How Arla and Guinness captured people’s attention to extend the reach of their OOH ads

Out-of-home (OOH) presents marketers with an opportunity to create eye-catching creative that delivers brand uplift in the short and long term – provided it has a strong concept and execution.

According to Kantar’s latest edition of ‘The Works’, which measures the effectiveness of advertising formats, two brands achieved strong results for their OOH creative in October this year: Arla and Guinness.

Produced in association with Marketing Week and the Advertising Association’s Trust Working Group, the Kantar study asks 750 consumers to provide thoughts and feedback on the top OOH ads over the period.

Arla’s Lactofree 3D installation takes the top spot, in part due to the unique 3D aspect of the creative which sees a Lactofree carton extrude beyond the bounds of the advertising hoarding. It creates the illusion of the dairy-free milk product being poured: many respondents to the Kantar survey cited the “eye-catching” execution as the reason for its effectiveness.

Consequently, the ad falls in the top 6% of UK ads for being interesting, according to Kantar. Lynne Deason, Kantar’s head of creative excellence for the UK, explains: “Increasingly OOH ads can also spark a discussion and have a life, reach and visibility that extends beyond the location itself.

“Arla’s Lactofree OOH special build at Westfield, London is a great example of this with 37% of people saying this is an ad that they would definitely tell other people about.”

The ad’s ability to attract attention then allowed Arla to land messages about brand and product. The installation lands in the top 15% for being distinctive, per the Kantar data, and the prominence of the name results in branding being in the top 40% of UK ads.

Crucially for a brand looking to succeed in the lucrative dairy-free market, the ad lands in the top 5% of all ads for its power to convey that this milk is lactose-free.

Kantar’s eye-tracking research demonstrates that people’s eyes were primarily drawn to the 3D carton first, with other key points of interest being the brand logo and the words ‘easier to digest’.

Deason explains: “Advertising isn’t something that people are interested in, they aren’t going to put in mental effort to figure out the ad or what you’re trying to say. Data from Kantar’s Link database shows that increasing the number of messages ultimately dilutes what people take away, more is less in effect.”

That was reflected in some of the respondents’ statements, which included “it is very simple and easy to understand” and “clearly reflects that it’s lactose-free”.

That simplicity of message and branding was also reflected in the Guinness creative, which was a narrow runner-up to Arla according to the Kantar data. The image of a pint of Guinness created by surfboards lands among the top 4% for how easy it is to identify the brand without the product, while branding is overall in the top 5% percent of Kantar-analysed ads.

Deason explains: “Guinness’s OOH campaign shows that while special builds can be highly effective, they aren’t the only way to develop OOH ads that deliver results. The campaign, which positions Guinness as a thirst-quenching drink on hotter days, not only leverages the brand’s distinctive brand assets but also its tone of voice – people find it highly distinctive, clever and funny.”