How OOH advertising leverages 3D technology to recreate spatial depth, enhancing engagement in immersive campaigns
By William Dixon
A range of 3D advertising techniques can be employed, each uniquely designed to attract people in diverse settings and contexts. Photos courtesy PATTISON Outdoor
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising continues to evolve, while firmly entrenched in both urban and rural landscapes. Traditional billboards have advanced beyond their conventional boundaries by incorporating two- and three-dimensional extensions, creating larger-than-life campaigns. In addition to these innovations, digital signage is seizing the opportunity to make an impact, with digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising breaking through the fourth wall by implementing 3D advertisements. The popularity of forced perspective campaigns has surged globally, with notable installations in iconic locations such as the United Kingdom’s Piccadilly Circus and Times Square in New York City, NY. Canada is now seeing some of this glory.
Several innovations have ushered digital 3D advertisements into the Canadian market. While 3D as an art form is not novel, its current application lies in leveraging it to create advertising that simulates the depth and spatial connections found in the physical world. To achieve this effect, a digital room is constructed and placed within a digital border or frame. Elements within the scene are positioned within the room to extend beyond the digital frame, creating the optical illusion of objects protruding from the screen. By taking into account the optimal viewing angle for the audience, whether it is vehicular or pedestrian traffic, captivating advertisements can then be executed.
Here, a range of 3D advertising techniques can be employed, each uniquely designed to attract people in diverse settings and contexts.
- Anamorphic 3D: These images are stretched and distorted to fit a specific viewing angle and require corner or heavily curved displays to perceive the effect.
- Forced perspective—angular flat screen: These ads are crafted on flat digital displays, utilizing a digital “stage” or “room”, stretched to align with the intended viewing angle. They feature an inner border on the screen, allowing 3D objects to extend beyond the border, creating the desired effect.
- 3D straight on perspective: These ads are also placed on flat digital displays, employing a digital “stage” or “room” alongside using techniques such as lighting, animation, and overlapping objects to convey depth.
- Static 3D digital: These ads are made without animation or movement. Depending on the location, some techniques from angular ads may be employed to enhance the illusion, such as optimizing readability for drivers on a specific side of the road.
By taking into account the optimal viewing angle for the audience, whether it is vehicular or pedestrian traffic, captivating advertisements can be executed.
By taking into account the optimal viewing angle for the audience, whether it is vehicular or pedestrian traffic, captivating advertisements can be executed.The art of 3D
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) brought the first static 3D digital horizontal poster campaign across five key markets in Atlantic Canada in its ad promoting iGaming. Specific right-hand read boards along key thoroughfares were selected for efficiency purposes to ensure only one creative version needed to be built, as they all shared a similar optimal viewing angle for the audience. The campaign prominently showcased 3D-modelled elements such as a smartphone, poker chips, and bingo balls, bringing them to life and making them appear like they would tumble out of the display.
To achieve the 3D effect, a digital room is constructed and placed within a digital border or frame.
Similarly, Ford launched a 3D campaign for the 2024 Ford F-150 in March, highlighting its smart and tough features. Using 3D was a natural fit to display the towing capabilities of PATTISON Outdoor’s in-house 3D artists, who developed concepts for each board specification and environment. Full-motion 3D video and static 3D assets were produced for audiences at the Ice District in Edmonton and unique static 3D ads were produced for digital outdoor boards across Vancouver, B.C., and Edmonton.
By deploying multiple formats of 3D, Ford was able to scale a digital 3D campaign across multiple markets. Therein lies the power of 3D advertising; it can showcase products from a wide range of categories through an extensive catalogue of displays.
William Dixon is a marketing content specialist with PATTISON Outdoor. He creates and writes for client-facing materials to promote the company’s catalogue of products.
