Ooh Media boss challenges marketers to move away from outdoor stunts and embrace digital
The CEO of outdoor company Ooh Media has challenged marketers and their agencies to think about outdoor advertising for more than just public relations stunts.
Speaking at a media launch for Ooh Media’s new interactive retail panels, Brendon Cook argued too many marketers/agencies saw out of home digital panels as an opportunity to try and “go viral”, without realising the potential to reach a mass audience on the panels themselves.
Citing the success of the Pepsi unbelievable bus shelters campaign in the UK Cook said: “When you look at the great things being done around the world, including in Australia, often they are just stunts.
“(Pepsi bus shelters) was done on just one bus shelter. Pepsi didn’t even buy a campaign on bus shelters and that never made sense when all this technology is enabling us to think differently.”
Whilst Cook has a point, the reality is most of these outdoor panels are white noise.
Given the average person is exposed to 3,000 messages a day, it’s fucking hard to stand out with a panel.
That’s why brands are trying to create more experience-based comms. It makes sense. Engage people less times but with more impact
The analogy I’ll use is if I’m trying to pick a girl up at a bar, if i just stand there with a cool leather jacket and look at her, i may not get her attention. There are plenty of other joes everywhere. If i talk to her and actually get her involved, then i’m more likely to take her home. Tenuous link but you get my point.
I saw one of these new interactive panels last week at Chadstone. It was promoting a film and had a game for children. It was a forlorn sight. I ate my meal and watched countless hundreds of people walk past with kids for 30mins during lunch hour.
The one thing stunts have is street teams to engage people – sure they’re annoying but they break the barrier and rope people on. A large advertising unit in a public space no matter how great the visual stimulus on it, does not facilitate human interaction well. Immersive as the content may be, the actual hurdle is the unit. It’s not interaction friendly.
Marketers, stick to your street teams.
@ Chadstone.
Another words – no one wants to look like a d#ck in public.