Turning a Building into a Billboard

Making a Big Impression

Event managers and experiential marketers want to be able to quantify the return on investment (ROI) and the potential reach of a campaign. Digital marketing has bolstered analytic data for marketers in ways that were unfathomable in the age of direct mail and even television marketing. Previous metrics were often vague estimates of impressions based on number of print ads in circulation or viewership approximation with reports like arbitron guessing how many people were actually exposed to an advertisement. One powerful way to capture a target audience is through brand activation at live events, which are often filmed and published on social media, extending the life and reach of the event marketing exhibition.

Times-Squarification of Public Spaces

Like a scene from a futuristic movie of Tokyo 2050, the metropolitan landscape continues to fill every available inch with print and digital advertising. For a small fortune companies are branding entire buildings with printed vinyl window wrap, especially near freeways and city squares that receive heavy traffic by car or foot. National conferences provide the added value of targeting specific niche demographic audiences associated with conference attendees. An example is Comic Con Intl. San Diego, where prime hotels in downtown San Diego charge more than a quarter million dollars just for the marketing fee to cover the building with a vinyl wrap, not including the actual cost associated with printing and manual labor to install the signage.

Digital signage has the added value that the dynamic content can include video animation and multiple messages, either from the same company or the cost is distributed among multiple advertisers like commercial segments on a TV show. The increasing popularity of LED wall signage can be seen prominently displayed up and down the 405 freeway near Los Angeles, and in cities like Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Coca Cola recently installed a massive LED wall display in Times Square that features the first ever moving LED wall of that scale. The cost of this installation is more than most companies spend on their entire marketing budget, which further illustrates how major brands still see value in physical branding exhibitions. Companies have yet to abandon live event and public space marketing efforts, because these campaigns occupy an unavoidable place in public awareness. These images are embedded in selfies and tourist photography, further expanding the organic viral reach.  

Cost Comparison of Signage and Video Mapping

Video mapping with high lumen projection or LED wall are premier services that often carry a high price tag depending on the scale of the project. There are limitations including the requirement of low light requiring exhibitions to take place after twilight hour in the evening. LED wall can be displayed in the daytime. When compared to the cost of printing vinyl signage and installing on the building, video projection mapping suddenly does not represent such an expensive comparable service. The labor associated with installing vinyl signage represents a significant undertaking, usually requiring at least a full day, but sometimes several days to install vinyl signage across the building. Projection mapping does require technical setup, which usually takes several hours as opposed to days. This can in some cases significantly reduce the cost of setup, and certainly the labor cost of removal of the vinyl wrap.

Although vinyl wrapping has increased visibility in the day time, the images are static and cannot incorporate multiple messages with dynamic animations. Large LED wall digital signage is visible in the daylight and captures the audience with dynamic color and animation. Video mapping of a building also captures attention by transforming the entire building into a visual experience.

Experiential and Integrated Marketing 

An increasingly common job title has emerged in the marketing landscape; experiential marketer. Experience designer, brand activation manager, design architect, all these new roles represent a shift in marketing focus to include the important component of live event marketing exhibitions. Companies like Red Bull, Coco Cola and other major brands have been able to capture audiences in compelling new ways that lend to enhanced engagement. Event managers can draw on marketing dollars for their events by illustrating the potential in-person and social media impressions that can be created by utilizing video mapping and digital signage to turn an entire building into a dynamic marketing experience.