Two Cents

You can spend ages waiting for one, and then three will come along at once.  We’re talking buses of course… but how about getting some news headlines while you wait for your bus, or whilst you’re stuck in traffic, or when walking from A to B?

Perhaps you’ll be inspired to find out more once you’ve seen these striking Adshel panels, strategically located around Brisbane’s CBD.

BCM has been working in partnership with Fairfax Digital’s online news service brisbanetimes.com.au since February 2008.  Following the brand re-launch in May 2008, we have seen a significant increase in unique browsers, both locally and domestically.

Given that most consumers of online news tend to get their daily fix soon after arriving at work, at lunchtime, or just prior to leaving work, our communication strategies have been well suited to this consumer behaviour.

One of our challenges has been to drive commuter traffic online through traditional offline sources in the local market. High visual impact, large format outdoor has been effective at raising brand awareness, and the use of breakfast and drive radio has also supported brand and tactical messages.

Our latest campaign focuses on delivering breaking news online, as it happens, and with regular updates throughout the day.

The campaign creative was developed at BCM and media delivered by Mitchell & Partners Qld, media partner for the brisbanetimes.com.au account. (Mitchell Media is Fairfax Digital’s national media agency).

The combination of key outdoor supersites, rotating headlines on an electronic LED interface, daily Australian Traffic Network messages across the Brisbane radio network, and now these unique street furniture panels, demonstrates the variety and depth of the site through the messages delivered.

The journalists are in control of these messages and so are able to respond quickly – yet another core benefit of online news.

Interestingly, brisbanetimes.com.au is the first media category client (Qld based or national) to use this Adshel LED technology in Brisbane market.

For those of us who work in BCM’s Brissie office who haven’t yet seen these panels, you won’t have to walk too far – there’s one just up the road on Warner Street!

Steve Jennings is an Account Manager at BCM Brisbane

The world of outdoor advertising has been embracing the world of digital for some time – many outdoor signs are now full LCD screens, or feature news tickers, or similar digial advances. But some clever marketers are now turning outdoor into a truly interactive space.

The first example is from the UK, where Cadbury’s developed a ‘Splat The Egg’ game on bus shelter posters. People waiting at bus stops could do their best to ’splat’ eggs as they appeared, thanks to the touch-sensitive screen. Much more fun than simply reading a poster! A video of the game can be seen here.

And in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this cheeky bus shelter shames you into losing weight by displaying your weight for all to see! After sitting on the seat in the bus shelter, the inbuilt scales calculate your weight and displays it on the billboard. A little too forward for our tastes in Australia, perhaps.

Both examples show that forward-thinking brands can take advantage of online/offline synergies to create great interactive experiences in places where consumers are least expecting it. Keep your eyes out for some examples in Australia  – or even better, be the brand with the first mover advantage!

The Apple iPhone has without a doubt ushered in a new era of touch screen technology. For a long time touch screens were a novelty, an expensive interface which may not have always been the best solution. But now consumers are coming to expect them as standard – on mobile phones, gaming consoles (like the Nintendo DS), and personal computers (like the increasingly popular Tablet PC).

Now, you can even find touch screens on musical instruments:

And on vending machines:

So, where next for touch screens? And what will advanced touch screen technology mean to the world of advertising.

I was going to suggest touch screens in taxis and shopfronts, but after doing a bit of Googling, it seems some clever companies are already on the case.

I was recently on a train in Spain which had screens – a touch screen might have helped consumers obtain more information about the current advertisement.

Or perhaps touch screen outdoor advertising could be the way of the future.

Any ideas where you might find touch screens in the near future?

I read with interest that the city of Los Angeles is trying to ban large-format outdoor advertising. That particular ban is under the guise of safety – apparently plonking huge billboards on the front of buildings is a fire hazard. But other cities have banned outdoor advertising outright for an entirely more obvious reason – aesthetics. The most famous example is Sao Paulo, Brazil, which banned ALL outdoor advertising in 2006. Other South American and European cities have since followed suit, in their thousands.

This raises all kinds of questions.  When does the clutter become too much? Should some formats be allowed, and others banned? Should property owners have the right to recoup costs through allowing advertising on their buildings?

Indeed, does outdoor advertising serve a greater purpose than simple branding, that gives it a right to exist?

Perhaps not in its current form. But with new technology like this coming online – billboards which can recognise your gender and age and change the ad to suit – perhaps outdoor advertising need not always be visual pollution. The day when billboards are customised to each and every one of us – or even supply information on demand – might not be so far away.