Marico's tech innovation at train stations

Advertising and marketing is a sea full of tough competitors, where all that matters is getting eyeballs in whatever way feasible. So, it is a common sight to see brands arm themselves with cutting-edge creativity just to stay ahead of the curve.

Riding on the same thought, Marico's Hair & Care has launched a new digital OOH (Out Of Home) campaign - #KhuleBaalBefikar, that makes use of wind sensor technology. The campaign has been created and executed by Madison World's outdoor unit MOMS.

With digital screens equipped with wind sensors, the campaign has found its presence across metro stations in Mumbai and bus shelters in Jaipur. The purpose of the sensors, it appears, is to give a lively touch to an otherwise static Shraddha Kapoor image hoisted on the screens. Every time a metro or a bus arrives, Shraddha's hair moves as though blown by a gust of air, thereby highlighting the brand proposition – 'light and free open hair'.

Apotek a pharmacy chain in Norway had launched a very similar campaign in Stockholm, for their Apolosophy brand. The campaign saw the use of digital screens equipped with wind sensors - for the same purpose.

But, how was Marico's campaign conceived and executed by MOMS? We reached out to Jayesh Yagnik, chief operating officer, MOMS, to get the insights.

Jayesh says, “The idea was conceived jointly by our creative and servicing teams. The client's brief was that the product was about bouncy and light hair. When you talk about bouncy hair, the first thing that pops up in your mind is a moving visual of bouncing hair. To present this visual on an outdoor or static image would not have been possible. We first thought of going with a static imaging flaunting this kind of hair. But the creative team suggested we go transert – hence, the idea of wind sensors. So, whenever a bush or train passes by the screens, the hair moves as though blown by a gust of wind.”

Speaking about the kind of brands that can use such ideas, Yagnik says, “FMCG has recently used it. Apart from them, many other brands can use such technology through many creative ways. There are quite a few retail brands that could use this kind of a campaign. Basically, brands like retail or real estate or all those who are more business-to-customer oriented.”

About the challenges faced in executing the campaign, Yagnik says, “The challenge was to find the right kind of touchpoint. Metro was obviously there, but we had to take it to other places. So, to create this campaign in an outdoor environment was a challenge. We got it done at the bus shelters as well. Installing such technology in the outdoors with changing weather conditions makes it challenging.”

Speaking on the future of digital OOH advertising, Jayesh reckons, “Anything in DOOH is the future.Many things can be done in this style of advertising. For example, we can do programmatic DOOH, where a trigger be could temperature, time, or anything else. The future is bright for this. DOOH is itself quite new and niche in the Indian market. Once you put a technology like sensors, everything else is just a cherry on top.”

We got in touch with Deepak Kumar, executive vice president, Ambient, C Lab, ROOH, at Dentsu Aegis Network to understand the know-hows of DOOH and its future.

Commenting on the efficacy of digital OOH, Kumar points out that these campaigns garner visibility and create a buzz around the product. He says, "DOOH offers the flexibility to use technology and API to deliver a campaign effectively. It’s great to see brand owners and agencies opening up to this lesser explored medium. Though it might sound extravagant, the fact is that it is garnering visibility, creating a buzz and enabling people to step out of their comfort zones. It’s important that such campaigns are encouraged as this will help unleash the true potential of this medium."

Speaking on the prospect of digital out of home campaigns, Kumar avers, "Technical possibilities are endless when it comes to DOOH. If you can think of it and believe in it, it can be implemented." Pointing out the possible challenges that a creative team might face while producing such campaigns, he says, "While some clients are happy to run ROS or SOV campaigns, most clients are skeptical so bringing them closer towards accepting this new medium is the first challenge. Another challenge would be multiple media owners having different hardware and software that limits the scaling of an idea."

Speaking about the future of DOOH, Kumar suggests that "...it will add more value to the OOH sector. The flexibility to manage a campaign dynamically on the basis of TG, location and time of the day is a concept that most brands will crave. API integration will bring in relevance to the ads being served to the consumers at the right location. In the future, once the infrastructure in the country improves and brands are more open in their approach, it will no longer be about pure media buying but it will be based on the audience that a brand wants to connect with. Location and audience analytics will become critical to planning and buying. DOOH will not only bring in far greater accountability and transparency, but data that will enable relevance of each screen to the campaign."