, “user”, “audience” without spelling out the full term.

H


High-Impact Site
A premium OOH location with high visibility and foot traffic, often commanding higher advertising rates.


Hyperlocal Targeting
The use of specific geographic targeting to reach audiences within a narrowly defined area. This is particularly effective in DOOH, where content can be customized for different locations in real-time.

I


Immersive Installations
Large-scale OOH setups designed to fully engage the senses of the audience, often incorporating visual, auditory, and sometimes tactile elements. These installations can include projection mapping, 3D builds, or other interactive features.


Impact
A unit of measure with one impact being equal to one person’s viewing of a single face. Impacts also referred to as gross impressions or contacts.


Impressions
The total number of times people are likely to notice an ad on an OOH display. Gross impressions are those delivered against a demographic audience for an advertising schedule.


Interactive OOH
These are campaigns designed to engage the audience actively, often through technology such as touchscreens, mobile integration, or augmented reality.


Interactive Kiosks
Freestanding, digital, touch-screen displays found in high-traffic areas, allowing passersby to engage directly with content or retrieve information.

J

K

L


Large-Format Digital Screens
Digital displays used in high-traffic areas like city centres or major transit hubs. Grand Visual may work with animation and motion graphics to create dynamic content that leverages the large digital format.


LED
LED’s or Light Emitting Diodes, are the lamps used in Electronic Messaging Centres (EMCs) and colour screens.


Line of Sight
Refers to the visibility of an OOH ad, meaning it is within clear view of potential viewers, unobstructed by trees, buildings, or other structures.


Location-Based Advertising
Targeting OOH ads in specific locations based on the proximity of the target audience.


Digital Creative

M


Market
Geographically defined areas used to buy and sell media. Standard markets definitions are DMAs and CBSAs.


Measurement Metrics
Data used to assess the performance of OOH campaigns. Common metrics include impressions, engagement rates, and ad recall.


Media Owner
A media owner is a company or individual who has the right to sell outdoor advertising space.


Media Plan
A plan for an advertising campaign that specifies details of the selected media, advertising content, dates and delivery goals such as reach and frequency.


Mobile Billboard
A truck equipped with one or more poster panel units. The truck can either be parked at specified venues or driven around designated localities.


Motion Graphics
Animated visual elements used in digital OOH ads to grab attention and enhance creativity.


Mural
Murals painted or attached directly onto the exterior surface of a building.

N

O


Omnichannel
This refers to the integration of OOH media with other digital and physical channels to create a seamless, consistent, and unified advertising experience for consumers. It combines traditional outdoor formats (e.g., billboards, transit ads, digital displays) with online, mobile, and in-store engagement, ensuring that the messaging across all these platforms is cohesive and enhances the consumer journey.


Out of Home Advertising (OOH)
Advertising that reaches consumers while they are outside their homes, including formats like billboards, street furniture, transit ads, and place-based ads.


OOH Tech
OOH technology refers to the application of innovative techniques, methods, and processes used to develop and advance the product offerings of the OOH advertising industry.

P


Panels
An OOH unit can also be referred to and/or divided up into panels for ease of selling/buying.


Poster
A standardized poster format, typically measuring 12’3” x 24’6”; formally known as a 30-Sheet Poster.


Posting Date
The date when a poster program is scheduled to commence. A five day leeway is customary.


Posting Instructions
Detailed directions provided to an OOH company by an advertiser or agency assigning specific copy to specific locations.


Place-Based Advertising
OOH ads that are strategically placed in specific venues or environments, such as malls, airports, or gyms, where the target audience is most likely to be.


Play Length
The interval of time when a DOOH message is viewable. Also as message duration in other markets.


Point of Sale (POS)
An OOH advertising format located near retail outlets, encouraging immediate purchases.


Printed OOH Media
Any OOH display that uses a printed substrate to display advertising content.


Programmatic DOOH
The automated buying and selling of digital OOH ads using data and algorithms to deliver ads at optimal times for the target audience.


Production
The production department is responsible for the physical creation and delivery of advertising materials across various OOH media formats, such as billboards, digital signage, transit ads, and street furniture. This department ensures that the creative assets are produced to the right specifications, installed correctly, and meet the required quality standards for the chosen advertising platforms.


Projection Mapping
A technique that uses light and motion to project dynamic images onto surfaces like buildings, creating the illusion of movement and transforming structures into vibrant canvases for creative OOH executions.

Q


QR Code
Quick Response Code – a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.


R


Rapid Versioning
The process of quickly creating multiple variations of OOH creative content to cater to different audiences, locations, or contexts. This method allows for fast and efficient updates across campaigns, often used in dynamic or digital OOH to ensure the messaging is relevant and timely.


Reach
The approximate percentage of a target audience’s population who notice an advertising message at least once during an OOH campaign.


Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
A digital advertising model where ad space is sold in real-time through an auction-based system, commonly used in programmatic DOOH.


Real-Time Content
Digital OOH creative that updates in real-time based on external factors such as social media trends, news updates, or live event feeds, ensuring the content is fresh and contextually relevant.


Retargeting
Targeting audiences that are defined by having recently shown interest in said advertiser, interest most often being defined as visiting the advertiser’s website or store location.


Rotation
The process of moving the advertiser’s message from one location to another at stated intervals to achieve a more balanced coverage of a market.

S


Sampling
Sampling refers to the practice of distributing free product samples or trial-size versions of a product to consumers. This technique allows advertisers to directly engage with potential customers while reinforcing the messaging seen on billboards, transit ads, or digital displays.


Share of Voice (SOV)
Amount of ad display time received out of the total display time of call advertisers and content displayed. Usually calculated over a 24 hour period or operating hours, whichever is shorter.


Sites
The exact location of the infrastructure on which the individual outdoor advertising faces are exhibited. For example, a site may represent one internal bus panel, a double-faced supersite or a scrolling bus shelter with three advertising faces.


Social Amplification
Integrating social media with OOH campaigns to encourage interaction and sharing. This may include hashtags, user-generated content, or interactive features that link the OOH experience to digital platforms.


Solutions

Special Builds
Custom OOH installations that go beyond standard billboard formats, often involving physical structures or kinetic elements to create an impactful presence in the environment. These may involve sculptures, interactive digital components, or larger-than-life installations.


Spectacular
A large-scale, often custom-built OOH installation in high-traffic locations. These are high-impact ads with a strong visual presence, often used in places like Times Square or Piccadilly Circus.


Street Furniture
Advertising displays, many that provide a public amenity, positioned at close proximity to pedestrians. Street furniture displays include, but are not limited to: transport shelters, newsstands, shopping center panels, convenience store panels and in-store signage.

T


Target Audience
Any audience reflecting the most desired consumer prospects for a product or service, defined by age, sex, race, ethnicity or income; or their combinations for any geographic definition.


U


V


Vinyl
A single-sheet substrate on which an advertising message is rendered by either computer production or hand painting. Vinyl is primarily used on the face of Bulletins and premiere products.

Nissan OOH Campaign of Qashqai car parked on Truman Brewery by Grand Visual

At Grand Visual, we ensure creative Out of Home (OOH) advertising delivers maximum impact to bring brands to the front of consumers’ minds. In this post, we’ll cover creative OOH campaign ideas and provide actionable tips to help you enhance your campaign.

From interactive elements on a billboard to weather-responsive online ads, you’ll discover strategies that can engage your audience and elevate your brand’s visibility. For your OOH campaign to be attention-grabbing and engaging, we implement the following techniques which can bring your innovative ideas to life.

Lenovo 3D OOH campaign on Piccadilly lights by Grand Visual
Lenovo X F1 3D OOH

The Essentials

Simplicity and clarity are fantastic for creating effective OOH adverts.

Audiences are clouded by a fog of digital and physical worlds. Therefore, simplicity has become a very powerful strategy to break through and target people. Simplicity will be able to cut through the loud noise to capture attention and allow the outdoor advertising campaign to resonate.

Strong visuals and compelling messaging significantly improve engagement and lasting impact.

An impactful OOH ad requires a strong visual to elevate the campaign above the competition. This goes hand in hand with a compelling message that creates control, focus and intensity in influencing your audiences.

Contextual relevance and brand consistency enhance the connection with the audience.

With an OOH ad campaign, contextual relevance is key and with Programmatic Advertising, adjustments can be made to ads in real time. Campaigns can adapt to variables such as weather, date and time to better connect the brands with the right audiences.

McCafe Iced Programmatic DOOH campaign by Grand Visual
McCafe Iced Programmatic DOOH

Interactive elements and unexpected visuals make OOH ads more memorable

Interactivity allows audiences to get involved and be a part of the campaign in real life. Providing an experience alongside the advert helps with audience engagement and in turn brand recall. Creating a surprise effect is a great way to build strong emotions with audiences and makes it more likely for the advert to be shared online.

Trends like digital integration, sustainability, and AR are shaping the future in the world of OOH

These industry trends can cause a challenge if you don’t keep up to date. Integration of digital infrastructure is important to help maintain the strength of your brand positioning. Adhering to new sustainability goals ensures that you stay relevant with clients and future prospects.

Wonka 3D New York times square DOOH billboard by Grand Visual
Wonka 3D Anamorphic DOOH

Key Creative OOH Considerations:

Simplicity and Clarity: Ads should be straightforward and easy to understand at a glance. Using bold fonts, high-contrast colours, QR Codes and minimalistic designs can enhance readability and impact.

Strong Visuals: Eye-catching visuals are essential to immersive experiences. High-quality images and creativity that resonate emotionally with the audience can significantly improve engagement and memorability.

Compelling Messaging: The messaging should be concise and impactful. Strong headlines and benefit-oriented copy can encourage consumers to take action or learn more about the brand.

Contextual Relevance: Ads should have creative ways to be tailored to their environment, incorporating local references or seasonal themes to establish a connection with the audience.

Brand Consistency: Maintaining consistency with the overall brand identity across all creative elements ensures a cohesive experience for consumers.

#sending love DOOH billboard global campaign by Grand Visual
#SendingLove User Generated Content OOH

Creative OOH Ideas:

Interactive Elements: Incorporating interactivity, such as touch-sensitive displays that illuminate when engaged, can create a memorable experience. To promote Pepsi MAX, we launched an activation featuring a Pepsi MAX vending machine that surprised passers-by by inviting them to grab a can and scan it at the custom vending machine to receive a Pepsi-branded football. Once a football is dispensed, a laser display would project a 2v2 pitch outline onto the street, commencing the start of a 10-minute, match session.

Pepsi Max Hidden Pitches by Grand Visual
Pepsi Max Hidden Pitches Interactive OOH

Unexpected Visuals: Using familiar brand phrases in unexpected and creative ways can capture attention. We wanted to continue Specsavers famous tagline of “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” in a new and unexpected environment. A Specsavers van was parked on a rising bollard in front of a “no parking” sign and the moment went viral. The marketing stunt gathered over 6M social media views and 20 national press titles picked up the story.

Specsavers "Should of gone to Specsavers" parked van OOH marketing stunt by Grand Visual
Specsavers Van Parked on Bollard OOH

Dynamic Content: Leveraging digital Out-of-Home capabilities to display real-time updates or personalised messages can enhance participation. To help promote Google Maps new feature Explore, which encourages people to discover new things locally, we used real-time data. The DOOH activation was displayed across a variety of New York neighbourhoods and the message would evolve based on the location, time, temperature and day.

Google Maps Explore Programmatic DOOH ad by Grand Visual
Google Maps Explore Programmatic OOH

Creative Use of Space: Transforming traditional advertising formats into something bolder is a great way to subvert expectations and grab the audience’s attention. That is exactly what we did for Budweiser as they responded to the backlash over female and non-binary artists being snubbed at the Brits Award. A billboard was transformed into a stage and a selection of up-and-coming artists were invited to perform for music lovers.

Budweiser The Stage Is Yours To Take by Grand Visual
Budweiser The Stage Is Yours OOH

Weather-Responsive Ads: Utilising real-time weather data to tailor messages can significantly increase relevance. For Quaker Oats we utilised dynamic OOH and created interactive ads on a bus shelter to display real-time temperature data, encouraging audiences to scan the QR code and claim a discount on their next purchase of Quaker Oats. Discounts are based on UK average temperature data – the colder the weather average, the bigger the discount.

Quaker Oats Programmatic DOOH by Grand Visual
Quaker Oats Weather Responsive OOH

Trends in OOH Advertising:

Digital Integration: The shift towards digital OOH is allowing for more creative and dynamic campaigns. This includes the use of programmatic advertising which enables real-time optimisation and personalised messaging based on audience data.

Sustainability: There is a growing emphasis on eco-friendly materials and practices in OOH advertising, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.

O2 Priority Go Green Sustainability campaign by Grand Visual
O2 Priority “GO Green” OOH

Engaging Your Audience with Interactive OOH

Explore how interactive elements can captivate audiences and create memorable experiences for brands. This section covers the benefits and examples of successful interactive campaigns on static billboards. Learn how Grand Visual leverages cutting-edge technology to create engaging content.

Touch-Sensitive Displays: Ads that respond to touch or movement can engage passers-by and provide a unique brand experience. This can be seen in the Lego campaign, which used 3D motion sensors to make an interactive screen and give passersby the chance to get involved.

Leg Star Wars Motion Censored OOH Display by Grand Visual
Lego Star Wars Interactive OOH

Social Media Integration: Encouraging social media interaction through hashtags or live feeds can extend the campaign’s reach. Especially when using sampling to increase attention, as in the campaign from Sony Pictures where they gave out samples of the book and bouquets of flowers.

It ends with us Interactive OOH by Grand Visual
It Ends With Us Interactive OOH

Leveraging Digital OOH for Real-Time Engagement

Digital billboards provide advantages, including real-time updates and personalised messaging to users. How can brands use digital billboard technology to enhance their campaigns? Grand Visual’s expertise can help you maximise these benefits and break through to your audience.

Real-Time Updates: Displaying current information, such as weather or news, can keep your ad relevant and engaging.

Personalised Messaging: Using data to tailor messages to specific audiences or locations.

Programmatic Advertising: Automating ad placement and optimisation based on real-time data.

Shake Shack qr code DOOH by Grand Visual
Shake Shake DOOH

Partnering with Grand Visual for Your OOH Campaigns

Learn how Grand Visual can help you create and execute innovative OOH marketing campaigns for advertisers and brands. We make it happen. This section details our services and expertise in the OOH advertising industry.

Creative Development: Grand Visual’s team of experts can help you conceptualise and design an impactful OOH ad.

Technological Integration: They provide advanced technological solutions, including augmented reality, AR and digital displays, to enhance your campaigns.

Campaign Management: From planning to budget to execution, Grand Visual manages all aspects of your OOH campaigns to ensure success.

So, Lets Get Creative!

Creative OOH advertising can significantly enhance brand visibility and engagement. By incorporating these innovative ideas and strategies, you can create impactful advertisements that resonate with your audience. Grand Visual’s expertise in OOH tech can help you bring these concepts to life, ensuring creativity and your ad campaigns’ ability to stand out.

Habitat 60th Anniversary Special Build OOH by Grand Visual
Habitat Special Build OOH

Baileys Projection OOH

The coldest and darkest season of the year, winter is also one of the most magical. With plenty of celebrations, these dark nights are made brighter with illuminated pumpkins, fireworks and neighbourhoods draped in festive lighting. 

As people, we gravitate towards the light in the darkness – which is what makes winter a fantastic time for brands to shine with creative Out of Home (OOH) executions that dazzle audiences. Over the years, we’ve worked with many brands to illuminate cities, neighbourhoods and even the sky with creative OOH. 

In this blog, we’ll be exploring the ways in which we make this possible and why it’s important to break the mould to cut through this winter. 

Creative OOH Works 

Understanding the impact of creativity on consumer behaviour is crucial and catching a consumer’s eye can have a direct impact on sales. According to a Nielsen analysis of over 500 campaigns, creative elements contribute consequent purchase and sales 47%, followed by reach (22%), brand (15%), and targeting (9%). 

It’s important to remember that although a campaign may be planned effectively in terms of reach and audience targeting, if the creative is under par, this will impact campaign performance. 

Special Builds 

In the darker months, we’ve had the pleasure of creating and executing some incredible special builds for brands who want to stand out and make their creative work harder. Whether it be lighting, steam or even fire, these campaigns have ruled the market thanks to their creativity. BBC are a brand that has excelled at this time and time again: 

A special build for the TV show “Dracula” leveraged shadows to depict the vampire myth, revealing a terrifying silhouette only visible at nightfall. 

“A Perfect Planet” featured a billboard torn apart to reveal a devastating forest fire image, combining smoke machines and LED lighting for a striking effect, making it appear that the billboard was on fire. 

For “His Dark Materials,” a ‘breathing’ billboard, using steam, captured attention on dark winter nights. 

Projection Mapping: Winter’s Canvas 

Projection mapping opens doors to creativity in the darker winter months. Whether we’re delivering high impact mapped content onto iconic locations or delivering guerrilla messages at scale nationwide, we can take clients’ messages directly to their audiences in a disruptive and impactful way.  

For Nissan Formula E, innovative motion video mapping transformed the 110 The Queens Walk building into a giant, 150ft tall racing helmet. 

Glow in the Dark 

Projections can also be used in conjunction with murals, making them visibly dazzling in the dark evenings. 

YouTube Music’s artist murals, including one for the 1975 in Manchester, used projection mapping with incredible effect. 

MAC elevated its creative using projection mapping. 

Other techniques that enable brands to glow in the dark are UV-Reflective Paint, Black Light and Halo Lighting. By adding special lighting and ink onto elements of the poster or mural can help elevate the creative at night! 

For Baileys’ “HallowQueens” campaign, hand-painted murals near on-trade spots were enhanced for extra appeal. One featured glitter for sparkle, while another used metallic and glow-in-the-dark UV paint for a spooky effect. 

Experiential Brand Experiences 

Drone Activations 

Rising in popularity over the last few years, we’ve seen many brands and even the royal family use drones to captivate audiences in a unique way.

Drone light shows, using up to 1000 drones, create illuminated aerial formations, forming images and words in the night sky. The drone show from the Coronation Concert is one of our favourites.

Heated OOH: Cozy Surprises 

Embrace the chilly season with heated OOH. Installing special heating units at transit shelters offers a distinctive chance that thrives during the winter season.

John Lewis incorporated heated creative in bus stops, providing a cozy surprise with just a tap. 

Digital Creativity: Enhancing Emotional Engagement 

Strong creative messaging increases emotional engagement by 13%, especially through: 

Contextual Messaging 

Custom dynamic messaging integrates data feeds directly into the campaign creative. Updating the creative with messaging triggered by the time of day or by the weather, brings extra life to a campaign and increases brain response. 

Shake Shack’s use of dynamic digital OOH billboards in NYC for an interactive truffle hunt exemplifies this approach. 

Want to do something creative this winter? Get in touch with your Grand Visual representative or contact us using this form. 

Ad Club New York OOH Now 2019
Zevi Tilles, Account Director, shares his thoughts and feedback from last weeks Ad Club of New York’s annual Conference, OOH Now 2019.

Every year, I look forward to attending The AD Club of New York’s end of year conference. Getting to Pier 60 by the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan in December is a cold trip. However, once inside I’m always reminded of why the event is worth travelling to.

This year was no exception, and it was better than ever. The agenda centered around how data, technology, creativity, and the experience of OOH specialist teams, are leading growth and expansion across the industry. The view presented at the event promoted more focus on digital OOH and how the medium should move to utilize real-time triggers from time of day or weather to dynamic creative optimization at a greater scale. We also heard from brands using ad tech solutions that are giving their planners the ability to find locations where their audience over indexes and that allows them to optimize their digital OOH plans and creative accordingly, to drive contextual relevance and impact by using real-time conditions. 

There was an amazing session on THE CREATIVE CANVAS led by Dan Brill, Group Creative Director, Spotify, Travis Sterner, Director of Media, United Artists Releasing, Robin Tilotta, Director of Consumer Marketing, Twitter and Paul Woolmington, CEO, Canvas Worldwide. It was moderated by, Ed Herty, National Creative Director, Outfront Media. The panel was in agreement, creative storytelling is now informing the buy. Advertisers are looking to make DOOH interactive, contextual, and they want to personalize their messages to specific audiences based on time of day and in the moments that matter to the viewer. This was exactly the sentiment I was hoping for and it was coming directly from the brands! This is the type of ambition that will lead our channel to new heights in 2020.

The MEDIA BUYER SPOTLIGHT featuring: Andrew Weinstein, Manager, Rapport Worldwide, Fatima Winfrey, Group Director, OOH, Horizon Media, led me to believe that the agencies were coming to the same conclusions. Better creative and smarter standards drive superior outcomes.

Throughout the day, a recurring theme was discussed by the speakers. The sentiment being, OOH faces challenges as it moves towards a programmatic future, and how we collectively handle them will have an important impact in our industry. Particularly as omnichannel platforms are moving into digital OOH. It was highlighted that we need to make sure there is consistency in how impressions are reported. For digital OOH there needs to be independent third-party verification of campaign playout, including interactions and other campaign-specific metrics. We must provide advertisers with a level of transparency and accountability, to realize the full potential of programmatic digital OOH. 

Furthermore, advertisers and agencies need better workflow tools for the management and trafficking of digital OOH campaigns. These tools should be dedicated to quality assurance, distribution, and auditing of digital OOH creative. This will, in turn, accelerate the path from creative producers to media owners simplifying the management and delivery of DOOH creative across networks and platforms. 

In conclusion, a digital-first OOH mindset and added experiences through touch, gesture, recognition, mobile, social and experiential have marketers and brands excited! They are spending more time, measuring the outcomes, and investing more budget into the channel. 

I can’t wait to see what happens as we transition to the next decade for OOH in 2020!

 

Air quality sensor for digital OOH. Grand Visual.
When considering dynamic DOOH campaigns that use data, the mind automatically jumps to weather data such as temperature, precipitation and wind… however, there are a wealth of other data types available, from pollen counts to traffic jams. What we wanted to explore was the possibility of collecting hyper-localised air quality data, that could be used to update each piece of DOOH creative.

There are a plethora of different sensors available on the market that can detect gas levels. The sensor that we settled on was the MQ135 (catchy, right?) which can detect gases such as NH3, NOx, alcohol, Benzene, smoke, and CO2. Getting the readings of these substances in the air would give us a good indication of the current air quality.

By connecting the sensor to an Arduino and an LED strip, we were able to get a visual representation of the readings. Luckily, it seemed that the quality of air in our office was good, so we introduced some other pollutants to test.

Air Quality sensor for digital OOH.

The sensor we had displayed its readings on the screen in ppm (parts per million). The higher the number the more pollutants in the air.

This was the scale used to categorise the ppm ranges.

Results from air quality tests using an air quality sensor. Grand Visual.

With the demo working successfully the next step was to take it outside. So to make the kit portable, we set ourselves up with a 3D printed box to house the sensor along with a USB battery.

Then we headed out to get some measurements.

Results from air quality tests using an air quality sensor. Grand Visual.

Are you surprised by the readings? All 3 locations fell well within the “good” range, we definitely expected much higher readings in Piccadilly Circus compared to St James’s Park, but it was reassuring to see there was a difference.

For this example, we used an air quality sensor but there are sensors that can provide data local to a particular installation such as temperature, lightning strikes, rain detection and sound decibel levels.

We’re no strangers to dynamic campaigns that rely on specific data triggers, take for example this campaign for Elizabeth Arden which used location-specific pollution readings. Imagine how much more effective this could have been with hyper-localised, real-time readings. It’s still in the early stages, but we’re keen to keep looking into new and more creative data sources to power DOOH.

Wonka 3D DOOH
As Grand Visual’s resident Gen Z’er, Digital Marketing Apprentice, Charlotte Jones explores the power of Gen Z and digital OOH.

You wouldn’t be wrong to think that Gen Z came into the world with an iPhone in one hand and a MacBook in the other. We basically did. Born between 1995 and 2015, we’ve seen mobile phones go from this funny old Nokia to this technicolour dream…

Basically, a lot can change in 20 years.

As a generation obsessed with technology (not our fault btw), it surprised me to discover that 55% of Gen Z’ers favour OOH advertising because “it’s relaxing.” Theoretically, wouldn’t it make more sense to prefer online ads, given we’re life-long internet junkies?

According to another study, around 82% of Gen Z’ers are actually skipping online ads – and to be honest I’m not really that shocked, given how annoying they can be… So as a generation who regularly skip ads, why do we prefer OOH – a medium that we can’t skip?

I think Gen Z are drawn to billboards because digital OOH isn’t intrusive. It doesn’t pop up every time we watch a YouTube video or use the internet. We can choose to look at it or choose to ignore it. Plus it doesn’t know everything about us. It may be able to direct us to the nearest shop or inform us about the local weather, but it doesn’t know personal details like where we live or our online search history.

Digital OOH also makes for great social content. Seeing your favourite celebrity, on an enormous screen in a location as iconic as Times Square definitely calls for a picture or social post, doesn’t it? Also, have you ever seen somebody post a picture in front of an internet ad? No, that would be totally uncool.

Here are a few of my favourite examples of digital OOH campaigns which have gained massive Gen Z traction.

Netflix: Stranger Things 3

For one of Gen Z’s favourite, “bingeable” TV shows, Netflix decided to choose digital OOH to target the ad-blocking generation. With huge billboards in iconic locations such as Times Square, the campaign earned huge traction across social media; with fans snapping selfies and one fan even tweeting how “big” the show must be because of its Times Square billboards.

Little Mix

With over 30 million followers on their combined social media accounts, you could say that the British girl band Little Mix are popular! In fact, they’re so popular that over the Summer their US fans bought them a billboard in Times Square to promote their latest single. They used the ad to catch the girls’ attention online… which they did!

Hyundai X BTS

Personally, I’m not too keen on BTS but I cannot deny that their influence on Gen Z is anything short of phenomenal! In May 2019, the latest Hyundai X BTS advert premiered on the iconic digital OOH site, Piccadilly Lights. 

Hundreds of fans gathered around the famous London landmark to get a glimpse of the campaign. Photos and videos from the reveal were posted to social media, accumulating thousands of interactions from fans worldwide.

If you compare the BTS premiere to the Lights’ first-ever live stream from Victoria Beckham last year, the results are clearly visible. 

BTS:

Victoria Beckham:

Whenever Gen Z is involved, a brand has a bigger influence on digital OOH than ever before!