OOH: Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact

Set in a dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is often cited as one of cinema’s most compelling visions of the near-future. 

As bounty hunter Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford is tasked with hunting down replicants (robots) that have become ‘more human than human’; the world in which he operates is high-tech, but to the point where boundaries between human and machine have blurred, calling into question the very nature of reality and our perception of it.

We may not have the replicants yet, but there are similarities with the world as we know it today, where our daily lives are beginning to be impacted by new technologies that are adding new layers of interaction with the world around us. Digitisation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality and robotics are making their mark on many aspects of our lives - themes which Dennis Villeneuve takes to new levels in the timely sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

In the world of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, the impact of emerging technologies has been profound and, contrary to Blade Runner’s depictions of the ‘futuristic’ world as foreboding, we are benefitting greatly from these innovations. We now have new and improved opportunities and a greater ability to create ‘other-worldly’ experiences – which for advertising means creating unforgettable brand interactions. 

The OOH sector has a unique understanding about the importance of location and multi-sensory experiences that aid the creation of these powerful brand moments. The sector is investing not only in upgrading digital screens (the recent renovation of Piccadilly Lights, for instance) but also in new, high-end technologies that can enhance the levels of engagement between advertisers and audiences on the move. Some of those launched recently deliver truly immersive experiences that have the ability to augment the reach and engagement provided by traditional OOH channels, opening up new ways to provide powerful, content-driven and contextually-relevant experiential campaigns.

An example of this technology is Voyager, the world’s first full-motion cinematic VR chair that has been introduced to the UK market through specialist OOH agency Kinetic’s start-up incubator KineticX. It brings with it the potential for truly immersive VR experiences through the combination of HD visual content, motion, audio and even scent, meaning consumers are able to properly suspend all disbelief and be transported to an entirely new world. Achieving full submersion - actually making audiences sink into the virtual world behind the headset - is something VR itself has struggled to achieve through existing platforms until now. In that sense, VR’s tipping point may well be reached in OOH.

And since OOH pivots on human interaction in the physical space, our cities could also become increasingly hyper-real as the adoption of location-based, augmented reality campaigns continue to rise. We’ve already seen this on a small scale with Snapchat and Pokemon Go, but AR posters the size of skyscrapers are (literally) on the horizon. From the end of this month, advertisers will be able to tap into the potential to overlay large-scale images into the skies above our built environments. The technology developed by Lightvert – again, backed by KineticX - is based on ‘persistence of vision effect’, where images are fleetingly visible exclusively to the viewer, so it blends mass reach with personal engagement.

Personalising experiences and tailoring content using geo-location, context and relevance are key to creating these truly effective experiences, whatever the platform. Behavioural science coupled with anonymous proximity metrics based on genuine audience movement and behaviour mean campaigns are becoming ever more sophisticated and relevant - even in OOH. Companies like Meshh, for example, use sensors to capture and relay data about consumers’ active journeys based on mobile signal strength, time and distance parameters. Developments in this technology mean advertisers can genuinely blend broadcast with narrowcast, achieving unique and personal engagement even in public spaces.

Combining these increasingly sophisticated background planning techniques with the latest innovations in high-tech platforms, we may well be about to witness the next frontier in OOH – unchartered territories on a level prophesied by science fiction.