Buzzing the Traditional Media off through Ambient Advertising
Angela Lucas Snipes
[email protected]
Undergraduate Marketing Student
Savannah State University
Abstract: Ambient advertising is a unique, intimate and non-traditional form of communication between the
product and the consumer and uses all physical and environmental elements leading to stronger customer
engagement. This innovative form of communication goes straight to the top of the consumer’s mind and stays
there for an extended period of time. The research study explores the innovations in ambient advertising
including flash mob dancing, use of structures, posters, props, the backs of bus tickets, supermarket floors,
shopping carts, bank receipts, animals, and other strange and unusual venues. The study further examines how
ambient advertising can effectively support both traditional and digital media. This unconventional form of
advertising makes effective use of surroundings and physical environments to grab attention of the intended
audience leading to positive brand and ad attitudes and purchase intentions. This research paper investigates the
following questions:



What are the social and economic effects on the potential consumer engagement from innovative
ambient advertising techniques like flash mob dance and the effective utilization of physical spaces for
conveying advertising messages?
How is traditional advertising different from ambient advertising?
Is ambient advertising the future of advertising?
Keywords: Ambient Advertising, Traditional Advertising, Digital Marketing, Flash Mobs, Physical Space
Utilization
INTRODUCTION
Ambient advertising utilizes the environment and elements of the environment to advertise a message.
Generally, ambient advertising utilizes the environment in a more cost-efficient manner than traditional forms
of advertising such as television, print and radio. Every year more and more chunks of marketing budgets are
used for ambient media in lieu of traditional forms. In recent years with the economic downturn, ambient media
has thrived in part because more people commute to work, walk in transit hubs and shopping malls. Megan
Hicks writes in the Journal of Media & Cultural Studies about the use of pavement for ambient media:
“When companies post advertisements for their products in places that are novel, inventive or borderline illegal,
they call it ‘guerilla marketing’. Urban footpaths have becomes a site for such tactics with advertisers
appropriating the means and methods of pavement artists and stencil graffitists to generate brand awareness”
(2009). Advertising has no limits with ambient ‘guerilla’ marketing. The world is literally the ambient artists’
playground and in an economy like todays, the low cost of creating an effective campaign is enticing to all
business owners.
Ambient media also delivers what is known as “proximity to point of sale” advertising. The ambient media is
geographically places near the point of sale to make it easy for a consumer to buy the product. In the past
decade ambient media has emerged and so advertisements are showing up in the most unusual places. The
uniqueness of this new advertising method is what sends the message straight to the mind of the potential
consumer and makes it stay there for an extended period of time. The consumer simply cannot get the message
out of his mind because of the bizarre nature of how the consumer is exposed to the message. This top of mind
awareness is something that marketers all over the world have strived to achieve with print, television, radio and
billboard for many years. Ambient advertising catches the consumer by surprise and this is what leaves the
lasting impression in their mind.
Ambient advertising is originally derived from outdoor advertising (i.e.: billboards) which is the oldest form of
advertising. Through ambient advertising marketers are able to use the environment which ends up costing
much less than traditional advertising and in addition the consumer is more engaged with the message, One
form of ambient advertising is referred to as “guerilla advertising”. Some techniques of this guerilla advertising
are “positioning out-of-place artifacts in carefully chosen sites, and promoting products using promoters who
behave in out-of-the-ordinary ways.” This type of advertising catches the consumer when they are not
expecting an advertisement and so it leaves an especially lasting impression in their mind about the product or
service.
Figure 1 shows an ambient marketing campaign that DDB Worldwide in Hong Kong did for their client
McDonald’s. DDB was faced with the challenge of combating flat sales and cutting through the chatter of food
options to ignite excitement over McDonald’s New York style burger. DDB took one of Hong Kong’s most
famous icons, the Hong Kong Red Taxi, and turned it yellow to imitate the New York style taxi. For two weeks
passengers were offered free rides to any McDonald’s in these yellow New York style taxis. Passengers could
flag the taxi down, go to a taxi stand, or call a reservation line to be picked up. A redemption coupon for
McDonald’s New York style burger was given out with every cab ride. It was a huge success. Most
McDonald’s sold out on the first day of the campaign launch. The cabs were spotted everywhere, including
Twitter, Facebook, websites, blogs and even national TV. While thousands of passengers sampled the free New
York Style Burger and taxi ride, thousands more talked about it and the New York Style burger became one of
the fastest selling new burgers in years for McDonalds.
FIGURE 1: McDonald’s Campaign by DDB Worldwide Hong Kong
The McDonalds campaign by DDB Worldwide in Hong Kong creates a buzz because it is out of the ordinary.
Ambient advertising can attribute much of its success to the element of surprise that comes with the ad. When
a person reads a newspaper or flips through a magazine they expect to see advertisements and so their brain
scans the advertisements in a unique way because the person/receiver “expects” the ad. The element of surprise
is crucial to the success of an ambient advertising. As ambient advertising gets more popular and becomes
more frequent, the lasting effects of the surprise element may fade.
Figure 2 shows an ambient campaign that JWT in Auckland, New Zealand did for their client Nestle which
owns the brand Kit Kat. The creative team at JWT came up with a poster that could be put together by
passersby at concert venues and outdoor events. The JWT team embraced the slogan of Kit Kat which is “Have
a Break” by literally giving people a break by giving them a free chair to sit in.
JWT
prototyped and tested various designs to create a plywood flat-packed Kit Kat poster that could be made into a
sturdy functional chair.
FIGURE 2: Kit Kat Campaign by JWT in Auckland, New Zealand
The poster chairs were placed strategically near outdoor summer concerts for people to take down and enjoy a
break during the gig.” (JWT.com) Each chair was stamped with the Kit Kat brand logo so that every person that
got one would always be reminded that in order to have a break, you have to have a Kit Kat. This is one
extremely creative ambient campaign in which the person not only gets to take part in putting together the chair
but they then get to sit in the chair and after that they can keep the chair and take it home to always be reminded
of this brand Kit Kat.
The” once static” advertising message has now evolved into a “dynamic, interactive and consumer-involving
content” and because of this consumers are becoming actively engaged in the creation of a brand. This
evolution of advertising mediums is taking place right now. From the perspective of the product creator or
business owner, this new form of emerging advertising has huge implications that can lead to less money being
spent on advertising and more of a profit. The key to ambient advertising is delivering the right message in the
right place. This new form of advertising has huge implications in countries like China where the internet is
censored.
In London, for example the cosmetics company Clinique has persuaded cab drivers to chat with their riders
about skin care products. Clinique’s strategy is for the cab driver to then drive the passenger straight to the mall
where they can purchase some Clinique product. The message and the call to action have to be right on target
in order to generate revenue with ambient advertising. Now more than ever, brands are looking to engage their
consumers in unique ways that will leave a lasting impression and ambient media has the ability to do just that
when done right.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In Gambetti’s paper on “Engaging Urban Touch Points” (2010), she talks about several key factors that drive
the rapid expansion of this new form of ambient media and they are as follows:




perception among advertisers that these media provide high engagement, targeting options,
proximity to point-of-sale, measurable impact and cost effectiveness;
exposure to and recall of these media is growing as individuals spend more time commuting to
work, walking in urban areas, waiting in transit hubs, and shopping at retail outlets;
the vast majority of consumers view alternative out-of-home media as favorable and educational;
and
new technology enables companies to launch digital advertising platforms that generate higher
revenues than the conventional formats they replace
The globalization of the world and the internet makes it possible to market your ambient campaign to the world.
Gambetti also says that “Ambient communication is of special interest to marketers who need to make decisions
about the most effective communication mix…Moreover, outdoor advertising, along with Internet
advertising, is the medium that has undergone the most significant changes in recent years. These changes have
enhanced ambient media’s ability to elicit consumer brand engagement, focusing the attention on engagement
as the new effectiveness parameter for innovative brand communication.”
The ability of ambient advertisements to engage the potential consumer is what leaves an imprint in the
consumer’s mind. The consumer connects this experience and the feelings during the experience with the
brand. Gambetti also talks about the benefits of ambient (a.k.a. guerilla marketing): the “benefits of guerilla
actions are that they reach consumers in places and at times when their advertising consciousness is
deactivated.”
Unlike a TV ad or a billboard or a radio commercial, ambient media catches us by surprise when we least
expect to see an ad. For instance the pavement is becoming a popular place to advertise. Hicks talks about this
in the Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. She says “in recent years corporations have recognized that new
technologies and new media expand the opportunities for pavement advertising…In the near future we are
likely to see even more advertisements on the ground, many of them authorized and legal as government
departments lease spaces on public streets and motorways as horizontal billboards.” Corporations want to
advertise for less and create a lasting impression on their brand by using Ambient ‘guerilla’ marketing. The
following (Figure 3) ad was created by Meister Proper of Grey Worldwide in Germany and is a brilliant
ambient campaign that utilizes the pavement.
FIGURE 3: Mr. Clean ad done by Proctor & Gamble Co.
In The Futurist Magazine, Marvin J. Cetron talks about Advertising’s New Frontiers. Ambient media can be
anything from the back of a bus ticket to a supermarket floor, to shopping carts or bank receipts…anything is
fair game in the world of Ambient ‘guerilla’ marketing. Consumers have to notice the ads because they are
being placed where they “can’t be avoided” Cetron talk about “A British company recently installing 150,000
hand dryers in washrooms in pubs, airports, and shopping centers. Each dryer comes with a digital screen
showings ads, videos, and animation. That amounts to a captive audience of about 40 million people as they
dry their hands.” Digital media is just one form of ambient media. Chances are you probably already encounter
digital ambient media when you stand at the gas pump. Most gas stations are getting on the bandwagon and
have installed or will soon be installing digital platforms at each gas pump so that you can sit there and watch
the advertisement as you pump your gas.
Certon also talks about another growing ambient trend in “dogverts”. This is when a company outfits the dog
with clothes that have their logos or messages on them and hire people to parade them around the city.
According to Certon (2004) Sony Ericsson hired professional dog walkers to parade their canine charges
proclaiming their new picture-messaging phones as something to drool about.” The surprise element within
these ambient marketing campaigns is crucial and some fear that after a while, the impact may wear off. A
spokesperson for Henley Centre, a strategic marketing consulting firm said that “While companies are trying to
get notices and stand out from the crowd, ambient media is actually adding to the advertising clutter, and there
is a danger that consumers will just switch off and ignore company messages”. This has one drawback to the
very nature of Ambient media. Ambient media is successful now because people do not expect to see it.
However as ambient media is used more often, people will begin to anticipate it and avoid it altogether.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Figure 4 illustrates how to buzz off traditional media through Ambient Advertising using the R.I.P. Model
There are three key elements that influence a consumer’s purchase intentions after experiencing an ambient
advertisement. The first key element is the “Relationship Strength” between the customer and the product. The
feelings towards the brand prior to experiencing the ambient ad and the relationship between the consumer and
the product both contribute to the opinion of the ambient ad. The second key element that contributes largely to
the effectiveness of ambient media is the “Inherent Dramatic Surprise / Excitement” element. Ambient
advertising by nature is unexpected. The element of surprise causes drama and excitement. The third element
that contributes to the effectiveness of ambient advertisements is the “Prodigious / Exceptional Execution
element”. Prodigious means extraordinary or marvelous. Ambient media is always prodigious in one way or
another whether it is the concept of the ad itself, the magnitude or size of the ad or the impact of the ad on the
consumer. This trait of ambient media is crucial to ability to leave a brand at the top of the consumer’s mind.
FIGURE 4: R.I.P. Conceptual Model for Ambient Advertising
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A survey based quantitative research was conducted where a sample size of 81 undergraduate students at a
Historically Black College University (HBCU) was selected for the purpose of the research study, out of which
52 were women. Table 1 shows the demographic details.
Table 1: Gender, Age and Ethnicity of the Sample
Gender
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Male
29
35.8
35.8
35.8
Female
52
64.2
64.2
100.0
Total
81
100.0
100.0
Age:
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
21 - 25
60
74.1
74.1
74.1
26 - 30
13
16.0
16.0
90.1
31 - 35
4
4.9
4.9
95.1
36 - 40
1
1.2
1.2
96.3
46 - 50
1
1.2
1.2
97.5
56 - 60
1
1.2
1.2
98.8
61 and above
1
1.2
1.2
100.0
81
100.0
100.0
Total
Ethnicity:
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
African American
64
79.0
79.0
79.0
White (Caucasian)
13
16.0
16.0
95.1
Asian
1
1.2
1.2
96.3
Native Hawaiian or other
Pacific Islander
2
2.5
2.5
98.8
Other
1
1.2
1.2
100.0
Total
81
100.0
100.0
First Qualitative Stage – 25 ads / stimuli were presented to a jury of 15 students in order to judge the degree of
ambient advertising of each stimulus. The results of this qualitative stage were ordered category ranking of 25
stimuli – frequency counts were conducted and finally, 5 stimuli were selected – the three factors of the
conceptual framework: Relationship Strength, Inherent Dramatic Surprise and Prodigious Exception, were the
focus of ordered category ranking.
Second Qualitative Stage - These 8 stimuli were then presented to the one focus group of 20 students in
random order for each student. Randomization was used to avoid systematic measurement errors as a result of
respondent wear-out. Since the population at a HBCU is homogenous with similar socio-demographic
characteristics; only gender was included as a classification question. Thereafter, the findings were recorded for
these focus groups and generalized for males versus females.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
After conducting the research, the results were obtained as shown in Table 2 highlighting correlation analysis.
Table 2: Correlations
AdBelivability
AdBelivability
Pearson Correlation
AdIrritation
**
.208
.000
.000
.067
.000
61223.295
36584.885
18162.000
3969.179
10379.449
795.108
475.128
235.870
51.548
134.798
78
78
**
1
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
Sum of Squares and Crossproducts
Covariance
N
AdIrritation
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
Sum of Squares and Crossproducts
Covariance
N
InherentDrama
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
Sum of Squares and Crossproducts
Covariance
N
ProdigiousExecution
.944
.944
**
.000
.808
.660
**
78
78
**
.173
.000
.130
.000
.770
78
.620
**
36584.885
24545.654
10953.000
2082.538
6176.346
475.128
318.775
142.247
27.046
80.212
78
78
78
78
78
**
**
1
**
.808
.770
.000
.000
18162.000
10953.000
235.870
142.247
.306
.740
**
.006
.000
8246.000
2141.000
4275.000
107.091
27.805
55.519
78
78
**
1
78
78
Pearson Correlation
.208
.173
Sig. (2-tailed)
.067
.130
.006
3969.179
2082.538
2141.000
5920.718
2346.795
51.548
27.046
27.805
76.892
30.478
78
78
**
1
Sum of Squares and Crossproducts
Covariance
N
RelationshipStrength
ProdigiousExecu RelationshipStre
tion
ngth
InherentDrama
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
Sum of Squares and Crossproducts
Covariance
N
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
78
.660
**
78
.620
**
.306
78
.740
**
78
.480
**
.000
.480
.000
.000
.000
.000
10379.449
6176.346
4275.000
2346.795
4042.987
134.798
80.212
55.519
30.478
52.506
78
78
78
78
78
Table 3 below illustrates the presence of three factors for measuring ambient advertising.
Table 3: Rotated Component Matrix
Component
Inherent
Relationship
Dramatic
Prodigious /
(Between
Surprise /
Exceptional
Product and
Excitement
Execution
Customer)
.919
.153
-.047
.903
.032
-.15
.886
.082
.157
.722
.070
.262
.096
.927
-.045
.888
.474
.640
.119
.104
.834
.168
.303
.909
Would you buy this product after seeing this ad?
.104
.119
.872
Eigen Values
4.69
2.23
1.15
% of variance
46.87
22.34
11.55
.806
.811
.759
AmbientFeeling4
I agree with this advertisement.
AmbientFeeling1
There is a clear positive message in this advertisement.
AmbientFeeling7
Does this ad make you feel good or excited?
AmbientFeeling5
The advertisement is dramatic.
AmbientFeeling2
.059
There is a clear exception in this advertisement.
AmbientFeeling6
.304
Does this ad make you feel bad or overwhelmed?
AmbientFeeling3
.088
I grew up around situations/messages like these.
AmbientFeeling9
Are you encouraged to support this cause or buy product
after seeing this ad?
AmbientFeeling8
Does this ad make you feel indifferent to the product?
AmbientFeeling10
Cronbach alpha
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
Rotation converged in 5 iterations.
KMO and Bartlett's Test
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy.
Bartlett's Test of Sphericity
Approx. Chi-Square
df
Sig.
.840
582.884
45
.000
Women feel more cheerful then men when ambient ads are conveyed. Men preferred traditional ads over
ambient advertising as the elements of surprise, drama and relationships were found less significant for men
than women. Brand interest, and positive emotion and impression about the brand and an ad, leads to positive
purchase intention. Ambient strategies make ads more interesting and likeable leading to positive intentions to
buy, while traditional strategies ignite more likeability but do not strike interest in the target audience.
DISCUSSIONS
The ‘RIP’ effect illustrates how and why the impact of ambient advertising is unique to that of any other form
of advertising. The three elements aforementioned break down the impact of ambient media and why it works
so well for bringing Top Of Mind Awareness to a brand or a product. The relationship between the customer
and the product always contributes to the buying intentions a customer has about a brand. The extraordinary
nature of ambient media helps to leave a lasting impression on anyone who experiences it. The inherent
dramatic surprise element of ambient media is perhaps the most important element of all. Ambient media
engages the customer in a way no other media can because the consumer does not expect to experience it. This
element creates drama and excitement about the ad or about the brand or product being advertised.
CONCLUSION
Ambient Advertising reaches potential consumers in a unique and creative and often engaging way. This
emerging form of advertising cuts through the traditional advertising clutter and sends the advertised product or
brand straight to the top of the consumers mind and it stays there for a significant amount of time. Ambient
media pushes the traditional limits of advertising into a whole new arena. Ambient media is the future of
advertising. Ambient campaigns require a lot of preparation and a lot of creativity and they must be executed
well or the campaign is wasted. The engaging nature of this new form of advertising is what consumers want.
Consumers want to be engaged and interact because it is human nature. Ambient media accomplishes what
traditional media conquers and more.
REFERENCES
Gambetti, R. C. (2010). Ambient Communication: HOW TO ENGAGE CONSUMERS IN URBAN TOUCHPOINTS. California Management Review, 52(3), 34-51.
Advertising's New Frontiers. (2004). Futurist, 38(4), 11.
Okazaki, S. (2010). Global Consumer Culture Positioning: Testing Perceptions of Soft-Sell and Hard-Sell
Advertising Appeals Between U.S. and Japanese Consumers. 18(2), 20-34
Duran, A. (2006). Flash mobs: Social influence in the 21st century. Social Influence, 1(4), 301-315.
Hicks, M. (2009). Horizontal billboards: The commercialization of the pavement. Continuum: Journal of Media
& Cultural Studies, 23(6), 765-780. Reyburn, D. (2010). Ambient Advertising. Marketing Health Services,
30(1), 8-11.
Ryan-Segger, T. (2007). HOW AMBIENT MEDIA HAS GROWN UP. B&T Weekly, 57(2603), 18-20.
Shankar, A., & Horton, B. (1999). Ambient media: advertising's new media opportunity?. International Journal
of Advertising, 18(3), 305-321.
Alarcon, C. (2005). Ambient media innovations target upmarket consumers. B&T Weekly, 54(2502), 11.
Bashford, S. (2010). Out of home top of mind. Marketing (00253650), 28-29.
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APPENDIX
Client: Nestle Brand Kit Kat bench
Agency: JWT - London (2009)
Client: Frontline
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi –
Jakarta, Indonesia (2009)
Client: McDonalds
Agency: Cossette West- Vancouver
&TBWA - Switzerland (2009)
Client: Rimmel
Agency: JWT - London (2009)
Client: McDonalds
Agency: DDB Group - Hong Kong (2011)
Client: Nestle Brand Kit Kat
Agency: JWT- Auckland, New Zealand (2010)
Client: Proctor & Gamble
Agency: Grey Worldwide in
Germany