Coral DarbyUpon discovering this article on the Broadsign website, I was immediately drawn to their unique perspective on modern billboards and out-of-home advertisements. The featured ads in this piece serve as compelling examples of how technology has revolutionized the traditional ‘outdoor billboard.’ A particularly resonant quote from the author describes these ads as “thought-provoking canvases that foster community.”
All advertisements discussed in my analysis dropped in 2023 and can be previewed within the article.
https://broadsign.com/blog/our-favourite-ooh-and-billboard-ads/
Duolingo reminded us to never give up – even on Quitter’s Day
We have a National Quitter’s Day every January. It’s the second Friday of the month, and apparently, that’s the point where most people have had enough of their New Year’s Resolution. The language app Duolingo brilliantly decided on this day to show support to the thousands of spectators in Times Square to hang in there and keep going. In smart Duolingo fashion, they also added their NASDAQ listing to the billboard – perhaps to see if their share price would rise due to the investment.
Appeal: I love the show of support. This billboard speaks to the masses and goes well beyond learning a language. This approach makes me believe that Duolingo cares about its customers.
Objective: To create massive brand awareness. The timing of this so-called national holiday dovetails beautifully with the time of year when people are thinking about spring and summer vacations, and many will travel internationally and want to learn a bit of the language.
Target Market: Goal-oriented individuals with discretionary income.
Call to Action: Stay motivated and keep doing the work.
Value Proposition: You are not in this alone. Many people are trying to learn a new language or stick with a resolution. Through Duolingo, you have a community.
IKEA’s 62ft activation bagged our attention
This advertisement brought the famous IKEA reusable blue bag to mega-life outside the new IKEA building. It was a creative way to grab attention for a new store opening in London.
Appeal: Eye-catching and playful, these awesome blue bags hold so much goodness. Anyone who shops at IKEA has purchased one.
Objective: Eyeballs. It is truly a way to grab people’s attention in and around Oxford Street, where the new store is opening.
Target Market: Design-forward, price-sensitive shoppers who want a quality product at a reasonable price. People ready to fill their blue bags!
Call to Action: Please come shop with IKEA.
Value Proposition: More access to affordable home furnishings.
Spotify’s Wrapped Campaign
A global sensation, music fans everywhere have latched on to the annual Spotify ‘Wrapped’ campaign every December. In 2023, the Instagram-worthy campaign went viral “with a #SpotifyWrapped hashtag that trends annually on X and had 66.5 billion views on TikTok.”(Forbes, 2023). Spotify runs billboards worldwide in major metro areas that mix static and computer-generated imagery to honor and celebrate this cultural phenomenon. I love the shout-out to the artist Lil Yachty with his face on a little yacht at a fountain in downtown Atlanta. According to Spotify, “Lil Yachty was so influential this year we gave him a little yacht.” Honestly, I do not know who Lil Yachty is, but I think this approach is hilarious.
Appeal: Music is universal and brings people together. I admire how Spotify has created an enormous community of audio fans with its app and progressive campaign.
Objective: To encourage listeners to share more about themselves, Spotify asks them to reveal what they consumed via Spotify throughout the year on IG. In doing so, Spotify users lift the brand enormously.
Target Market: Anyone and everyone who has a streaming device.
Call to Action: Share your Wrapped!
Value Proposition: Feel a part of this enormous community that supports the arts.
Oatly Hacked Its Outdoor Murals
According to this article, France does not allow murals with logos or products. They must be done artfully to blend with the environment and meet France’s legislative rules. Oatly’s workaround was nothing short of brilliant, and I can appreciate their creativity. All that to say, I agree with France—keep Paris as pristine as possible!
Appeal: Ads that become a work of art are unique and can be appreciated by all, even those who don’t drink oat beverages.
Objective: To launch the product in a classy, smart way to a discerning market living with tight advertising laws. I suspect this launch brought instant credibility to Oatly. They read the room correctly and adapted.
Target Market: Families and individuals looking for an alternative to cow-based milk and are willing to pay a premium price for it.
Call to Action: Give Oat Drink a try.
Value Proposition: Oat drink is a smart and clever option for cow milk customers looking to switch to plant-based beverages.
Dove Injectable Billboard
As a mother of two daughters, this powerful multimedia billboard by Dove blew me away! Last year, 50k Canadian girls between the ages of 14 and 17 used cosmetic injectables to adjust their looks. Overwhelmed by the pressure young women face from society regarding their looks, Dove decided to bring this serious issue mainstream by creating a billboard of 50K syringes and then superimposing the face of a young girl on the wall. The billboard sits in Toronto at the Square One Shopping Center to bring attention to the dangers of these injections and the need to elevate young women’s self-esteem.
Appeal: The juxtaposition of the syringes and the face of a vibrant young woman, coupled with the scale and the message, makes the billboard moving and educational.
Objective: To get parents and teenagers talking about self-esteem and educating teens on the fact they are beautiful and perfect just the way they are.
Target Market: Women, young women, and daughters.
Call to Action: Stop using toxic injectables; you don’t need them, and they are dangerous.
Value Proposition: Dove soap is simple, pure, and all you need.
References:
Broadsign. (2023, December 12). Our Favourite OOH and Billboard Ads. Broadsign Blog. https://broadsign.com/blog/our-favourite-ooh-and-billboard-ads/
Murray, C. (2023, November 28). Spotify Wrapped 2023 Comes Soon: Here’s How It Became a Viral and Widely Copied Marketing Tactic. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/11/28/spotify-wrapped-2023-comes-soon-heres-how-it-became-a-viral-and-widely-copied-marketing-tactic/?sh=48a1ab5e3692
Great ad choices Coral!
I cannot believe that it took me years of being a Spotify user to realize that the annual Spotify Wrapped is quite literally just free marketing for Spotify. I watch my Wrapped every year and Spotify is consistently adding new things/categories to it. Do I watch every single one I see on social media? Not at all. Do I see how far I get in my friends? Absolutely. Out of Home ads have consistently left me shocked as I learn new types of ads fit into the category. Thanks for teaching me something new today!
I feel like Duolingo has really been upping its advertising presence as of late. I have mostly just seen their ads through social media/digital areas only, it’s nice to know that they have good ads not on social media as well. I honestly feel bad for any Chris that forgot to practice in Times Square, what a way to be called out.
Lastly Oatly, that is such a unique way to have advertised without breaking any mural legislation. Their use of loopholes had me wondering how anyone could think of turning a porta-potty into an advertisement and doing it well. The classic Oatly font and color scheme are hard to miss, the interactive aspect of their ads only makes them that much more interesting. I wonder how long it took people in Paris to realize that it all depended on your perspective of the art.
Coral,
I didn’t even know Quitter’s Day was a thing until reading your blog, so I guess we learn something new daily! I need to be more language savvy. Spanish was a struggle when I was in community college. Granted, it was during COVID-19 when classes were all online. I do not recommend learning a language without anyone to talk to. I have an IKEA bag in the boot of my car no matter where I go. I shop at warehouse clubs and prefer to avoid taking cardboard boxes to load up with. The IKEA bags are much more accessible. They also come in handy at ALDI and now Goodwill, as they have eliminated plastic bags as of April 22, 2024. I always feel set and prepared between that and my reusable Trader Joe’s bags.
Interestingly enough, where I am from in Washington, plastic bags are illegal. Folks do not have a choice but to bring their bag. The Dove campaign regarding injectable fillers blows my mind, especially learning how young these girls are. I appreciate that Dove did a campaign to bring awareness to the issue rather than specifically market their products. It demonstrates a level of social commitment/awareness that draws people in as a side-effect of the campaign to see Dove in a different light.
Thank you for sharing!
kindly,
Shawn
Coral,
Your ad choices were wonderful, some were personal and that I feel is the reason for advertising, connect with consumers. The Dove ad blows me away but I must say the Spotify and Duolingo ad’s really connect with me. These two companies take something very simple and use it as a campaign that people look forward to. Spotify users love to share and interact with their wrapped features, while Duolingo users love to share their streaks. These consumer conversations are crucial to their brands and now they are using them in even larger, broader settings.
Great choices!
Coral,
Another great and informative post! These are some super cool examples of how marketing campaigns have become even more creative, even flashier, and likewise even more costly. The integration of traditional outdoor marketing mediums, such as billboards, and new technologies, innovations, and ideas is so exciting and interesting to see (it even encourages me to think outside of the box more often, in all aspects of life and business application).
As Meaghan said, I never thought of the Spotify Wrapped movement as a strategic marketing campaign to gain heightened brand awareness. This is an example of how marketing can be so discrete that consumers do not even know they are being marketed to, but they are still giving the brand more attention (just as intended). I myself, am not a Spotify user; however, I do have Apple Music, which likewise began showcasing a similar offering. I wonder which brand created this marketing strategy first.