shots Tech: Jeremy Taylor

With such delights as Clemenger BBDO Melbourne’s The Boys, which gave us talking testicles swinging low on a hot day Down Under, what’s not to love about digital out of home? Jeremy Taylor, strategy director at Stinkdigital, heralds a new era in which e-commerce-enabled big data already allows real-time bespoke ads to reach consumers on the go, and content popping onto phones as you walk by a brand location is just around the corner


Digital out of home is entering a new era – breaking from the traditional world of outdoor to create a stand-alone medium that blurs the boundaries between online, content, mobile and OOH. From its early days, when maintaining a fully-functioning network of screens could be a challenge, through the rise of ‘dynamic’ and tech-based interactive campaigns, right up to present day dabbling into programmatic buying, the introduction of new tech has always been the lifeblood of the medium.

As a result of this new dawn (and many progressive media campaigns), brands are now far more aware of DOOH’s potential. From smarter, data-powered broadcast campaigns through to clever stunt-based executions aimed at driving earned media, DOOH is constantly throwing up new opportunities to deliver exciting work.

The prominence of e-commerce has led to brands being data-rich, so the opportunity is now firmly there to bring DOOH content to life with real-time, data-powered context. An airline, for example, knows which destinations are selling better than others at any moment and which types of holidays sell better at which times, so why not adapt creative accordingly, in real-time? Equally, why would an ice-cream brand be constantly live through a spell of bad British summer weather, when it can switch on only when the sun comes out in any given location?  

Are you experienced?

Smarter, data-led campaigns are gradually becoming the norm now instead of being considered ‘innovative’; a shift that is crucial for the medium to fully advance.
The same degree of opportunity applies to interactive digital out of home ‘experiences’.

Screens can now be fitted with cameras and sensors that detect not only movement but gender, age, mood, skin tone and the colour and style of clothes you are wearing. As such, a fashion retailer now has the opportunity to present consumers with products that perfectly match their appearance and situation, as well as deliver personalised content – and all in real-time.

We’re also beginning to see the emergence of VR-based immersive experiences too. Again, the technology has actually been around for some time, but waiting for appropriate facilitation and consumer availability has seen something of a stagnation. Jaguar’s recent #FeelWimbledon installation at Waterloo Rail Station saw a real step forward, giving commuters the opportunity to experience what walking out on Centre Court feels like.

Surely it won’t be long now before brands seize the opportunity to not only introduce a product to consumers but enable them to experience it in a fully immersive way; something that should be exciting news to the leisure and entertainment industries, to name just two.

Billboards talking bollocks

However, as is usually the case with anything technology-led, interpretation and application is crucial to success. Any technology must serve and enhance the purpose of the execution, otherwise the story can often become about the technology instead of the product or brand message.

Using a weather feed, for example, to dictate what messages appear on screen is nice, but when the application of this data actually brings the narrative to life, as seen with the recent Cannes silver Lion-winning The Boys, by Pacific Brands Underwear, the results can be brilliant.

Looking ahead it’s hard to say exactly where things are going, but there’s little doubt the landscape will be broadened and more technology-fuelled creativity will flourish. Beyond further advancements in buying efficiencies and adaptive display, it’s fairly certain that personal devices hold the key to truly unlocking digital out of home’s full potential.

The capability to connect and interact with screens via smart devices, all via web browser (so negating the need for app download), has been available for some years now. But what of more passive/intrusive distribution of personal data to enable targeted Minority Report-style content flashing up on screen as you walk towards it? It could well be the next watershed moment for digital out of home and, assuming brands can navigate trust and privacy barriers with consumers, it might be just round the corner.