The Power Of 3D Billboards.
3D billboards are an exciting new outdoor media with endless possibilities. Previously this technology was limited to the home or at the cinema, but like a scene out of Back To The Future, they have recently made it onto our streets. 3D billboards can amplify a brand's message and create a visual experience. Tech-focused countries like China, South Korea and Japan have led the way in the space, with the US, UK and Australia now adapting to the technology. In an Australian first telco brand, Circles. Life unveiled its 3D billboard in Melbourne in February 2022. The billboard, located at the Emporium shopping centre, focused on making the brand's customers the star by featuring customised avatars.
Creative OOH can be used to tell part of or the entire campaign story. They can be the perfect spark that starts a conversation, launches a new collection, kicks off a campaign, like Glenfiddich below or talk to a brand's inspiration like Nikes Air Max Day creative. As you can only hold people's attention in real life for a short period of time, a brand creating a 3D billboard needs to create something that really captures the individual's attention and imagination.
These types of campaigns can live on via social media through a generation of consumers who like to share their experiences and the interesting things they see. In this instance, the poster becomes a part of the marketing campaign, by sharing the creative. The attention-grabbing technology enables a brand to showcase personality and offering with infinite variety. This is especially true for early adopters who dare to invest before their competitors to create a truly stand-out moment.
Apart from its application in the advertising world, the technology has also been utilised in public art installations. Featuring sound, movement, and colour to capture the eye, these activations entertain and capture the imagination of passers-by.
Continue for the lowdown on The Power Of 3D Billboards.
What Is A 3D Billboard?
A 3D billboard blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. According to DOIT VISION, 3D billboards are created when two different images are displayed on the screen. These two images are captured from two different perspectives and are combined into single footage. This creates a three-dimensional effect. These images are viewed by our left and right eye, with slightly different images in each eye, which creates the depth observed in 3D technology.
Which Brands Have Been Fast Adapters?
Below we will take you through a selection of companies that have been fast adopters of 3D Billboards. These risk-takers test the line and reap great rewards for daring to try something new.
Coca-Cola:
Coca-Cola is reported to have blazed the trail when it comes to 3D billboards, adapting their notable Times Square location to do so. The billboard not only paved the way but set a Guinness World Record as the world’s first and world’s largest 3D billboard at six stories tall. The billboard mixed technologies using 1700 independent, computerized LED modules that seamlessly extend and retract to bring dimension, texture, and movement to static, video, and 3D content. The overall effect feels like flowing liquid and supports the message to share a refreshing Coke. Coca-Cola has been a great adapter of new trends and creating cut-throughs, and this is just another example of their forward-thinking approach to brand marketing.
"From the beginning, our brief was to create a pause-and-refresh moment in the crowded environment of Times Square. Our proprietary 3D technology brings our iconic brands to life in a unique and differentiated way that will hopefully catch people’s attention and make them want to engage for a longer period of time." Kim Gnatt, Group Director, Business Strategy, Coca-Cola North America
Nike:
This stunning Nike 3D billboard was the brainchild of the Nike in-house team led by Nanaka Sakurai and the collective CEKAI. It was created to celebrate Air Max Day, taking place on March 26th, 2022, and was displayed in prime position at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. The Shinjuku Station location was previously the home of another much-loved 3D billboard, the Shinjuku cat (Nya), that would interact with passers-by. Nike prides itself on its innovation, so it makes sense that they would lead the way with 3D billboards.
The Nike billboard creative shows the iconic orange box, which bursts open to reveal numerous Air Max styles in multiple colourways while hinting at the inspiration behind each shoe. At the end of the creative, you can see Nya’s paw swipe the box, a playful interaction from the space's original inhabitant. Apart from the dazzling use of technology, the creative is true to brand, talks to inspiration and product and brand personality.
“Nike Air is a celebration of creativity, imagination, and innovation. We wanted to convey those elements through a technology aligned to that ground-breaking spirit that would spark excitement with sneakers lovers and passers-by alike”. Danny Demers via Muse by Clio
Netflix:
To celebrate the launch of their new live-action series Resident Evil, Netflix invested in a 3D billboard to create a very sharable moment on prime real estate in Times Square. Netflix does a media moment well as showcased through launches for Stranger Things and Squid Games, but this campaign takes their efforts to another level! Their investment paid dividends, with footage of the piece going viral. The series itself may not have been a success, but their campaign was, it was an experience and created cut through.
The creative shows Licker, a character from the series, aggressively escaping from a glass cage, appearing to be on the outside of the building before running off screen, lit moodily with menacing music; the creative sets the tone for the series. Like other brands investing in the space, Netflix was sure to capture the billboard in action to ensure its longevity and shareability, which proved effective.
Fortnite and Balenciaga:
To celebrate the collaboration of two major cultural brands, Fortnite and Balenciaga, created a 3D Billboard in Times Square. The billboard featured a Fortnite favourite, Doggo, dressed in Balenciaga, lounging around in a Balenciaga-branded space, which appears to be in the building itself. Doggo appears to check out his surroundings till he turns out the light. The billboard was part of a multi-layered campaign that encouraged people to enter the Fortnight world; it created a cross-over where online worlds entered the real world.
This boundary-pushing is fitting for two brands that consistently shake things up in their approach to brand awareness; the exact billboard also features in-game. While in the game, a player could purchase skins and clothing in the real world. If a player were to purchase a piece of clothing while in-game, they would get a code to unlock them virtually within Fortnite. An example of a brilliant crossover, and with the rise of in-game shopping, there are many exciting developments to come.
Glenfiddich:
A key pillar in the Glenfiddich “Where to Next Campaign” was their Piccadilly Lights OOH activation. The Piccadilly Lights location is one of the most sought-after ambient media locations in the world and creates a large impact. As a brand, Glenfiddich likes to contently grow and evolve, so their adaption to such a forward-thinking technology marries well. The billboard shows the emblematic stag wandering up to the screen through a Scottish landscape, appearing to look around at his surroundings and the branding on the sign that states the campaign slogan, “Where To Next”, and then leaping off-screen.
Located nearby was a mural connecting to the billboard featuring the stag, with 3d antlers and the tagline “Where to Next”, where people could scan a QR code and redeem a free drink at a nearby pub. The awareness campaign was created by Glenfiddich’s long-term creative agency, Space. The technology may be modern, but the tone of the creative speaks to the brand's heritage; the marring of these two elements enables the brand to communicate with a younger audience while remaining true to its essence.
Amazon Prime:
To celebrate the launch of Amazon's Wheel Of Time series, Amazon launched a series of 3D billboards accompanying in-person activations across New York, Tokyo, London, and Stockholm. The creative showed the audience a glimpse into the show’s world and narrative as actors interacted, featuring the series star Rosamund Pike. A hand appears to come out of the billboard, and then a hooded creature appears and shrikes as it bursts out of the screen.
The main character, Moraine, then appears in a whorl of magic that appears to project out of the screen as she casts. The billboard and the accompanying activations created a sense of excitement for the launch of the show. It made people want to know more; the clever capturing of the international experience was a smart move from the Amazon team as it helped spread the word and increase the longevity of the creative.
Deliveroo:
Recently Deliveroo captured the attention and tapped into people’s hunger with their take on a 3D ooh billboard in Piccadilly Circus for their campaign ‘Food. We Get It’ was created by Will & James. The creative sees ingredients come together to make a meal ready to deliver; lemon wedges, garlic and avocado float around a taco, and the visual feast appears to float towards you. A delivery bag is then seen being zipped in fast movements, then fades to the brand logo.
The viewer gets the feeling that the food is fresh, you almost taste the flavours as the creative floats towards you, and the energy and pace of the creative allude to the brand's motto of fast delivery. Deliveroo captured the billboard with decked-out riders appearing to direct you to the location of the creative, and towards the end, it creates a feeling that the freshly made meal is on its way to you. This interactive capture of the billboard is clever and on-trend, with many brands that have invested in the technology to date.
Where To Next?
We can’t help but think about where to go next when a development like this comes around. So, what’s the next development in the space, and where can we go with 3D Billboards? There are whispers and speculation about what will come next in the space; some thoughts are that these billboards will become more interactive and will potentially be able to sell to an individual on the street. The future will also tell how these campaigns will be monitored and regulated, but like with most tech innovations, this might only be known when they increase in popularity.
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