Aaron Poole, marketing executive, PML Group with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home
With Black Friday out of the way we are on the home stretch towards Christmas 2024.
With the average household budgeting around €1,200 for festive expenditure (Kantar), OOH formats quite literally illuminate the path to purchase while generating mental availability, aligning brands with the cheer and warmth of the season.
Here are some brands who are leading the charge.
Rockshore
OOH shines brightest at Christmas, transforming streets into stages for brand performance. Our iQ research noted over 80% of Irish individuals plan to hit shopping centres and high streets. While they’re there, the urge to indulge in a seasonal libation might arise more than once.
Rockshore has truly embraced the festive season with its bold and frosty Outdoor campaign, headlined by an ice-cold special build. Planned by PHD and Source out of home with creative from The Tenth Man, the campaign features a 48-sheet that transforms the iconic pint into a visual celebration of Christmas, complete with illuminated icicles and frosted edge detailing. Positioned across high-impact locations in Dublin and Cork, the activation proudly declares Rockshore as the “Unofficial Sponsor of St. Stephen’s Day,” tapping into one of Ireland’s most social post-Christmas traditions.
Media: PHD, Source out of home | Creative: The Tenth Man
One4All
With Christmas fast approaching, flexibility and convenience regarding gifting remains top of mind for consumers. One4All. planned by Starcom and Source out of home, has harnessed the power of dynamic Digital OOH via Liveposter to feature location-based callouts and time-sensitive daypart messaging,
Other high-impact formats are on display near the point of purchase including Adbox Extra formats and Tesco Digiscreens.
Media: Starcom, Source out of home | Creative: Core Creative/PML Group Create
Pepsi MAX
While some brands lean on the Christmas narrative, others let bold visuals and simplicity do the talking. Pepsi MAX, planned by OMD & Source out of home, exemplifies how to use OOH to marry the seasonal charm with strong brand identity. Through smart, vibrant creative from eg+WW, the soft drink brand’s campaign embraces festivity by lifting a can in ‘cheers’ to everything Christmas.
Capturing consumer attention amidst the holiday hustle, a pseudo-Connolly Station domination featuring vinyl wrapped entrance glass and concourse tunnel wrap hits the thousands of daily travellers commuting through the station, keeping the cola top-of-mind and aligning it with the season.
Media: OMD, Source out of home | Creative: eg+ww
Disney+
As the festive season kicks off, Disney+ transforms OOH environments into a vibrant showcase of the brand’s holiday offerings. Planned by Zenith and Source OOH, the streaming platform highlights its all-encompassing appeal—offering something for everyone, from kids to adults. Eye-catching creative featuring beloved characters from Inside Out 2, The Bear, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Home Alone cleverly ties into the Christmas narrative with taglines like “Christmas is Better with Everyone Over for Dinner” and “Christmas is Better with Comfort and Joy.”
The campaign spans high-impact formats including Mall and Roadside Digital, ensuring visibility across commuter and urban hubs. At Dundrum Centre, the entrance glass has been wrapped with an XL variant of the creative, advertising to the thousands passing in and out as they shop, positioning itself as the go-to destination for post-turkey entertainment.
Media: Zenith, Source out of home, sipit | Creative: TBWA
Arnotts
The spirit of Christmas is alive and well with Arnotts’ heartwarming OOH campaign, planned by Carat and PML. Featuring enchanting visuals that capture the magic of the holiday season—from Santa whispering secrets to delighted children to beautifully wrapped gift boxes adorned with the message “We Believe”—this campaign evokes nostalgia and wonder. Live across Transvisions, Station Gallery and Digipanels, it reminds passersby in bustling urban transit areas that Arnotts is the destination for festive cheer and Christmas shopping.
Backed by Kantar data showing €1.3 billion spent during last December’s holiday season, the campaign seamlessly integrates tradition and modernity to amplify its impact, ensuring Arnotts remains at the forefront of the Christmas shopping experience.
Media: Carat, PML
Tayto
As the festive season beckons, Tayto Crisps has rolled out a campaign that perfectly encapsulates the joy and nostalgia of Christmas in Ireland. Planned by Starcom and Source OOH, the campaign brings back Mr. Tayto in his festive Santa-inspired pose alongside the tagline “It Wouldn’t Be Christmas Without Tayto.” Strategically placed near points of purchase, the campaign ensures the iconic snack stays top-of-mind for festive gatherings and seasonal snacking.
Media: Starcom, Source out of home
Cadbury
Christmas magic takes centre stage with Cadbury’s Secret Santa campaign, a masterclass in festive OOH engagement. Planned by Spark Foundry and PML, this campaign turns Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 into a heartwarming hub of seasonal cheer. Dominating the iconic Digital Sky screen for Cycles 25 and 26, the campaign features a media-first static surround graphic, complemented by back-to-back loops of family Christmas films, The Grinch and The Holiday, to delight and entertain departing passengers.
In addition to the Sky screen, Cadbury has deployed Aerpods across both Arrivals and Departures, with charming designs like “Home is Where Christmas Is” and “Merry Christmas,” amplifying the emotional resonance of the campaign. This multi-format activation taps into the spirit of giving, with Cadbury inviting travellers to embrace the joy of Secret Santa while showcasing the brand’s classic Dairy Milk branding. By blending innovative media placements with heartfelt creative, Cadbury ensures the brand is top of mind for festive travellers.
Carla Reynolds, Brand Manager at Mondeléz:
“Cadbury is thrilled to partner with the DAA to bring our Secret Santa campaign to Dublin Airport with the new Sky Screen, adding festive cheer to this special place with beloved Christmas movies and celebrating the season of generosity and togetherness.”
Media: Spark Foundry, PML | Creative: The Public House
Our Media Impact Study underscores OOH as a key player in enhancing brand presence during the most wonderful time of the year. As consumers embark on their festive shopping sprees, billboards and bus stops were noted as the two most effective forms of advertising in prompting purchases during seasonal events. OOH is not merely a touchpoint—it’s a cornerstone of the communal holiday experience. By harnessing the strategic placement and creative potential of OOH, brands can effectively capture consumer attention and drive Christmas spend when the season is top-of-mind in the eyes of consumers.
Consumers think positively in retail and leisure environments
OOH advertising has long been recognised as a cornerstone of brand success, and as we move into 2025, understanding consumer moods in specific environments remains key to effective advertising. The strategic timing and placement of campaigns allow advertisers to capture attention and engage audiences in impactful ways.
Our latest Moods on the Move research, conducted with Ipsos B&A, explores the emotional states consumers experience across retail, travel, and leisure environments. This second instalment of our series focuses on moods across shopping, leisure and travel environments.
‘Happy’ emerges as a common thread across all environments surveyed, consistently ranking among the top three emotions. This positivity reflects a general openness to external experiences. However, the way consumers feel often varies based on the environment they are in.
In supermarkets, for example, consumers are often focused on completing their shopping tasks. In contrast, those in shopping malls or on the high street tend to feel more relaxed, taking their time to browse and enjoy the atmosphere.
Generational differences are also apparent in how consumers engage with different environments. Younger audiences (16-24 years) are particularly active in leisure settings, such as bars and concerts, reflecting a strong enthusiasm for socialising and entertainment.
Similarly, 25-34-year-olds index highly for leisure activities, particularly in urban areas like Dublin. These generational trends highlight the varied ways people connect with their surroundings.
Airports are a unique space where excitement and anticipation often dominate. While travellers report feelings of openness and happiness, moments of stress—such as queuing at security—are also common. These mixed emotions reflect the nature of the environment, where excitement for the journey ahead is balanced with practical concerns.
In bars, by contrast, feelings of happiness and relaxation are prevalent, especially when socialising with friends. Gyms, too, evoke distinct emotions, with consumers frequently describing themselves as focused and happy. These settings highlight the diversity of emotional states across leisure environments.
The study shows that consumers are likely to be in a particularly receptive frame of mind when out of home and advertisers can tap into this opportunity through strategic use of placement and message. Each environment presents a unique emotional landscape. Supermarkets are task-oriented, shopping malls invite a relaxed mindset, airports balance anticipation and stress, while bars and gyms foster positivity and focus. These findings offer a deeper understanding of how consumers interact with their environments, providing a lens into their day-to-day experiences.
