Article

Mini drivers take a spin on DOOH

Digital signage billboards in London featured bespoke content aimed at Mini drivers in a novel integrated campaign.

September 10, 2013 by Christopher Hall — w, t

The Mini is a novel little automobile, and the car brand recently spawned a large and novel roadside digital out-of-home campaign in the U.K.

The iconic and recently re-popularized Mini company brands itself as "Not Normal," and a recent DOOH campaign in London combined reactive content on roadside digital billboards with live helpers to showcase the brand and engage with commuters on one of London's busiest thoroughfares.

The campaign with outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux was planned and booked by Vizeum and Posterscope, with creative by Iris and delivered by KoffeeCup, according to an announcement on the JCDecaux U.K. website.

As part of the brand's "Not Normal" campaign, Mini took over JCDecaux's multisign Cromwell Road Digital Gateway, running dynamic tailored content that saluted MINI drivers as they drove past the digital screens.

"We concepted the idea as a way to tell a dynamic story to Mini drivers that unfolded as they drove along, delivered in a unique way to showcase just how special and different every Mini driver is," JCDecaux U.K. Director of Digital Stacey Knight said in an email. "Our method of execution was simple; we utilized numerous different mechanics to deliver this groundbreaking campaign."

The first part, Knight said, was having Mini experts who became "spotters" and were able to access in real-time creative assets that could be made live on the billboards and that made reference to the model and color of the Mini spotted on the roadway. ("As you can imagine, we had a vast amount of copy on standby," Knight said.) That content updated on the screens within a 30-second window.

Secondly, the campaign also invited drivers to stop by local gas stations for a fill-up or for special treats ranging from pastries to car washes to full takeaway dinners. The campaign then used photos of drivers who had taken part in the Mini experience at the local petrol station, by dynamically displaying their images on the screens with a bespoke message.

The campaign also had standard copy ready to run if no Mini were present, Knight said.

"The result [was] a campaign that delivered a unique engaging experience for consumers, a delighted client and creative agency, and a showcase as to how our digital network can be used as an integral part of the campaign, which ran for a two-week period," Knight said.

Vizeum Managing Director Richard Morris also called the campaign "groundbreaking" in the way it harnessed digital technologies to entertain Mini drivers and London commuters.

"The Mini community in the U.K. is incredibly creative, and have a very special and unique relationship with their car," he said in the campaign announcement. "We wanted to find an interesting way to use digital outdoor advertising that would bring this community together."

Ann Inglese, the national communications manager at MINI UK, said in the announcement that the "Not Normal" campaign "is all about celebrating the unique and inventive spirit of Mini drivers and saluting them. The integrated agency team [has] delivered a fantastic way to bring this to life on the outbound stretch of the Cromwell Road, using new technology to tailor fun, cheeky messages for our drivers."

The campaign was a sterling example of how digital out-of-home and digital signage offer opportunities for novel and creative campaigns such as this one that could not be achieved via static signage.

"The very nature of digital out-of-home allows brands the unique opportunity to deliver dynamic and tactical campaigns that work within their key KPIs like never before, whether this is to drive social media (tweet to screen), live streaming (across the network), sales (our POS Tesco network), innovation (augmented reality), mobile (controlling content on screen via mobile) and even audio (which we recently achieved for an O2 live-streamed gig)," Knight said via email. "Alongside this, digital offers incredible optimization, with clients being able to book (for the first time within any media!) campaigns based on parameters like 'high pollen days/areas,' weather activation, etc. — meaning more relevance for consumers, delivering a better, more targeted experience at a more effective cost.

"The secret is in networks and environments that can deliver scale, and the technology that can drive creative."

Watch a video from MINI UK about the deployment below:

Learn more about DOOH advertising.

About Christopher Hall

---

None

Connect with Christopher: