7 of The Best Ambient Advertising Campaigns
Advertising is a form of interruption that gets prospective consumers to pay attention to a company’s message. However, as time went on, we became inundated with all of the messages, and these messages became noise to the consumer.
Traditional advertising methods don’t work nearly as well as they used to, and it’s harder than ever to capture the consumer’s attention for more than a split second. Even the topic we’re talking about today (Ambient Advertising), is older in the eyes of a generation that grew up on the internet.
However, if your company is still trying to capture attention through interruption, Ambient Advertising works well because it is advertising presented in unique and inventive ways where advertising doesn’t usually exist. It forces brands to be inventive in the way they capture people’s attention and actually provide some sort of value (usually entertainment in the form of novelty or humor). I’ve scoured the internet and came up with a list of 7 of the most outstanding ambient campaigns and why they worked.
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Ambient Ad Examples:
Fisch Frank:
Publicis Frankfurt needed to make a splash for Fisch Franke, and did so in an incredibly creative ambient advertisement. With a value proposition of extremely fresh fish, Publicis ran with that idea and incorporated real, live fish.
By building a custom fiberglass tank, they inserted the ad with the tagline “Fresh as can be,” with an empty plate, and filled the tank with live fish (built accordingly to recommendations of the federal veterinary office to provide sufficient air, food, and cooling).
This ad works because it subverts your expectation of a normal display ad, and causes people to inspect the display closer, commanding attention and leaving a lasting impression.
Robert Tailor's:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/robert_tailor_shop_anticorruption_suit
Ambient ads aren’t just unique display advertisements. This time, it’s a wearable (no, not the technology wearable). Robert’s Tailor Shop in Paraguay partnered with Havas Media to address one of the most prevalent problems in Paraguay- Corrupt politicians, most notably Representative Jose Maria Ibanez. The shop created an anti-corruption suit; a suit with no pockets to prevent politicians from stealing money.
The simple suit with a powerful message created media and social buzz globally, resulting in many politicians ordering the suit, with orders coming from all over the world.
Here’s the kicker: Ibanez has since been charged with embezzlement and corruption.
It just goes to show what kind of impact great ambient media can have, especially if it sends a strong message and is genuine. Robert’s pocket-less suit seems like just a tongue-in-cheek jab at corrupt politicians, but it enacted real change and real sales.
McDonald's:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/mcdonalds_mctollbooth
Leo Burnett and McDonald’s teamed up in Manila to transform a typically unpleasant experience (paying a toll) into one that surprised and delighted commuters. To make the transformation, McDonald’s changed the toll booths overnight to McDonald themed Drive-Thrus, giving commuters a free breakfast/coffee and free toll fare. In addition to this, they started the #McTollbooth, so that commuters could share their awesome experience with their friends and further spread the joy.
This one works particularly well because it gives people experiencing the ambient media also directly experiencing a McDonald’s Drive-Thru. They’ll relate the Drive-Thru to this pleasant experience and be more likely to visit a McD’s the next time they need breakfast on the go.
Additionally, the hashtag allowed the campaign to spread beyond the physical location, increasing awareness and positive messaging throughout the Philippines.
Reebok:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNSaAp_U0R0
Innored created an ambient media in South Korea for Reebok, where 74% of office workers admitted to a lack of exercise. Reebok asks the question, ‘Can we inspire them to move?’ as part of their ‘Be more human’ campaign.
Innored created an interactive display that took a picture of subway commuters sitting down in front of the inactive display and lit up, having two people at two different stations challenge each other in pressing a set of lit pump buttons, located on either side of the subway doors. This forced the participants to move quickly to press more lights than their opponent in a span of a minute. Whichever player won unlocked a hidden display that allowed them to take home a pair of free Reebok ZPump Fusion shoes.
This example of ambient media is awesome because it addresses a really relevant problem, inspired intense engagement, rewarded the participant, and brought exposure outside of the display by offering a free pair of their newest product.
Dislife.Ru:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/dislife_more_than_a_sign
More than 30% of Russian drivers park in handicapped marked spots without being actually handicapped. Dislife.Ru partnered with Y&R to create a PSA ambient media to address this in some of the most populated malls in Russia.
Using holographic and sensor technology, whenever a car without a handicapped sticker moved to park, a holograph of someone handicapped appeared and warned them to respect disabled drivers. Through use of excellent messaging and innovative application of technology, Dislife.Ru was able to successfully convince drivers to find another space.
A much better use of holographic technology than Tupac at Coachella.
Samsung:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/samsung_emotion_project
Leo Burnett and Samsung teamed up to create this very emotionally charged piece. Samsung used their Virtual Reality device for their eMotion (fantastic name by the way) project in Italy, helping to deliver amazing experiences to children who aren’t able to leave the hospital. By using a 360 degree camera (which basically was a stick with a bunch of GoPro Cameras attached), Samsung used their Virtual Reality to transport the sick children to Disneyland for the day.
Watch the video for their touching reactions. It’s clear to see how much it meant to them and their families.
This ad was extremely effective for me because of its intensely emotional and personal nature. It engages on a very small scale, but the subsequent case study type of advert they put out will probably go over well with the Italian media as it’s released (It’s a relatively new ad). The eMotion project taps into our humanity and gets us to associate the Samsung brand with something that is very helpful and hopeful.
3M Post-It:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXxGkJMPnfc
Since that last one involved something very sad, I figure I’d end on a much happier note.
Innored comes back to our list to team up with 3M in South Korea. 3M is an extremely innovative company, (talked about these guys in my innovation article here), so it’s no surprise that they released this creative ambient campaign which uses Post-It notes as the method for one man proposing to his girlfriend. He uses his friends (more likely Innored actors/actresses) and over 250 Post-It notes to create a giant heart on the side of a glass building with the question, ‘marry me please?’
For good measure, he comes back with a final post it saying, ‘ok?’
It’s much more emotional than I’m probably making it sound. Watch the video.
This ambient ad works really well to invoke emotion and associate a pleasant feel-good moment with 3M. Additionally, since an entire side of a building was used to create the display, a large audience saw what was happening. Everyone exposed to the event associated it with the ‘post it notes proposal’ in their minds. Notice that more than half that phrase is the product itself.
Closing Thoughts:
Ambient gets people involved. Successful ambient media is about delighting and engaging a person in a unique way that provides value. These ads can be incorporated into videos like the ones seen to gain even more impressions. If you made a video about the fresh fish display, would it engage as much people as the Samsung or Post-It ones?
The more cause-oriented and emotionally touching ones are more effective than ambient media that just interrupts, because the emotionally charged ones stay with a person longer.
