How Brands Are Using Social Media in Digital Out of Home Marketing Campaigns

Digital Out Of Home marketing campaigns are gaining prominence throughout the globe. Also known as DOOH, they allow for brands to access consumers on the go and showcase their products in interactive fashions.

Whether they appear on billboards, in the back of taxis, with product displays in stores, or amongst areas where there is high foot traffic, DOOH ads have the power to draw consumers in and make them more interested in brands.

To further increase engagement with prospects, brands are integrating social media into these digital out of home ads. Let’s take a look at the top six ways that they’re getting the most of these campaigns.

They’re asking for user-generated content

In a campaign that ran in 2013, Taco Bell aimed to get consumers excited about their new Cool Ranch Doritos Loco Tacos. People were asked to tweet photos of themselves trying the taco, and to tag their posts with the hashtags #wow, #coolranchdlt, or #duh #coolranchdlt. Taco Bell would then view these photos, and send the best ones to their Times Square Billboard, displaying them for the plethora of passersby in the area.

The DOOH campaign was successful because people were ask something simple: To snap selfies. They were given the chance to appear in Times Square, and in return, Taco Bell created brand advocates and loyalists. It was a win-win for both the brand and the consumers.

They’re hosting giveaways

Jimmy Dean was the first company to use the sun to produce solar-powered gifs. When customers walked up to this installation, which was a kinetic sculpture, they were asked to take photos with it. These “shadow selfies” could be submitted to the brand using the hashtag #SunPowered. By participating, consumers were automatically entered into a sweepstakes where the winner would be awarded a month’s supply of the lunch and dinner meals. Since Jimmy Dean offered something for interacting with their brand, they saw that prospects entered their giveaway.

They’re giving the power to the consumers

In a campaign that reached 10 million people, the marketers behind “Despicable Me 2” put the power in the hands of consumers. They placed digital displays in malls that allowed consumers to make the minions move in a range of ways using their smartphones. Users would text their commands to the minions along with their names, and then their names would appear on the screen while the minions danced, played, built, boogied, or wrestled.

Afterwards, participants were sent a text linking them to their films, which could be shared on social media. Giving consumers control, and then allowing them to show off their creations to their friends and families, is why this digital out of home campaign was so successful.

They’re providing informative content

People love to learn fun facts about themselves. If companies focus on providing content about their audience to their audience, it’s going to be a homerun every time. This is exactly what Coca-Cola did when it launched a digital billboard campaign this past summer in Times Square.

By tweeting #cokemyname to Coca-Cola, people could see facts about their name on the big screen. For example, someone named Emma texted at the brand, and the billboard revealed, “Most Emmas are mad about boy bands.” To alert the person who tweeted that they made it onto the screen, Coca-Cola would reply to him or her.

They’re showcasing their customers

Want to learn more about our #BillboardBrackets campaign? http://t.co/iJRkoeOXzh pic.twitter.com/IYlRlyTDuU

— Lamar Advertising (@LamarOOH) March 24, 2015

Last March, Lamar Advertising posted sports fans tweets and March Madness scores on its billboards in different cities. To incorporate social media, the company started a #BillboardBrackets hashtag. When fans tweeted with that hashtag, their tweets would be shown on the billboards and photo albums on Lamar’s Facebook fan page. The campaign informed sports fans about the games they were closely following, and gave them the platform on which they could voice their opinions. Sports fans got to join in on the discussion, and Lamar was able to show off its digital billboard and fan engagement opportunities to potential advertisers.

They’re running contests that customers can vote on

In another Times Square campaign, Kodak prompted users to upload their videos to Facebook for a chance at appearing on a huge digital billboard. People from all over the world submitted one-minute videos, and three users even sent in marriage proposal films. The Kodak audience was given a chance to vote on their favorite videos, and the winner was to be shown on New Year’s Day.

The campaign worked because users could showcase themselves in front of thousands of people. They could also involve their friends and family members in the voting process. Every step of the way, it was participatory, which is what every digital out of home campaign should aim to be.