Without a doubt, this has to be one of the greatest, cleverest, and most innovative OOH campaign I have ever seen. Let me say that now. Beyond all of that, though, this campaign is one thing: creative genius. As an ad man, a devoted member of the church of Netflix, and a lover of all things TV, this ad speaks to me on a plethora of levels. First of all, let me tell you a little more about this campaign.
To promote their launch in France, Netflix created 100 different GIFs made out of programming they offer and placed them in major urban areas. For those unfamiliar with GIFs, they are essentially mini, soundless bits of video that repeat. GIFs are a staple of modern websites, because they can be intertwined so effectively with words and sounds to convey messages that each individual media couldn't do alone. They are part of how we communicate with each other in our modern world, and Netflix took notice.
This campaign is so good for so many reasons. First of all, Netflix understands its position as a gatekeeper of TV's new Golden Age. It knows that it has some of the best and most loved shows available (such as Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad, and Fargo) and uses them. It also understands that our favorite TV shows are becoming huge parts of not only our lives, but also our culture at large.
Most of these shows are international phenomena; breaking down cultural barriers, bring us all together. The messages are the same whether in New York, Paris, or Toronto. We all love our TV shows, and we all love Netflix.
It also recognizes that we are consuming our favorite shows in a multitude of different ways, especially online. Netflix knows that more people are streaming their shows online then ever before, and should speak to them using a langue they know well: enter the GIF. This campaign shows that Netflix as a finger on our culture heartbeat, and knows just how to reach us.
But the best part of all is that this campaign is more than just culturally aware, it is interactive. Like Altstiel & Grow said, “think big… and take advantage of your location.” That is exactly what Netflix did.
Being a digital OOH campaign allows these ads to interact with the situations around it, even to the point of reacting to the news. The video shows different scenarios in which the ads could react; such as if it’s raining, a rainy GIF plays. Or if France just was eliminated from the World Cup, a sad GIF plays. Each different ad is programmed to not only act as regular ads conveying general messages, but to convey specific ones as well.
That’s the beauty of this campaign. It connects to the audience very effectively, informs them of Netflix’s arrival, and thoroughly entertains them. If this is the future of advertising, there’s only one thing I can say to that…
To promote their launch in France, Netflix created 100 different GIFs made out of programming they offer and placed them in major urban areas. For those unfamiliar with GIFs, they are essentially mini, soundless bits of video that repeat. GIFs are a staple of modern websites, because they can be intertwined so effectively with words and sounds to convey messages that each individual media couldn't do alone. They are part of how we communicate with each other in our modern world, and Netflix took notice.
This campaign is so good for so many reasons. First of all, Netflix understands its position as a gatekeeper of TV's new Golden Age. It knows that it has some of the best and most loved shows available (such as Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad, and Fargo) and uses them. It also understands that our favorite TV shows are becoming huge parts of not only our lives, but also our culture at large.
Most of these shows are international phenomena; breaking down cultural barriers, bring us all together. The messages are the same whether in New York, Paris, or Toronto. We all love our TV shows, and we all love Netflix.
It also recognizes that we are consuming our favorite shows in a multitude of different ways, especially online. Netflix knows that more people are streaming their shows online then ever before, and should speak to them using a langue they know well: enter the GIF. This campaign shows that Netflix as a finger on our culture heartbeat, and knows just how to reach us.
But the best part of all is that this campaign is more than just culturally aware, it is interactive. Like Altstiel & Grow said, “think big… and take advantage of your location.” That is exactly what Netflix did.
Being a digital OOH campaign allows these ads to interact with the situations around it, even to the point of reacting to the news. The video shows different scenarios in which the ads could react; such as if it’s raining, a rainy GIF plays. Or if France just was eliminated from the World Cup, a sad GIF plays. Each different ad is programmed to not only act as regular ads conveying general messages, but to convey specific ones as well.
That’s the beauty of this campaign. It connects to the audience very effectively, informs them of Netflix’s arrival, and thoroughly entertains them. If this is the future of advertising, there’s only one thing I can say to that…
Citations:
Altstiel, T. & Grow, J. (2013). Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy and Design (3rd Edition). Los Angeles: Sage.
Word Count
498
Altstiel, T. & Grow, J. (2013). Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy and Design (3rd Edition). Los Angeles: Sage.
Word Count
498