INSPIRED! TOP CREATIVES TALK DIGITAL OUT-OF-HOME
Campaign caught up with top creatives looking to spark fresh ideas in digital out-of-home
“I don’t look to technological innovations to give me an idea. I’m more excited by the out-of-home space in general. We can do almost anything in digital out-of-home. The only thing holding us back is our imaginations. No creative will thank me for saying this, but the only thing standing in the way of them coming up with a great DOOH campaign is their creative brains. That’s mean… but we can do it! Come on, creatives!”
• The link between mobile and DOOH screens is obvious – it is always good to see when creatives have used it.
• The Women’s Aid, anti-domestic violence ad [a former Campaign & Ocean digital creative contest winner] is a fantastic idea.
• There is nothing DOOH can’t do, especially with the advent of AR, VR and programmatic.
• The key to DOOH is a brilliant idea that will get traction, PR and people talking about it; we’re looking for something that will make headlines – and then be shared.
• Creatives are well aware there’s a national network of DOOH screens to put a great idea across, but it’s easier to offer a small idea than a big one.
“E very creative learns advertising on billboards. If you’re not able to give a perspective of a brand in outdoor, it is difficult to hire you. A characteristic of outdoor is simplicity. If work is able to make you look up and to give a shit, it’s good.”
• The power of digital out-of-home is to make an iconic brand even more so.
• A huge enemy is the mobile phone – so make people stop and look up, or interrupt them on their phone.
• Brands with a consistent tone of voice, such as Nike and Apple, do best in outdoor.
• DOOH can amplify the trend of being relevant at topical moments.
• Consider the brand, but also the actual position of the site, in your creativity.
• Don’t mimic social-media mechanics – it will make DOOH seem old.
• Media and creative teams must collaborate at an operational, not just strategic, level.
“Digital out-of-home is an incredibly exciting medium because there are no ad-blockers. You can’t avoid the message… brands [can] ensure they are seen. One of the barriers to great creative in DOOH is that there are so many levers to pull. Either people aren’t aware of how much you can do, so ideas stay generic, or they try to do too much. The responsibility is always to come up with a simple idea that’s easily understood.”
• The best DOOH ads have their own budget and are bespoke creations.
• “March for Giants” [a winner in the 2016 Campaign and Ocean digital creative contest] is an amazing example of an interesting creative solution using connectivity and interaction across a range of international screens.
• Content is increasingly important. The more a brand can entertain without forcing a message, the better.
• The use of moving images in DOOH adds visual tone.
• See the potential of moving beyond a mass message to a tailored one.
• Mobile as a second screen to outdoor and an interaction with DOOH is a clever way to extend the message.
“There’s a great Paul Arden line: ‘Stop chasing the perfect brief, it’s the one that’s on your desk right now.’ There are so many ways you can interact with your mobile and outdoor. It’s the responsibility of the whole agency to ask: ‘What’s the most interesting thing we can do with this space?’”
• DOOH means you can now “tweet” your message; it’s way more current and reactive.
• But brands are not on board with the technology – it is agencies’ job to push clients to be braver.
• And media agencies should push creatives to get into more interesting, diverse spaces.
• Creatives see the opportunities of DOOH, but there are always challenges with something new, especially technical.
• We linked the Ocean international digital screens to bring to life the ‘March for Giants’ campaign to tackle and talk about the plight of the elephant [a winner in the 2016 Campaign and Ocean digital creative contest].
• The competition was an opportunity as it was not something you can do any day in any old space.
“Most creatives have a ‘bottom drawer’ full of ideas that would play out in DOOH. Sometimes in the creative process, it’s better not to know what the technical limitations are and just worry about the idea. Then you can work with smart creative technologists, developers and media partners to see how it can be delivered.”
• Where DOOH gets exciting is in its ability to connect to other digital devices and offer a personal experience. • The goal is to get people talking about the brand and the idea – playing with it and touching it. Then you get natural sharing.
• The tech does not have to be new. It is the idea that connects it to people and gets the response.
• As ad platforms become more sophisticated on digital devices, so people will expect the same from DOOH screens.
• Technology is an enabler. People do not think about the technology behind something – unless it fails. It is the emotional experience it delivers.
• The idea will always be the most important thing.
“We are people of the screens. Digital out-of-home is a huge opportunity for creatives and clients – if they can nail it. I like an idea to be like a Trojan horse that storms the citadel – before you know it, it has made you love, it has connected with you and it has charmed you.”
• It’s not about shiny new objects and new tech. It is about the imagination that you can use with technology.
• Screens are multisensorial. What is the music, the smell, the experience?
• You need great idea – a fairytale such as British Airways’ “Visit Mum” that makes the heart soar.
• We need clients to take a little risk – not a big one, but a calculated one – to go further, rather than being satisfied with an idea as it is.
• New ideas are driven by the audience, not by creatives. • The audience today is so powerful it can make you incredibly famous – or click you to death, if you’re not careful. Hence the fear.
• No matter how big or small the screen, you need an incredible idea. Otherwise, it’s wallpaper. The screen is the enabler.