From the busy streets of small towns to chaotic bustling of Times Square, advertising billboards have become a standard backdrop to everyday living today. Herein lies the challenge for marketers: to attract attention to something that we everyday passersby are used to walking past without a second glance. With the ever-increasing distractions bombarding consumers, marketers must find a way to cut through the clutter and deliver a message. One way to do so is through interactive billboards that provide consumers with enough incentive to stop and engage with the advertisement. Interactive billboards are especially unique as they engage both consumers and onlookers alike in their advertisement.
Similar to how social media has changed the advertising mentality from a one-sided message to an interactive two-day dialogue, interactive billboards help the consumer to feel like they are important and making an impact on the future of the company, brand or cause. The video below is an interactive advertisement for a movement by The Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands. According to the Ministry, public service employees in the Netherlands have increasingly become the targets of aggression and violence while on duty. The live billboard, placed in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, confronts onlookers with their lack of intervention during such acts.
A unique aspect to interactive billboards is that, in contrast with other traditional forms of advertising media, they allow the advertiser to create a 3D ad that can interact with whatever environment it’s placed in. While the billboard below is different from the media dense interactive billboards that feature videos or mobile integration, it utilizes the natural elements surrounding it to create an interesting experience for the consumer. Marketing Bustop, a lingerie brand in New Zealand, the billboard has an interesting and innovative spin on outdoor advertising.
Found on: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/bustop_skirt?size=original
I recently discovered McDonald’s 2011 interactive game of McPong that allowed consumers in Stockholm, Sweden with smartphones to play the game using app-free geolocation technology. The objective? Last 30 of more seconds to win McDonald’s coupons. Interactive billboards like this one are incredibly useful for not only engaging consumers into the advertising process, but also for generating some serious brand buzz in the marketing world.
Interactive billboards are quickly becoming the most effective form of outdoor advertisement. While traditional billboards can still be seen in the world’s most populated squares, the advertising world is being challenged to capture the attention of consumers who are more and more distracted. (Have you seen how many people now walk down the street with their head down, staring at their smartphone?) Anymore, people need to be coaxed with something new, fun, innovative and interactive to get and maintain their precious attention. Interactive billboards do just that.
COMPANION MEDIA 