Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 460,503 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,097 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,097 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,210 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 460,503 cutting edge ideas.

The Importance of Innovation in Outdoor Advertising

Courtney Scharf
June 5th, 2013
Outdoor advertising, while a more traditional form of publicity, can be an incredibly effective means of marketing a brand's message. There are several factors that go into making one of these campaigns successful, and innovation is the ultimate goal.

Make use of QR code technology. QR code technology is an increasingly accessible approach to marketing that can transform an outdoor advertisement from stagnant to spectacular. This technology is great in terms of driving action from those who see the advertisement, and serves to make your company look more modern and in touch with technology trends. A great example of this approach is the promotion of a Lupe Fiasco album. The marketing team behind this campaign projected a QR code onto a building, and when scanned, prompted viewers to a page where they could purchase a pre-order of the album.

Ensure that it's interactive. Similar to the appeal of QR codes, it's important that, when possible, outdoor advertisements be interactive and engaging. Though QR codes are great at facilitating this, it's not the only way that it can be approached. A very successful campaign was run by the National Center for Domestic Violence that employed much more elementary technology. Using just text messages, those passing the advertisement could stop a man shown to be abusing his wife. Interactive advertising is an effective way to leave an impression on an audience, and when unique enough, can receive widespread coverage.

Make it striking. Creating a visually striking campaign may seem fairly straightforward, but given how many outdoor advertisements are out there, it can be tricky to stand out. Minimalism has worked as a surprisingly effective approach for many brands, and catches the eye by undermining what a passerby might expect from an outdoor advertisement. Other remarkably eye-catching outdoor advertisements take advantage of their settings, like a Dove campaign that used part of the ad to look like a towel.

Creating a captivating, creative outdoor ad can be an investment, but when executed correctly, can be very worthwhile. For more information on how brands are staying ahead in advertising, check out Trend Hunter's Marketing Trend Report.
References: trendreports