Messages with Impact: Creativity in Traditional Outdoor Advertising Platforms in Castellón (Spain) and Warrington (UK)

Eva Breva Franch ^{1 *}, Chelo Balado Albiol ¹, . Rutherford ²

Abstract

Outdoor advertising is currently undergoing a transformation as both the variety and popularity of digital platforms increases. This will inevitably involve significant changes in both the conception and production of advertising materials designed for digital platforms, including ‘smartboards’. Notwithstanding the technological advantages of outdoor digital advertising platforms (such as the means to incorporate motion) in attracting the attention of audiences, as a consequence of the cost of this technology as well as logistical restrictions and strategic obstacles, it is expected that not all outdoor advertising supports will be digitalized. As explained by Creative Director David Thompson of Telling Stories: With the rise of digital technology, one might expect more animation and moving image to be attracting our attention. The fact is however that many companies won't spend a lot of money on expansive and expensive alternatives because the production of posters is much less expensive to roll-out across tens, hundreds or thousands of spots. Perhaps the fact that there is not yet any concrete evidence that expensive high tech solutions offer an adequate Return on Investment (ROI) explains why it isn't happening. (Thompson, 2012) Accordingly, traditional (reflective, print-based) materials and their (non-digital) platforms will continue to be widely used in outdoor advertising. It is necessary therefore, to recognise and exploit the unique characteristics of this medium in the design of the materials for non-digital platforms. To provide both advertisers (sponsors) and creatives with a set of guidelines to maximise the effectiveness of both traditional materials and non-digital platforms, this project has attempted to identify the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of these traditional materials and platforms, as well as the extent to which these factors are shaped by the cultural environments and contexts in which they are employed.

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