Five of the best 3D billboards: the ‘new wave’ of OOH advertising

“We really feel 3D billboards are the new wave of OOH advertising, especially with the ability to make them go viral on social media,” said Ethan Jakab, cofounder of Blunt Action, the production studio that designed the recent 2 Chainz 3D billboard.

3D out-of-home (OOH) billboards have been getting a lot of attention recently, and not only for making the public think twice about what they are seeing. It makes sense that the hyper-realistic digital campaigns are going viral online, driving organic engagement and creating a conversation around the ads themselves.

Earlier this year, videos of Nike’s Air Max billboard in Shinjuku Tokyo circulated on social media and across the internet, receiving high praise from viewers. It is clear the public and marketers alike have been marvelling at the creation, likening the technology to a visual illusion.

In a time when advertisers are fighting for the attention of consumers, multi-dimensional digital campaigns are expected to continue to gain prominence in modern marketing.

Is this the type of stuff aspiring time travellers would have dreamed of? Marketing Beat takes a look at some of the recent 3D billboards that have captivated the world.

Nike Air Max Day Billboard – partly created by Cekai

Back in March, Nike ran a 3D billboard campaign in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo to promote the lead up to Air Max Day.

One Twitter user added: “I can’t stop watching this new 3D billboard for Nike’s Air Max Day in Tokyo 🤩 #AirMaxDay2022.”

The project was the result of an artistic collaboration between the sport fashion brand’s Tokyo in-house creative studio and Japanese creative association Cekai, whose founder Kota Iguchi co-directed the motion graphics.

The recognisable Nike orange shoe box and subsequent Air Max trainers appeared to pop out of the screen.

The billboard itself, Cross Shinjuku, includes a 3D cat called Nya in every advertisement. The space showcases creative and captivating campaigns while also enticing viewers to see more of the cat character and creating a sense of consumer loyalty to ad spaces.

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READ MORE: Product placement – have brands unlocked the future of advertising?

Vodafone’s Lions South Africa rugby tour billboard – created by Ogilvy

In July last year, the creative agency Ogilvy designed a 3D billboard for the Vodafone British and Irish Lions rugby tour of South Africa.

The campaign featured in London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus and depicted British & Irish Lions ambassadors Sam Warburton, Maggie Alphonsi, Paul O’Connell and Jeremy Guscott, being brought to life as 25-foot avatars. They can be seen bursting through a building façade and standing proudly in front of the Vodafone Lions flag.

The 3D experience was produced in a bid to celebrate the two brands and demonstrate how the network can connect fans to the sport.

Before the advert was aired Vodafone stated: “The technology will be powered by forced perspective, a technique which employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, which will be used to create the illusion of a 3D effect.”

“Ocean Outdoor’s digital model of the Piccadilly Lights will be mapped to the precise angle of the screen, warping artwork for spectators to experience in 3D from an optimum viewing area.”

Piccadilly’s unique curved structure made it the ideal stage for a digital-out-of-home 3D animation experience as it allowed sufficient room for objects and shapes to appear as if they were deep within the building.




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2 Chainz’ billboard – created by Blunt Action

In February this year, a 3D advertisement was created by the production company Blunt Action for the release of 2 Chainz’s album “Dope Don’t Sell Itself”.

Featured on 47th Street in New York, the billboard shows a 3D hand popping out of the screen and throwing cash bills into the air. The album title and the artist’s name then float outside of the OOH advertising space.

“It’s been a lot of fun to work on these unique, eye-catching 3D billboards,” Blunt Action co-founder Ethan Jakab told TimeOut.

“We think these are quickly becoming more popular because people love a good illusion and seeing something that makes them stop and look twice.”

“These immersive experiences are the future; they step outside the box of traditional billboard advertising and open a new door of creative possibilities.”

“NYC has so many great digital billboard locations and we hope to see more of these immersive visuals take over.”

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Amazon’s The Wheel of Time series billboard – created by Amplify

Creative agency Amplify also created a hyper-realistic billboard for Amazon Prime Video’s fantasy series The Wheel of Time.

Rosamund Pike, the main protagonist of the show, is at the forefront of the 3D illusion that premiered at Piccadilly Circus, London, in November last year.

According to The Drum, Amplify, whose clients include Sony, Google and Airbnb, used a mixture of VFX, CGI and greenscreen, partnering up with VFX teams at MPC and Amazon Studios.

Amplify executive creative director Alex Wilson, who worked on the project, told the Drum: “Whether it lives as an impactful moment in time that can live on through social, or as part of a bigger campaign story, it’s a powerful tool for brands to harness in the right way.”

Wilson stated that having animated characters break the fourth wall of reality and blur the lines between content, OOH and experiential advertising, was marketing “like never before”.

“Creating 3D anamorphic billboards using characters, environments and IP usually restricted to being seen on TV or cinema screens is a huge world-building opportunity, especially when the studios and creators collaborate to bring them to life.”

“It’s an execution that can be witnessed by few IRL but experienced by many through content. A content engine can drive interaction and conversation through social, either as an impactful stunt moment or as part of a synchronized campaign plan.”




READ MORE: Top 10 most complained-about TV ads in the UK

Morbius billboard – created by Sony

Most recently, in April Sony Pictures placed a 3D billboard in Milan to promote Jared Leto’s film Morbius.

What at first seems to be a standard 2D billboard later defies expectations when Morbius himself rips through the material and growls at unsuspecting members of the public.

Psychologically, some believe the fear-inducing marketing technique is a step too far, but the bold move certainly grabbed the publics’ attention.

Perhaps this billboard will receive better reviews than the film itself.

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