You could be fooled into thinking there’s no place for Out of Home (OOH) advertising with the power of online digital, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, nailing an OOH campaign could increase your brand’s awareness.
Recently, we’ve been seeing a lot of unique and intuitive OOH campaigns not only performing well on location but also going viral on social media – resulting in the best of both worlds.
Join us as we look over some of the best examples.
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PlayStation takes over London
To mark the launch of the PlayStation 5 in the UK, Sony rebranded Oxford Circus Tube station. The four entrances, as well as the walls on the platforms, had the iconic PlayStation shapes mixed with the London Underground roundel.
The marketing campaign lasted 48 hours at one of the busiest stations in London. It is rare that Transport for London allows companies to use their branding as part of their advertising, which only makes this campaign more memorable.
From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #PS5 upgrade. 👀 pic.twitter.com/iw9qlEXR7B
— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) November 18, 2020
Amazon: All or Nothing Tottenham Hotspur
To promote the release of Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary, featuring Tottenham Hotspur*, their marketing team had a humorous way to launch it.
Advertising it in Finsbury Park Underground station, in north London, sounds like a smart strategy until you realise it’s one of the home stations for bitter rivals, Arsenal.
The clever Out of Home campaign poked fun, in a friendly way, to all the Arsenal fans in the area. The advert also went viral on social media with people sharing it and getting more eyes on it.
*Spoiler alert: they won nothing, obviously
I beg someone go take these off, proper pollution at Finsbury Park station smh pic.twitter.com/EVvrABvEz6
— FEN-Ömar (@AFC___Omar) September 5, 2020
Waitrose’s falling prices
Waitrose is known for the somewhat higher than average prices in their supermarkets, so when they decided to advertise their lower prices on hundreds of products, they needed a strategy that would stand out.
A billboard simply advertising their slashed prices wouldn’t cut it, but a “falling” billboard, showcasing the falling prices was just the ticket!
Whilst it was an intentional stunt, the Wandsworth Council saw fit to swiftly put in safety measures, all adding to the recipe which made it go viral.
Hi @wandbc – thanks for the swift action but while our prices are falling rapidly, our billboard certainly isn’t! #noneedforbollards pic.twitter.com/mXXbFZL3RA
— Waitrose & Partners (@waitrose) April 25, 2024
Should’ve gone to Specsavers
Arguably the Kings and Queens of Out of Home advertising, Specsavers are known for consistently achieving top marks with each campaign.
It’s hard to pick which one stands out the best, given the fact they have so many, but if there’s one thing they excel at, it’s undoubtedly the trusty billboard.
Take a look at the thread on Twitter/X to see a handful of their best work.
Genius billboard ad from @Specsavers pic.twitter.com/9q94Rmanch
— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) March 3, 2022
Conclusion
Out of Home advertising remains a powerful and effective marketing tool, even in the digital age. The ability of OOH campaigns to capture the audiences’ attention in a physical space, whilst also going viral on social media highlights their unique versatility and effectiveness.
