Aaron Poole, marketing executive, PML Group with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home
As big game fever hit Dublin this week, Pepsi MAX were quick on the ball to avail of the OOH opportunity at hand via an experiential activation that hit the goal on-target.
Bringing a new level of excitement to Dublin’s Grand Canal Square, the soft drinks brand unveiled an innovative ‘Hidden Pitch’ – a display projection which generated a 2v2 football pitch onto the street, inviting the public to engage in various football activities from casual kickabouts to intense 2v2 matches.
Transforming the area into a vibrant football hub from 9 PM to 11 PM, the projection triggered when participants had the opportunity to grab a Pepsi MAX football from a specially crafted vending machine. FAI & London City Lioness defender Megan Campbell was drafted to team Pepsi for the night to challenge passers-by to a kickabout.
Planned by OMD, Source out of home, and Sweartaker, the execution was implemented as part of the brand’s broader ‘Where There’s a Ball, There’s a Way’ global football campaign. The initiative is designed to celebrate the universal love for football, emphasising the idea that any place can become a football pitch with a ball at your feet.
“At PML Group, we are committed to breaking boundaries and redefining what is possible with Out of Home advertising,” says Pat Cassidy, Digital, Innovation and Experiential Manager at PML Group. “Bringing Pepsi MAX’s ‘Hidden Pitch’ to life was an exciting challenge that allowed us to demonstrate the unparalleled power of OOH as a dynamic and engaging medium.”
This is the latest in PepsiCo’s wider commitment to leverage the unique capabilities of OOH to build mental availability and consumer trust. By creating a memorable and engaging public experience, the campaign successfully generated excitement, fostered brand recognition, and ultimately, drove consumer engagement in a unique way and created a moment of joy and connection for the Dublin community.
Special executions such as this create impactful brand experiences and are a fun, innovative, and effective means of generating brand recall. Our Special Effects study highlights the hugely positive impact that specials have in terms of noticeability, brand perception, and activation. Three quarters of people believe specials make a brand seem exciting while 84% agree that specials are more noticeable than standard poster ads.
“OOH has the unique ability to move and engage people in ways that no other medium can, especially when paired with uninhibited imagination and digital technology,” continues Cassidy, “By combining creative and unique formats with meticulous planning, we created an immersive football experience that resonated deeply with the community. Where there’s a ball there’s a way!”
For more information on how creative techniques and unusual formats are demonstrably being explored and deployed to bring brands to our streets, contact info@pmlgroup.ie.
76% of DOOH consumers take action post-exposure
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America/Harris Poll this week released new consumer behaviour data which shows DOOH advertising surpasses other media in driving favourability and action among consumers.
The findings highlight that 76% of recent DOOH ad viewers took action after seeing an ad. These actions included watching video programming (38%), visiting restaurants (36%), making in-store purchases (30%), engaging in word-of-mouth conversations (30%), and visiting stores (29%).
The study also found that 73% of consumers view DOOH ads favourably, a higher percentage than other ad media such as television/video (50%), social media (48%), online (37%), audio (32%), and print (31%). Younger generations, urban dwellers, and transit users particularly favour DOOH ads. Additionally, 80% of consumers are likely to take action on ads they find entertaining or visually appealing.
The relationship between DOOH and mobile devices was also highlighted as being strong. The study showed that 74% of mobile device users took action on their phones after seeing a DOOH ad, with actions ranging from online searches (44%) to visiting advertiser websites (38%) and social media platforms (30%). 71% would share DOOH ads featuring their favourite products or brands on social media. Outdoor and mobile are naturally complementary media, given the environments in which they are consumed and the ability of Out of Home to act as an online driver.
Directional DOOH has proven effective in increasing foot traffic and sales. The study found that 30% of consumers noticed ads providing directions to businesses, and 51% of those subsequently visited the advertised business, with 93% making a purchase.
Contextual and Dynamic DOOH Advertising
The study notably found that consumers find contextual DOOH ads highly useful, particularly those featuring special deals and offers tailored to current weather conditions or time-specific discounts. 86% of consumers find grocery deals useful, 84% for restaurant deals, and 81% for weather-responsive offers. Time-sensitive promotions also resonate strongly, with 80% finding them useful.
Anna Bager, President & CEO of OAAA, emphasised the significance of these findings, stating, “Digital out of home not only captures consumers’ attention but also drives meaningful actions making it an indispensable tool for marketers seeking to engage and influence consumers.”
