Ambient Marketing: 11 Examples

What is Ambient Marketing?

Ambient marketing is a marketing concept which uses non traditional ad space to promote brands in a memorable, real-world way. “Ambient” refers to everything in your immediate environment – in a city, this could be anything from the pavement and walls to benches, escalators and everyday objects. Ambient marketing is often related to OOH (Out-of-Home) or outdoor advertising, but includes objects, too.

At first, ambient marketing was limited to things like blimps or projecting images on to buildings, but it wasn’t long until “everything” became ad space. Lamp posts, shopping trolleys, escalators, you name it, someone has an ad there! 

Leaving a lasting impression, creating buzz, and inspiring photo ops are just some of the goals of ambient marketing!

Read ahead to see how well-known brands have used ambient marketing in cities across the world.

Ambient Marketing #101: Everything is ad space

Clearly, Ambient marketing sees everything as potential ad space, including banal items like bus stops and benches. Someone realised wooden benches look kind of like a KitKat, and the famous campaign was born.

Even tiny objects can be used for ambient marketing. Many companies use beer mats to promote their brands (we have to give whoever started this some credit – there’s no better place to promote alcoholic drinks than in a bar!), and Irish stout brand Guinness even created “Christmas postcard beer mats”, retro beer mats featuring well-known bars and feel-good messages which Irish pubgoers can mail to friends abroad, using novelty Guinness mailboxes, of course. 

 Giant objects

“Go big or go home” is sometimes the name of the game in ambient marketing. Most people feel so bombarded with ads that companies have to go the extra mile to grab their attention – and what better way to do this than with an enormous, blimp-size object planted right in their line of view? The UK National Lottery sent six giant lottery balls floating down the River Thames in London in 2013 to remind people to play the lottery.  

For better or worse, giant objects are definitely one of the most memorable forms of ambient marketing!

However, some campaigns attract criticism. Some people say they ruin the historic character of cities and are just plain ugly. Unlike the installations or benches, these generally don’t serve any purpose other than marketing, and are unlikely to be recycled. An example is Bounty’s “make small work of big spills” campaign in the USA.

Unusual objects

Bags and vehicles make use of space the company already “owns”, but some ambient marketers go one step further – guerilla marketing. Guerilla marketing follows no rules and uses controversial methods and publicity stunts which some people may find over-the-top or inappropriate. It relies on the element of surprise and provokes curiosity by placing unusual objects in mundane everyday environments.

 It sometimes isn’t immediately obvious what the advertisement is for, so onlookers need to read accompanying ads to figure out what they’ve just seen. Lay’s chips Canada used this ambient marketing technique to promote the fact that their ingredients are sourced not far from the city.

Different people react differently to these kind of ads – some think it’s like a vulgar, commercial form of modern art, but others think it brings imagination to otherwise boring urban landscapes. DKNY’s “Explore Your City” campaign in 2008 was widely criticized for planting “eyesore” orange bicycles on New York street corners and for tastelessly copying the existing Ghost Bike social marketing campaign.

Installations

Full-on installations are an increasingly popular option for big-budget ambient marketers, or anyone with an innovative concept to demonstrate. It’s the next generation of product demos and stalls which encourage potential customers to try out products.

IBM’s “Smart Ideas for Smarter Cities” campaign provided innovative real-world solutions such as ramps and rain shelters – which most people agree are useful, as well as memorable. IBM uses the installations to demonstrate their concept, as well as their commitment to simplicity and problem solving. 

This is a great way to communicate with the exact person who could benefit from your product, as well as create positive associations and brand awareness. Other brands such as Volvo use installations as a way of framing their brand as “fun” and getting involved in the community.

Projections & holograms

Less intrusive than giant objects, this is one of the more oldschool ambient marketing techniques, let’s take a look at projections and holograms. These bring your product to life and tick all the ambient marketing boxes: memorable, unique, and instagrammable! World Wildlife Foundation called for an end to illegal animal trafficking by “releasing” a giant hologram of an elephant on the streets of London, England in 2018. 

Interactive experiences

Experiential marketing can tie in well with ambient marketing. Companies offer memorable interactive experiences for customers, like the IKEA Sleepover or the Smirnoff comic book party. However, ambient marketers have hidden some experiences in the everyday environment. Coco-Cola’s “Happiness Machine” invites bored people waiting at Swedish bus stops to get a taste of summer.

Promoting social change with everyday objects

Charitable organisations and public health initiatives have used ambient marketing to get people thinking about their causes. Canadian non-profit organisation Raising the Roof created a poster campaign to raise awareness of homelessness and encourage viewers to reflect on their attitudes to homeless people. 

While extremely minimalist, these posters speak volumes. They seem to blend seamlessly into the environment, but leave a lasting impression on anyone who stops to read them – a perfect example of ambient marketing!

Other campaigns use everyday objects to draw people’s attention to issues such as sustainability. WWF designed an eye-catching paper towel dispenser to make people aware of waste and its effect on the rainforest.

Sticker marketing 

Small is beautiful. Stickers are another classic example of ambient marketing. This is perfect for small and niche brands – stickers are very cheap to produce, and the kind of places you typically see them are free and open to all. Stickers are an uncontroversial form of ambient marketing – they add character to grey walls, lamp posts and bus stops which could use some colour!  However, designing a sticker which will “stick out” on a crowded wall will be a challenge.

Stickers could also be combined with street art, graffiti and stencils to communicate an edgy, creative brand – this fits the vibe of a trendy neighbourhood much more than a billboard does!

Bagvertising

“Bagvertising”, or designing one-of-a-kind, eye-catching branded bags, is an underrated form of ambient marketing. As more and more consumers prefer to use reusable tote bags, brands are investing in unique, quality designs which will be seen again and again by other shoppers. 

The design should have character and convey something about your brand or product. Bulgarian beer brand Shumensko has been using this distinctive bag since 2009, and it is still one of the most commonly-cited examples of ambient marketing on the internet. 

The bag looks like a crate of beer, and might put the idea of grabbing some cold ones in passerby’s minds. An added bonus: it integrates well with the brand’s other campaigns, using the same font and colours. Being distinctive and standing out is key in a market where consumers have so many brands to choose from.

Vehicles are moving advertisements

Advertising on public transport is not a new technique, but ambient marketers take it a step further by using public transport itself as a medium. Copenhagen Zoo’s ads look like something from an action movie and are sure to stand out in an otherwise mundane urban setting. This is a profitable strategy for a local advertiser – presumably anyone who sees a Copenhagen city bus is already in Copenhagen and a potential customer for the zoo!

Similarly, some companies use their transit vehicles to promote the brand on the road. Innocent Smoothies “grassy van” is definitely eye-catching and grabs the attention of passers-by, as well as drivers. Its grassy-look communicates the brand’s commitment to natural, good old-fashioned ingredients, which integrates well with Innocent’s brand values. 

“Invisible” branding: the future of ambient marketing?

As we’ve seen, doing things differently is the future. “Invisible” branding is a new but ingenious concept in ambient marketing.

Although the billboard doesn’t mention McDonald’s, it lists out the ingredients in a burger – substituting minimalist typeface for images. McDonald’s is a major global brand and can rely on “reminder marketing”. This is a frightening realisation for some – yes, even the most savvy, skeptical people have absorbed brand associations without realising it!

Another example of “invisible” branding is Coco-Cola’s ad, which doesn’t even feature a Coke bottle – your brain’s associate capacities do the work. 

Of course, these are just some of the ambient marketing techniques being used all around the world. With more and more competition, companies are getting creative, and campaigns change by the season. 

What are the best (or worst) ambient marketing campaigns you have seen? What do you consider the most effective form of ambient marketing? What would you do differently? 

Share your thoughts in the comments! 🙂