Is this $500k Times Square, Moxy & Piccadilly package the Super Bowl of out-of-home?
Brands are being invited to simultaneously “dominate” four of the world’s most iconic outdoor advertising sites with a new package from Ocean Outdoor and Branded Cities.
The teaser for the United Collection
Ocean Outdoor and Branded Cities have elevated a pan-Atlantic sales alliance by bundling their top OOH sites into what they believe is one of the most premium packages in adland.
Pitching it to global brands as a a ’Super Bowl’ moment for OOH, the so-called United Collection (due to it spanning the United Kingdom and the United States) has an entry cost of at least $500,000 (£415,000) and will give marketers exclusive access to three of the world’s biggest sites.
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Once a month, one advertiser can simultaneously take over London’s Piccadilly Lights, Los Angeles’ The Moxy and Times Square in New York’s TS2 (Nasdaq and Midtown Financial) for 30 minutes.
Nick Shaw, chief revenue officer of Ocean Outdoor, says: "We’ve set brands a challenge – these are the biggest and best creative canvases in the world, so let’s do something pretty spectacular.”
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Denise Levine, chief revenue officer of Branded Cities, meanwhile estimates that a one-week takeover will drive some 17.3m on-the-ground views, with the creative showing at 1:30pm LA time, 4:30pm in New York and 9:30pm in London.
But what’s the potential brand uplift of this simultaneous launch? That remains to be seen but the pair believe that movie trailer premieres, live catwalks and innovative 3D executions will wow audiences on the ground and beyond. Exclusivity and grandeur are key here.
Shaw adds: “We came up with something that’s easy to market to clients. Outside of this, you can’t really access the roadblock domination on Piccadilly unless you are one of the long-term holders, such as Samsung or Coca-Cola.”
It is in social media where extra gains can be made. On-site cameras can stream the creative and the teams will be priming social assets immediately (rather than days after) for clients. Shaw says a recent campaign the team ran for Meta got 22m impressions in a week, but required the media owners to realize the potential of the wider media moment.
Levine points out that this launch comes during a resurgence of outdoor media. “There are some other industries in media that are having a little bit of difficulty right now, but OOH is different... we’re innovative, we’re interactive and now we’re more buzzworthy.”
She foresees movie stars and musicians staging scenes in front of these DOOH sites. With 3D creative, she sees it as a power canvas to drive brand fame. But, she reiterates, this is a launch pad. “This works so well in tandem with other traditional OOH buys. It complements them – it is the cherry on top.”
Shaw adds: “It is our Super Bowl moment. It can prime your campaign before your bread and butter sites drive coverage and frequency.”
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From early discussions, the pair see global fashion, luxury and entertainment brands as the main takers of the inventory, although Shaw teases that some advertisers have come out of “left field” and others have courted the idea of dominating the space for more than a month.