The second quarter of 2024 is here, and we already have a success story for the first one that confirms how Out-of-Home grows consistently! We take a closer look at a Coca-Cola campaign which perhaps didn’t make the splash it hoped to, as well as what farmers can teach us about selling Out-of-Home advertising space. Lastly, we focused more on technology this month on the blog, so we’ll do a quick recap of everything you need to know from that realm. Before all that, however, let’s appreciate some Star Wars!
Star Wars takes over the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building became a canvas for a mesmerizing Star Wars montage. This unique tribute captured the essence of the franchise’s most iconic villains! It was synchronized with the “Imperial March” broadcasted on iHeartRadio’s Z100, unfolding in intervals from 8 to 11 p.m. Take a look!
While it’s a colossal and impressive sight, it’s also interesting to view from a technical standpoint. The visuals themselves were carefully selected to ensure they would portray the scene appropriately. It makes total sense why it was only displayed at night for the additional clarity the dark provides. Meanwhile, on the 86th Floor Observatory, fans could pose for a photo with a life-size Funko POP! Darth Vader, accompanied by the iconic backdrop of New York City.
Coca-Cola invites you to play Pong!
Earlier this month, Coca-Cola transformed a billboard into a retro arcade game. The New York event invited people to play Pong, a timeless classic, in a six-hour marathon. It was quite a fun sight and a great example of a simple interactive campaign engaging viewers.
Some time later, however, Dave Haynes (Sixteen:Nine) raised a good point in a blog post. The campaign was clearly aimed at creating a social media buzz, but it evidently didn’t make the biggest of splashes. Below is a video from the event itself, which doesn’t appear to have the largest of crowds. Considering it is Times Square, and the fact that the event was limited to a few hours, one would be reasonable to expect a much larger crowd.
What farmers can teach us about selling OOH
Billboard Insider came through with another interesting read this month. They compared the process of farming with selling Out-of-Home advertising space, going through the process to a successful harvest. This included planning, preparing, planting, tending, and harvesting, noting that if the farmer omits any step, he eliminates the possibility of a successful harvest.
From a sales perspective, planning would be the equivalent of deciding where and with whom to invest their efforts to sell. Then they prepare by refining their marketing and prospecting messages. Planting would be taking action, messaging, and scheduling appointments. Tending refers to weeding out uncommitted prospects to ensure their efforts are wisely used on those of value. Lastly, harvesting is the same as effectively delivering relevant information and presentations to ensure a buying decision is made.
While it takes a bit of creativity to mix these two realms together, it does paint a clear image of which steps are to be taken to succeed. It also highlights commonly made mistakes. For instance, a salesperson might try to skip a step and rush too quickly to the harvesting stage. Read more about it on BillboardInsider.com!
Australia’s Out-of-Home grows by 10% in Q1!
If you’ve been reading our monthly news, you know we like to dip into statistics from time to time. This is especially true when an impressive number is spotted and Out-of-Home grows significantly! The Australian Out-of-Home industry has witnessed a 9.26% increase in net media revenue in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Outdoor Media Association (OMA). The industry moved from $263.2 up to $286.6 million year-on-year.
Furthermore, digital OOH revenue accounted for 74.1% of total net media revenue. This is an increase of 3.4% compared to the same period in 2023. “The OOH industry has never been as nimble, focussed, and unified, with a flurry of activity to start the year,” said Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of OMA. In the recent years, we’ve seen how Out-of-Home grows consistently, despite the challenges. According to projections, the industry is expecting an annual compound growth rate of 9% over the next four years.
Digital signage apps and 3D!
This month on the OnSign TV blog, we let technology take center stage. Firstly, we grouped a large number of digital signage apps into five unique categories which will prove useful to any digital signage content creator. From listing products and prices to entertaining content and secondary apps, it’s all here!
Furthermore, we talked about the potential of 3D digital signage and the buzz it’s been creating in recent years. While it’s an exciting adventure, businesses should be careful about investing their funds without doing their research. 3D digital signage is bound to make a splash, but it’s important to reserve it for creative campaigns with the potential of making a lasting impact. This is especially true for smaller businesses which might not have the budget to experiment too freely with 3D digital signage.
Cover image by Tobias Cornille.
