• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 15, 2010

If you live in New York or Chicago, chances are you will be seeing some U.S. Open golf this week -- whether you want to or not.

On June 17 and 18, ESPN is bringing one of the world's biggest golf events to the streets of these major U.S. cities. It is outfitting big screen trucks with digital displays measuring 14 feet x 8 feet, which will broadcast live coverage from the U.S. Open, including a leaderboard showing news updates and the rankings of the top players.

The ESPN trucks will make stops outside sports bars, street festivals and other high-traffic public places. They will be supported by mobile street teams, also carrying individual digital leaderboards with live updates.

To push the event, street teams will also pass out free golf-themed merchandise, including towels and tee sets to fans.

Separately, Chicago residents will be getting a double dose of vehicle-mounted digital out-of-home video this summer, thanks to another promotional campaign from 7-Eleven and Zynga -- the company behind "FarmVille" and "MafiaWars," two popular casual games accessible on Facebook and Yahoo.

The companies have joined forces to advertise a special limited-time series of branded products from the games, which are now available for sale at 7-Eleven using "points" earned playing.

7-Eleven and Zynga have partnered with Titan, which specializes in out-of-home advertising in transit-related locations, to wrap five Chicago buses with eye-catching messages promoting the collectible products.

In addition to the "static" full vinyl vehicle wrap, Titan has mounted digital screens measuring 2.5 feet x 12 feet on the sides of the buses, incorporating a dynamic element into the campaign. (It was created by 7-Eleven's agency Freshworks, a consortium of Omnicom companies.)

In the last few years, OOH advertising companies and clients have shown increasing interest in the potential of vehicle-mounted digital displays.

In addition to the general selling points of the DO medium -- including engaging video and the ability to display several ad surfaces -- vehicle-mounted displays offer the advantages of mobility, while avoiding controversies that can arise from digital billboards in fixed locations.