• by The Editor , August 12, 2008

Outdoor media must make a quick impact. These finalists get the job done.

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners

MINI USA

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners: Matt Butler, Head of Data Strategy; Mike Shine, Co-Creative Director; Lynda Richardson, Media Director; Dave Pierotti, Associate Media Director; Todd Levy, Media Supervisor.

Out of Home Pitch: David Matera, CEO; Jessica Durante, President; Jennifer Seickel, Associate Media Director.

To illustrate the degree of personalization and customizing that typically goes into a new MINI Cooper, the company hit on an innovative idea for an outdoor ad campaign: an electronic billboard that would recognize and greet MINI Cooper owners by name as they drove by. This concept is made possible by unique radio frequency identification (RFID) chips which are implanted in every MINI Cooper key fob, and can be read at a distance using radio waves. Within seconds, the data is fed to a central database where information about MINI Cooper owners is stored. Using the information, the electronic billboard displays a personalized message such as "Happy Birthday, Ethan, Let's Motor!" One MINI Cooper owner proposed marriage through the board (successfully). The striking personal aspect of the messages not only reinforced loyalty and self-identification among existing owners, but drew the attention of other drivers to mini Coopers.

McKee Wallwork

Cleveland Tobacco Use Prevention and Control (TUPAC) program

McKee Wallwork Cleveland: Steve McKee, President; Pat Wallwork, Media Director; Bart Cleveland, Creative Director; Cindy Powers, Media Planner, Buyer; Cara Rogers, Media Buyer; Greg Hunter, Copywriter; Shawn Miller, Art Director; Louis Maes, Print Production Manager; Deena Crawley, Account Executive.

To highlight the danger of secondhand smoke in public places, McKee Wallwork Cleveland negotiated arrangement allowing its client, TUPAC, to play off existing outdoor ads in a surprising, eye-catching way.

The agency partnered with billboard companies around New Mexico to paint the faces of various figures depicted in outdoor ads blue - the idea being that until society regulates indoor smoking, everyone will just have to "hold their breath."

A buzz began about this mysterious transformation. After two weeks the "joke" was revealed on the radio, followed by supporting ad copy on TV and in newspapers. Radio personalities discussed the theme on air with callers. Youth groups toured schools and public places with their faces painted blue, distributing information about secondhand smoke, and storeowners painted faces on mannequins blue (this was all pre-planned). Ultimately, the campaign garnered so much attention that legislation was passed to ban secondhand smoke in all public workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

Universal McCann

Intel

Universal McCann: Malena Bustelo, Vice President, Associate Media Director; Dana Friedman, Planner; Jordan Freeman, Supervisor.

To draw attention to the power of its new microprocessor, Intel rented out several giant electronic billboards in New York City's Times Square, including the NASDAQ/Reuters digital and interactive boards.

They invited visitors to take pictures of themselves with cell phones, which were displayed on the billboards. Participants simply entered a short text message, publicized on the billboard, to send their picture for display. Beginning on one billboard, the person's face then "multiplied" across all the other billboards in a 360-degree display.