How to Ensure the OOH Prophecy is Realized

"Brands need to engage people in everyday life."


"With outdoor you have the freedom to connect everything together."


"The Outdoor category at the Cannes Festival of Creativity awards reflects the future direction of the industry."


"The very best campaigns are able to bridge the gap between the traditional categories and can push the boundaries further."


"Outdoor's endless opportunities will persuade clients to shift more of their focus and advertising spend to the medium."


These quotes are certainly powerful. The fact they come from a leading creative director--Ed Morris--and juror from the outdoor Cannes festival awards, gives them even more clout. 
These are the types of quotes and beliefs needed to further educate and inform brands and agencies that outdoor is a powerful and underused tool within an advertising arsenal. 


The fact remains that outdoor often accounts for smaller portions of budgets. At times this can require an intensive pitch to brands, of which I would venture to say a majority still think that outdoor is strictly represented by billboards. This of course couldn't be more untrue, as many of us within the world of outdoor understand. 


Despite these challenges, their is a true abundance of media options and solutions available to outdoor. The ability to really make a significant impact is real and will undoubtedly continue to build. It seems that Ed Morris' prophecy of an advertising age in which outdoor plays a major if not central role could be on its way. But to ensure all of this, 'the now' should represent an intensive period of education. 


Educating brands, agencies and properties in as far as how they all stand to benefit is the key for deepening the penetration of outdoor. Additionally, noting creative and unique ways to accomplish objectives outside the realm of traditional is also very much something which needs to be further refined. Lastly, and perhaps the most important I feel, is enlightening involved parties that outdoor truly is a bridge to a brands online play and investments. Outdoor can be the missing link for a genuine 360 degree campaign which aims to penetrate both the digital and physical realms. Presence in simply one sphere of a human's consciousness will not be enough to achieve that top of mind awareness that advertisers really crave. 


It does help that large brands are starting to get it. More and more successful case studies and even award winning campaigns are being developed. It also helps that digital giants such as Google and Microsoft lead this wave. To some, it may be ironic that firms which are defined by a digital existence should lead the charge. However, they seem to truly understand that one sphere of existence is NOT enough. A lesson which needs to be taught and re-taught to ensure that our bright  'outdoor' prophecy is realized. 

The Ad Industry Pivots in Japan...

The devastating tragedy suffered in Northern Japan earlier this year has had a huge impact on Japan and it's people in so many ways. The continued suffering across a range of social and economical areas is still very much real and prevalent. The advertising industry in Japan of course has not been spared and has really shifted and changed its stance on a number of fronts out of necessity.


For those of you living outside Japan and unfamiliar with some of the challenges faced, Japan is dealing with potential shortfalls of energy this summer as a result of reduced energy output capability. In Japan, the buzz word at the moment is 'setsuden' which basically translates as conserving energy. This has certainly created a lot of doom and gloom within the industry for some.  


This setsuden minded shift has made its mark in a strong way within digital OOH. Basically, it has knocked digital signage off of its most recent rise and trajectory in Tokyo. Immediately after the disaster, all digital signage was shut down. Now, what we are seeing however is more of a limited run on it during certain times and places within Tokyo. 


However the lasting impact here is that in speaking with many agencies, the types of questions they ask now are always centered on energy output. Detailed break downs and technical knowledge of energy related issues is a must for any electrical based media supplier. On the client side, many brands are quite reluctant to touch anything with a DOOH push for fear of being insensitive. I expect such a feeling to remain throughout the summer and even deep into the third quarter. 


However, such news is an opportunity for advertising firms to really pivot. As this has disrupted a lot of the usual media buying patterns, the opportunity for agencies or media houses to present new and effective mixes is certainly there. Ideas which might have been straight to the scrap pile, suddenly take on new relevance and importance if they promise to skirt setsuden issues. 


In essence, what I am trying to say is that despite difficult operating environments such as this one. It is always worth remembering that for every challenge faced, an opportunity will present itself if you have the right mindset and outlook.     

Interact, Engage and PULL!

I have made the case a few times over and provided stats which illustrate the rising power of OOH (out of home media) and what brands will do to gain attention. What we are starting to witness through more and more concrete examples is this phenomena. The cases of iconic brands stepping out of their ordinary comfort zones to interact, engage and 'pull' in new and effective ways seems to be on the up and up. I am sure this would make an interesting study unto itself and I would love to hear some definitive stats on this.  


In fact this noted trend was the point of one my recent tweets involving arguably the highest of high end auto brands Bentley and how it has stepped into OOH for the first time ever within the UK. They did a relatively safe OOH play with a billboard, however the significance is great. Before this they had been known as staunch supporters and purchasers of traditional media period. 


To further add support for this argument, I can present the case in which the company I own--BRANDPOINT Advertising--worked with the global fashion brand VOGUE for an OOH push last fall. They were looking to get help and exposure for their Tokyo version of their ultra popular 'Fashions Night Out' global event. What we did for them was outfit escalator handrails in high end shopping centers with media (Escalator Handrail Media) along with the hijacking of a basement parking garage of one of the most ritzy shopping centers in all of Japan with 'Parking Stripe Media' (PSM) (a media which is placed on existing painted parking lines). The PSM media was certainly out there for them and I feel pretty confident that such a move would have been off limits five to ten years back for a brand of that caliber. 


What both examples show however, are the risks brands are willing to take to once again interact, engage and 'pull'.  I am supremely confident that there are other countless examples to add support to the ideas raised in this post. I would be curious to hear others insight and thoughts on this topic.

"Brands and Risk" Morgan Spurlock Style

This past week as I was wasting the time away during my daily train ride commute, I was directed via a tweet to a TED link entitled 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold--a look into the World of Brand Marketing" by Morgan Spurlock. Aside from recognizing past projects--by title only--which he had put together, I have to admit prior to watching this video I had no idea who he was. After viewing it, I certainly came away with a much clearer vision, as well as an appreciation for what an interesting project he had put together recently.

Basically, for those who do not know 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold' is a film all about marketing and advertising whereby the entire film is funded by product placement. So what happens in "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," is that everything from top to bottom, from start to finish, is branded from beginning to end -- from the above-the-title sponsor that you'll see in the movie, which is brand X. The goal of this whole film is transparency. It's about seeing the whole thing take place in this movie from the concept being pitched to ad agencies right on through to production and finish. 

What makes it so engaging however--in at least from what I have gathered from the TED talk he gave--was that numerous big name agencies all turned it down and even recommended their clients not to partake. Spurlock even decided to by-pass the agencies and hit up the brands directly which included over 500 household names. The end result was that he got 17 brands to participate. That's right, only 17. Evidently and not surprisingly the agencies and brands were most afraid of giving up control on final product issues and not having enough say on particular production matters. 

His message which he makes clear here in verbatim is that, "If you take chances, if you take risks, that in those risks will come opportunity. I believe that when you push people away from that, you're pushing them more towards failure. I believe that, when you train your employees to be risk averse, then you're preparing your whole company to be reward challenged." 

The results of this movie so far since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival you ask. How about 900 million media impressions so far? That's only online -- no print, no TV. The film hasn't even been distributed yet. It's not even online. It's not even streaming. It's not even been out into other foreign countries yet. So ultimately, this film has already started to gain a lot of momentum. And not bad for a project that, almost every ad agency he talked to advised their clients not to take part within.

So here we have it, a very clear example of just how risk averse we still are despite knowing the potential benefits and opportunities whether they are presented via social media, OOH, digital or other ways. This certainly speaks volumes as to how brands and agencies really need to re-think philosophies as per their activities. Let's face it, these chances to reach people in very unique and real ways are only going to exponentially multiply and for those who 'get it' the opportunities will abound.