2023 was another challenging year for the FMCG category, but one which saw a healthy increase in brand marketing spend to tackle both price inflation and the threat from private label.
Out of Home continues to be a go-to channel for the category, with its versatility as both a brand building channel giving access to huge reach, and an ability to connect with shoppers using data-driven messages in the right moments and mindsets, close to points of purchase.
By Colin Horan Strategic Partner, FMCG
2023 saw even more brilliant work from the category; with a plethora of creative special builds, top-class smart planning, and even an interactive ad that rewards you for smiling. I've picked out 10 of my favourite campaigns from across the year which in my opinion really sum up the variety of ways FMCG advertisers are utilising the power of Out of Home.
Pepsi Max - You probs prefer Pepsi Max
A good place to start, as this is quite possibly my favourite campaign of the year, because it encompassed all the elements of what I consider to be best-in-class OOH. The playful campaign was built on the insight from their taste test results, stating that 70% of the UK prefer Pepsi Max.
This multi-format campaign was everywhere, but the real beauty is its use of multiple contextual creative iterations to reflect the location, environment and specific cultural moment, helping drive increased attention and memorability. The cherry on top was the collection of mirrored 6-sheets, allowing the audience to see themselves reflected in the poster. There's no fancy AI needed, and it remained perfectly in tune with the message.
This wasn't just a one-off stunt, it's a wonderfully thought-out campaign built on a solid foundation of broadcast reach, executed with expert planning aligned to the creative strategy.
Belvita - Give a Smile
Through their 'Give A Smile' partnership with Fare Share, Belvita pioneered an interactive campaign designed to donate a meal every time somebody smiled at their ad. Using interactive Digital OOH screens strategically positioned in Malls across the UK, participants were invited to simply smile at the screen. The built-in screen technology then triggered a message to indicate that their smile had donated a meal to someone in need.
Watch the full campaign video below!
Napolina - Not So Humble
The best special builds are those which are simple and stay true to the campaign objectives. How do you elevate the brand's ‘Not So Humble’ message? By literally elevating a tin of Napolina tomatoes on a giant Corinthian column, bursting out of a billboard on Borough High St. That's how!
Twix - Take 2 for a Brew
A textbook use of Out of Home from Twix, where both media planning and creative are on point. We talk a lot about OOH's ability to align with category entry points through its unique real world context. I tend to simplify this as Real World Location + Real World Moments. So by planning in proximity to major convenience stores (Location), and during the hours of 11am - 2pm when we're looking for that mid-morning snack or post-lunch pick-me-up (Moment), Twix could be physically present, and align themselves with this CEP which will serve them well for both immediate and future sales.
And creatively it doesn't disappoint. Keeping it simple, bold, distinctive to the brand, and aligned nicely with the media plan and nuances of how Out of Home is consumed.
Lipton - Grab Some Sunshine
Lipton brought the sunshine by dispensing vouchers on the streets for free Ice Tea. Through a series of interactive bus shelter dominations, audiences were encouraged to engage with the digital screen either through a touch-screen game, or by simply showing their lunch to the in-screen camera. Participants were dispensed a physical voucher on the spot to redeem a free Lipton Ice Tea.
Hellman's - Even Better With...
A brilliant example of how Digital OOH can be flexible, reactive and part of culture. This clever tactical activation from Hellman’s capitalised on the Barbie movie hype, which included placements outside cinemas in Clapham, the former home of Margot Robbie and known for its high population of Australians.
The ad went on to generate a huge amount of PR and spark social conversation.
Peroni - Stile Capri
For Peroni's launch of Stile Capri, they cleverly optimised their Digital OOH campaign around two proven theories, which can boost effectiveness.
Delivering contextually relevant creative in the right moment can increase brain response by up to 32%.
Evolving your Out of Home creative over the course of a campaign can deliver up to 38% higher impact.
By using a dynamic feed, Peroni were able to deliver their multiple creative executions to reflect temperature and weather conditions in real-time.
Kit Kat - Have a Break...
When it comes to Out of Home creativity, keeping things simple, bold and distinctive to the brand is key, and this from Kit Kat ticks all the boxes. Plus, they've added in a touch of emotion that chimes with their iconic strapline. What I particularly enjoy is that it compliments their 'take a break from tech frustrations' TV ad, but remains true to the principles of effective Out of Home.
The campaign evolved later in the year, adding data-driven triggers to deliver copy contextual to the outdoor environment, such as weather or train delays.
Arla Cravendale - 3D at Scale
3D OOH has been on trend over the last couple of years, but more often than not it tends to be on one-off locations that we rarely see in the flesh.
Cravendale found a way to scale 3D creative across a multi-format broadcast OOH campaign. Using a 3D illusion concept to bring the glass of milk out of the frame, it enabled the brand to activate at scale across hundreds of digital OOH screens in Malls and at Supermarkets nationwide.
Watch a snippet of 3D in action below!
Cadbury - Worldwide Hide
Easter saw the latest iteration of Cadbury’s Worldwide Egg Hunt. Once again, Cadbury gave people a platform to hide digital purple eggs anywhere in the world via Google Street View, and have a real egg sent to their loved ones once the egg had been found.
New for 2023, they added localised Digital OOH ads which appeared in 9 key cities around the UK. Used anonymised location data from the Worldwide Hide platform, the OOH was used to create increased interest in the hunt by giving clues as to where eggs may be hidden in a particular city.
If you'd like any more info about any of these campaigns feel free to get in touch.
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