A decade ago, billboards were seen as outdated and a thing of the past with online marketing seemingly taking over. However, the online marketing boom has had the opposite reaction to billboards, making them still as relevant as ever. Billboards provide on-the-spot, high-exposure marketing to a vast audience which, when used well, can have great benefits. In this blog, we see how billboards have adapted to the advancements in technology and how they are being used more creatively than in the past.
5. Gymshark’s sign to lift
Gymshark is renowned for being a leader in the influencer marketing space, however, adding marketing via billboards has added another dimension to their marketing strategy. This current billboard appeared to have fallen, with the slogan ‘This is your sign to lift’ playing on the notion of lifting weights and lifting the sign.
The physical situation of the billboard and the play on words shares similarities to the Specsavers billboards previously mentioned and is a clever way to generate conversation around the brand.
4. Ecologi’s Earth Day billboard
A powerful billboard from Ecologi for Earth Day 2022. The seemingly ‘boring’ billboard advert informs the viewers that the billboard is manufactured using a material that will remove the equivalent emissions of 5,213 car miles from the air over a 6-week lifetime.
This is a smart campaign from Ecologi to communicate the message with a solution to problems surrounding climate change. The technology, called PURETi, uses natural sunlight to break down harmful emissions. Over six weeks, the billboard will suck four tonnes of CO2e out of the air.
3. Tesco Ramadan advert
Tesco marked the month of Ramadan this April with this creative campaign about Iftar, the evening meal to signify the end of the daily fast. The digital display shows empty plates throughout the day which fill up with food as the sun sets. This reaches out to the Muslim population within the UK that is fasting during April.
The plates are held in hands over the slogan ‘Together this Ramadan’, with the line ‘in honour of everyone fasting, these plates only fill up once the sun goes down’. This refreshing and creative campaign has been met with positive comments across social media, with the urge to continue with inclusive marketing such as this.
2. Should’ve gone to Specsavers
The ‘should’ve gone to Specsavers’ slogan marks its 20 years this year, and the company still knows how to get the most out of it. This clever billboard uses the famous line in accordance with physically altering the billboard. Specsavers launched two billboards this year that sparked a lot of conversation.
The first billboard featured the classic slogan with the poster being laid over the top of the set of ladders, and the second billboard poster being fitted completely in the wrong place, 90 degrees from where the billboard frame is. These two campaigns reflect Specsavers’ humorous identity and reflect their aim in reaching a wide audience.
1. Nike Air Max Day 3D
The Nike Air Max campaign ran from 21-27 March in Tokyo’s Shinjuki. The large 3D animated billboard celebrated the 35th anniversary of the sub-brand. The animation features the classic orange shoebox Nike adopts, with a grey/red colourway of the classic Air Max trainer springing from the box and seemingly out of the billboard.
This could be the beginnings of a shift to 3D ads for the future with advancements in virtual and augmented reality becoming more prominent. It has certainly created a talking point for Nike supporters and marketers around the world.
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