Do you notice billboards, digital totems or posters when you walk down the street? Surely, only when you need do you something remember that you pass by a poster with that product every day, and you are sure that you have not paid enough attention to it. Good advertising does not even need the full attention of the audience, sometimes for a positive effect it is enough for the viewer to catch the motifs of the ad only for a moment and receive information, ready to use when they need it.
Outdoor advertising, or OOH advertising, is a skill that has been honed for centuries. Research by the American universities of Arkansas and Montana State University shows that the first OOH campaigns appeared in the USA as early as the 17th century, while by the end of the 19th century, outdoor advertising had become a separate industry.
The OOH Advertising Association of America (OAAA) believes that the beginnings of such advertising can be found in the earliest civilizations, such as Egypt, where the first ads were carved on obelisks.
Time has passed, but OOH remains as a relevant form of advertising, which only changes shape or form according to the needs of the times.
Meet FOOH
This year we had the opportunity to see something different – surrealism has captured the marketing world and spawned several fantastic campaigns, and OOH got a new subtype of fake out of home advertising (FOOH).
The French brand Jacquemus has teamed up with the American artist Ian Padgaham (@origiful) and placed its Bambino handbags on the streets of Paris. The result was a video that went crazy on social networks and brought the brand a 900% increase in sales of Bambino handbags. Why put an advertisement on urban public transport, when a product can become public transport?
The American cosmetics brand Maybelline also decided to use a similar concept with the same artist. Instead of handbags, their new mascara has become part of public transportation in New York.
The marketing team did not stop there, so they placed the product on the streets of London. The subway received a fashion accessory of long eyelashes, as did the double-decker, and the mascara brush found its way to key passage points to make them beautiful.
Both campaigns were a huge success, with people wandering hopelessly through the streets of London, Paris and New York in search of this special public transport. But the search was in vain, because it was an excellent video editing, design and some CGI by the aforementioned artist, known for his surreal 3D animations.
While these brands have made their campaigns look real and confused the public, other brands are also familiar with surrealism, which they are increasingly using for marketing purposes.
The Isabel Marant brand surprised with this video at Paris Fashion Week and announced a new men’s collection with an “attack” of toothpaste.
The Italian Diesel went a step further with the goal of getting closer to the Gen Z audience, and posted surreal videos of their new handbags on TikTok.
Will FOOH replace OOH?
In the current accelerated pace of life, such campaigns are an escape from reality, relax the viewer and easily catch their attention because they are unusual and striking. Although they contain common and everyday things such as public transport, they are an indicator of how little it takes to stand out from the nightmare of numerous advertisements.
We enjoy the visually rich campaigns that the progress of technology has enabled us, but many wonder how much it is still worth investing in billboards and posters. The latest research conducted by The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) has placed this type of advertising (the research includes digital and print editions) ahead of television, radio, print, podcasts and even some digital forms. Another survey by the same organization further confirms the relevance of this form of advertising and points out that almost half (49%) of adult consumers notice OOH ads more than a year ago. These are indicators of a complete return to the outside world after the pandemic years, in which audiences enjoy campaigns right outside the home.
