Ambient Media–the possibilities
Advertising communicates with potential consumers by trying to persuade or entice them to purchase or consume a particular product, service or brand. All primary mediums are used to convey the advertising messages such as, newspaper, radio, television, magazine, billboards, cinema and Internet.
Ambient media is a form of advertising and according to Wikipedia; the term ambient media emerged in British media slang around 1999 and is now accepted terminology within the advertising industry. The phrase was said to have started during the peak of a popular genre of music referred to as ambient music. The music used electronic textures that created an atmosphere or mood giving the meaning of ambient to relate to something that is in the immediate environment. This article explains how ambient media got started, what it is, some of the innovative ways it is used, and why it is so popular.
Ambient media refers to any non-traditional out-of-home media. Also known as Alternative media or place-based media. Regardless of what you call it, ambient media is specifically designed to reach consumers when they are most vulnerable…close to the point of purchase. It can be used with traditional advertising methods but it also does quite well on its own. In order to have a successful advertising campaign using ambient media, the strategic factor is to choose the proper media format for the product or service and combine the format with a powerful effective message.
Ambient media can be interactive which is always “something different” that stands out and draws attention especially in high pedestrian or centralized locations. Some of the creative ways ambient media is displayed are:
- On the side of egg cartons and at the bottom of golf holes
- On hanging straps in railway cars and on buses
- On the handles of supermarket carts
- On the roof of shopping cart return stations
- A bumper sticker promoting a new nightclub
- Diaper changing stations
- Airplane tray tables
- On parking meters
- Small screen advertising such as an ATM
- Washroom
- Valet parking tickets and parking garage receipts
- Projecting large images on the side of a building
- Message directly under a sewer that says, “ Need a New Barbeque?” (Sewer grate and barbeque…not too sure what they were thinking)
- Giant clam shells on a beach that contain an ad marketing a nearby restaurants seafood festival
These examples only scratch the surface of the different ways ambient media advertising is displayed. Some of the reasons it is so popular and profitable is because its versatile, traditional media is not as popular as it once was, advertisers want the benefits of point-sale communications and ambient media reaches the target audience where they live, work and play.
Ambient media is steadily increasing in popularity. Businesses want to reach their target audience as quickly as possible and ambient media allows them to do so. Today there are quite a few more advertising options than radio and television, and frankly, there are so many other sources of entertainment, that people are just not sitting around watching television all the time. Advertisers need to reach these people. Advertisers need to be where the people are and that is actually what ambient media advertising does. It captures the consumer off guard where it counts…
