In a time when the boundaries between reality and fiction are blurring, especially through highly personalized advertising that adapts to the viewer in real time, even on the street, à la Minority Report, and after geofencing, up to “wherever”. Can we explore? By improving outdoor advertising “promptly” after the other thanks to artificial intelligence? Last spring, the giant Coke Allied with OpenAI for throwing Create real magica creative image competition inviting artists to create images using GPT-4 and/or DALL-E. Undiz, looking to renew its summer 2023 campaign, combined classic photoshooting and AI, resulting in 3,000 very real posters placed in 60 French cities. We were then treated to a stunt live from London’s transport network that quickly made its rounds on the internet: a tube of mascara Maybelline and eyelashes much larger than life. Then in Dubai, a hologram of a giant Barbie bursts out of its box next to the icon Burj Khalifa, coinciding with the film’s release. The difference with these last two examples is that they were presented as real experiments. Productions that never took place outside of social networks and will only exist on our screens.
AI and content creation
Training | AI and content creation
Between the imaginary and the tangible
Make room for fake (or fake) out-of-home. Hyperrealistic digital displays that appear as an OOH activation in an existing cityscape, but are actually the result of augmented reality, CGI or artificial intelligence. “At a time when we experience and share everything online, fake out-of-home campaigns could become the biggest trend in online advertising,” he shared Ian Padghamthe creator behind the activation of Maybelline. We especially owe him the cars that were filled with huge Jacquemus handbags during Paris Fashion Week. Andres ReisingerCreative director based in Barcelona and known for his extraordinary installations, which he describes as “unclassifiable” due to their nature oscillating between “physical and digital,” he explained The drum “As AI technologies continue to advance, we can expect new opportunities to create more personalized, engaging and contextual ads.” Will the advertising field expand into a canvas of endless possibilities as FOOH offers more creative freedom with fewer budget and format constraints?
Gray area
The public’s appetite for ever newer and more compelling content may be satisfied with FOOH, but at what cost? We are only at the beginning of the fake-out-of-home era and it is already raising questions. Much of FOOH’s success (magic) occurs in a gray area, leaving consumers uncertain whether or not these activations exist in real life. Although one could say that this “trickery” is not much different from the CGI used in films or web series. In addition, adds Mel ArrowStrategy Director at McCann London, that the viewer broadcasting contract is independent because it is based on entertainment. In advertising, however, “the rules established are based on truthfulness.” “It is important that our industry stays on the right side of consumer trust,” warns the advertiser on Campaign. It also questions the ethics of borrowing – without investing – real, well-placed billboards for fake outdoor advertising. The CEO of is moving in the same directionAnd rising, Jonathan Trimble, playfully suggests “paying” for the virtual use of advertising space by donating money. “We would like payments to be made directly to Brixton Finishing School – our proposed contribution is £1,000. But why not do more? If the quantity is smaller, that’s cool too. “What is that worth to you?” he wrote.
When asked how far we can go in a time when the lines between reality and fiction are blurring, we borrow the words of Mel Arrow “Make it real or make it spectacularly wrong.” But nothing in between. In other words: either we make the imaginary tangible, or we make the false quite extraordinary. This would avoid gray areas.
Does this topic pique your curiosity? The Agency Clark offers a webinar on the topic 12th of October further to decipher this new format from every angle. To find out more, click here.
