Media consumption has been happening for as long as history. However, in recent years technology has developed enough for people to consume media anywhere, at anytime, from multiple places at once be it from smartphones, TV screens or the outdoor environment around them. This has enabled people to consume vast amounts of media in shorter amounts of time.
The rapid consumption of media means people are constantly looking to be entertained and are waiting to see what someone will come up with next, which creates great opportunities for businesses to stand out among others. This calls for businesses to be entertaining in their advertising while still conveying the message they want to be received. By creating entertaining media, companies become more memorable to the consumer. Billboards provide a perfect canvas for businesses to place entertaining ads as they are attention grabbing and can be strategically placed to reach the right audience.
Below are examples of how companies have made entertaining billboards stand out among the rest.
Spotify
(https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spotify-wrapped-2018)
Spotify took user data from the year 2018, wrapped it up and made entertaining billboards out of it. These grabbed attention from people around the world to encourage them to look into 2018 Wrapped, where spotify listeners have all their data compiled and organized into top genres, songs, playlists and more.
Hell Pizza
(https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12192583)
This opportunity followed events in New Zealand where ‘unruly tourists’ had been causing trouble around the country including leaving rubbish on beaches, dine and dashing, and not paying for food as it allegedly had ants and hair in it. Hell Pizza capitalized on the publicity these tourists were getting and put up a billboard relevant to what has been happening in the news, causing a laugh for consumers and gaining their attention.
McDonald’s Weather Reporting Billboard
(https://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/93929/McDonalds-Weather-Reactive-Billboard-1)
In this ad McDonalds has given the weather forecast along with its advertising. With the use of digital billboards, ads can be updated and changed in real time allowing for options such as weather reactive billboards which people will look at instead of looking on their phones.
Heineken
(https://www.creativebloq.com/design/billboard-advertising-1131681)
Heineken have used a creative but simple design to make it look like there is a hand reaching through the billboard PVC to grab the beer.
