‘We aim to bridge the gap between DOOH & experiential’

Imagine being able to test-drive the car you want to buy in a digitally immersive, real-life simulated scenario, on different outdoor terrains, but within the confines of an indoor environment! Well, that just got closer to reality, if Ocean Outdoor ‘s latest launch is anything to go by. 

“It’s basically about placing the audience at the center of the story; and it transforms high footfall environments into immersive, walk-in experiences,” says Nick Shaw, CEO, Ocean Outdoor UK, with palpable excitement as he talks about the company’s latest launch  – Ocean® Portal, a new format which is positioned as something that “redefines how brands show up in the real world”. 

Developed by Ocean Studio and Ocean Labs, the Portal launched at London’s Battersea Power Station, is a freestanding half cube stage composed of five high definition LED screens - three interior including the floor and two on the exterior. Measures 4.5 metres wide x 3 metres high, the Portal is equipped with Ocean Labs technology, including real-time motion tracking and mixed reality, and features Ocean Studio’s 3D DeepScreen® capability. 

“It’s like a digital stage. So it is 4.5 meters wide and 3 meters high, but it is modular and flexible so you can fit it into different environments,” explains Nick.  

Design that elevates the space 

Interactive technology and flexible hardware make Ocean’s Portal really unique. Its versatile feature means that it can be taken to big events, expos or industry shows. But what really cuts is the design of the screen. Ocean Labs and Ocean Studio worked with a designer to custom-build it, as Nick informs.  

“At Ocean, we’ve never really had just standard screens. We love having different shapes and sizes, because we think that’s what gets the creative community and the brands really excited, it makes it almost part of the city’s architecture. So we feel design of DOOH screen is incredibly important. In this case, what we love about it is that it’s like a digital stage. And every time we invite a client to see it, they come up with a different way of using it that we haven’t even thought of,” shares Nick.   

Brands and agencies can book the Portal either as an exclusive, custom-built installation for a single activation, or as part of a curated tour concept, allowing multiple advertisers to share scheduled time slots at a single high footfall location. 

Speaking about specific market observations that drove the new innovation, Nick says, “We saw a gap in the market and wanted to merge a digital screen experience with an experiential offering. We essentially wanted to add more impact and memorability to a DOOH experience.”  

‘The proof is in the pudding’ 

Further talking about Ocean’s launch and showcase strategy for Portal to garner the right response from brands and agencies, Nick says, “Instead of launching it with one particular brand, we want to invite many brands to see and experience the product. We have created some artworks specifically for these brands in order to show them the possibilities and encourage them to take that creative leap. We are hopeful that once they see it, their imagination will kick and they can see how it can actually fit in their scheme of things – as a standalone aspect or as part of a wider campaign.”  

Indeed, as he points out, “the proof is in the pudding”, and with the soft launch having already generated some excitement, Nick is confident that it’s going to be a success.   

Any innovation also comes with the question of returns on the investments, particularly for those looking to spend on it (the advertising brands). Addressing this Nick explains, “When clients share the response to their activations using our product and tell us how successful it was, we know they’ve got their ROI. But the ultimate success for me is when you’ve sold it them once and then they come back for more. Then you know that it has really been a huge success.”  

Static content on full motion screen — the need to educate on DOOH content!  

  Client adoption of an innovative idea also depends on their understanding of how DOOH content works. Talking about the challenges in this context, Nick shares, “Understanding of how content works in DOOH is a challenge everywhere.  At Ocean we have always specialized in large format, full motion screens. And I get very frustrated when I see a static copy on a full motion screen! Various neuroscience studies show that full motion is two and a half times more effective, than static. But we still see people simply repurposing ads from press or other static mediums to use on a full motion screen! So we really encourage people to think about the environment that the digital screen is in and accordingly tweak their content to make it better. “  

He adds, reiterating the need to educate clients on the best use of content for DOOH, “There’s a big need to educate people on how DOOH works. That’s why at Ocean, we believe in this dictum:  Tell the Ocean story to someone new every day; just tell more and more people about the opportunities and what OOH as a medium can do.” 

He further adds, getting to the crux of why right use of the medium matters, “We need to remember that a lot of the activations aren’t just hitting the eyeballs in front of them. They are being made for social amplification. So a campaign actually lives well beyond the billboard and OOH is a fantastic medium, in that it’s very complimentary and makes other channels work a lot harder. So, we’ve got to make sure that clients understand this.”  

Meanwhile for Ocean, more exciting things are already lined up in the pipeline – new projects that push the creative boundaries. But for Nick, the focus is clear for now – taking Portal ahead, seeing which brands are embracing it and accordingly pushing things ahead.