Gray Matter Musings

Welcome back to Gray Matter, where this week we tackle rating our top five outdoor advertisements! Admittedly, this is no easy task as tracking down creative billboards or other outdoor collateral can be challenging. That said, we’ve narrowed down the list to our favorite 5 outdoor messages to share with you, the reader. So, happy reading and please leave your comments and/or feedback below!

1. “Lightbulb”, The Economist Lightbulb

We start this week with a new find for Gray Matter, which is the Lightbulb billboard created by Abbot Mead Vickers for the Economist. This brilliant piece has a large light bulb surrounded by read empty space. Amazingly, it uses motion detection to ascertain when a person walks by/underneath and in turn, it lights up! In small print we see The Economist listed, thus signifying who the ad is for. This piece uses audience interaction and curiosity to drive their messaging. Countless people walked back and forth engaging with this ad, which is precisely what you want. The objective of the ad was to draw attention to brand and create curiosity/intrigue that drove consumers to their product offerings. Measuring this ad is unique and could easily be overlooked. Rather than measuring sales, the sign actually kept track of the number of engagements (or times it lit up) with patrons.

The target market for this piece is largely the profession crowd, as its location was on a busy city street surrounded by professional workers and offices. Thus, the idea was to attract the audience that is most likely to interact with The Economist. The call to action is simple, to investigate the brand further, to be curious, and to think! The consumer benefits from learning and using their mind, which is the ultimate value proposition as well, where The Economist will aid consumers in becoming smarter and learning!

2. “Submerged”, The Day After Tomorrow Movie Submerged

Another new find for Gray Matter, this billboard was personally interesting as I can recall watching this movie, which centers on a global weather disaster that resembles doomsday. Fittingly, this billboard is located in shallow water of the ocean, half submerged with enough space left to show the movie title and release date. The use of ingenuity and fear come to mind as primary marketing tactics here, where we are all a bit wary of disasters of this level. It is easy to appreciate the design of this ad, while also fearing that something of this nature could happen in real life. These feels merged create a desire to see this movie, which is the ultimate motivation of this billboard ad. The ad can also be easily measured based on its local presence through box office records.

The target audience is clearly movie goers, who most likely fall in the 18–40-year demographic. The ad is conveniently located in an area that is frequented by younger beachgoers. The call to action is very simple, go see the movie and should you do so, you will be entertained! The value proposition is on this same line, whereby movie goers can enjoy maximum entertainment.

3. “Giant Egg”, MacDonald’s Cracked Egg

This remarkable advertisement was placed in Chicago, and I recall hearing about this years ago. It is basically a giant egg placed on a billboard like post many feet in the air. Looking closely, you can ascertain there is a slight crack running through the egg. Below, rests a popular MacDonald’s location and using animatronics, at specific times of the day (such as breakfast) the egg will open and crack itself, showing a lovely image of a delicious fried eggs inside. This ad uses humor and wonder to impact audiences, as you can only imagine folks flocked to see this take place. Once there, why not order some MacDonalds? The objectives are clear, driving traffic and revenue through the local location, while also reminding customers there is always time for breakfast! Measurement was achieved by simply monitoring store sales post installation of this advertisement.

The target audience here is wide, ranging from very young to very old. It largely encompasses those who live locally, as well as some nearby highway traffic. Transparently, anyone who is hungry falls into the target pool. The call to action is to remember that breakfast is served at all hours at this MacDonald’s, thus pushing traffic through the store. The value proposition and benefit come from getting a tasty breakfast meal at any time of the day!

4. “Disneyland”, Alaska Airlines The Plane

This choice is one I have long admired, and Alaska Airlines isn’t the only one to do this through the years. However, they were the first to my recollection and as such, earn the right to be mentioned here. The airline wrapped several plans within their fleet in a Disney themed skin, which depicts all of Disney’s most prominent characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc.). With pictures running down the plane, surrounded in bright blue colors, the planes become a flying billboard advertisement! This piece is creative and uses emotion and memory as a powerful motivator (and reminder). The objective is to call attention to and remind customers of the magic and fun that Disney provides both kids and adults. Now, measuring this campaign isn’t easy, though Alaska Airlines did run some specials during flights attempting to have folks sign up for vacations, which offers one route of tracking.

The target audience is likely the 25–40-year-old segment, though it can easily range outside of that demographic. The ad resonates more with young parents of those with toddler aged children. Once again, the call to action is simple remembering all the magic and wonder that Disney offered them when they were little. The underlying motivator is to drive attendance and sales of Disney parks. The value proposition and benefits are similar, where parents can offer their children magical memories that they can one day look back on fondly as well!

5. “Story of the Open”, The US Open Tennis Tournament (New York) The Open

Closing out the list this week is the US Open Tennis Tournament’s use of “The Story of the Open” billboard located squarely in New York City. With bright colors and interactive images, the billboard displays a large hashtag “story of the open”. The ad is calling for viewers to interact and utilize the hashtag to help tell the true story of this open. Thus, the piece uses interaction and social culture as a driver to meet the objective of hyping up the US Open. While attendance to the event is certainly a welcome consequence, it is largely focused on creating social media buzz and interaction across the world. This advertisement is incredibly easy to measure, as it created millions of interactions and storytelling instances on social media, making it one of the highest tough sporting ads of all time.

Simple yet effective, this piece speaks to the 18–40-year-old demographic who are eager to share their experiences and thoughts online. The ad capitalizes on the trend of the younger generation needed to have their voices heard. The action step is for viewers to engage with the hashtag and interact through sharing their own “open story” via social media. In so doing, the viewer can benefit by having their voice heard and sharing their own unique thoughts with the world. The value proposition mirrors this take, making this unique billboard a wonderful example of how effective marketing can drive trends.

References:

Marwan. (2020a, August 6). 55 Best Billboard and outdoor ads of all Time – Empire Group. Empire Group. https://theempire.com/best-billboard-ads/

Staff, S. O. T. T. (2022, October 3). 35 of the Best Outdoor Advertisements You’ll Ever Find. Signs of the Times. https://signsofthetimes.com/best-outdoor-advertisements/