Something caught my eye today, in fact, it demanded attention more than just from my eyes.
That something was an outdoor ad for Hugo Boss’ new fragrance for men.
You see, being a consumer in the attention economy, I have been numbed by the huge clutter of outdoor print ads where bold captions and images of overt sexuality no longer surprise me. The Hugo Boss Pure fragrance ad, however, made itself very difficult to miss, by teasing the shoppers with the actual scent lingering in the air. Note to sales promoters at fragrance beauty counters: Throw away those tiny perfume paper samples and just spray the scent in the air!
Such a subtle tactic, yet provoking such a powerful ambience. Which led me to rethink about outdoor advertising. One major advantage outdoor advertising has over almost all other media was its ability to create an atmosphere, an experience – which I would like to call it Ambience Advertising.
And to create a powerful experience through Ambience Advertising was to draw the audience through all 5 senses – provoking visuals, intoxicating scents, captivating music, temptations on the physical skin and wat the hell, why not give the audience something to eat as well to arouse their tastebuds! Hugo Boss’ Pure outdoor ad scored a fantastic 4 out of 5 for reaching out to the human senses – a powerful print image (as shown above), an arousing scent, the soft hypnotic echoes of the background music and the tickling of water trickling down the shopping mall’s urban wall. All of these were shoved right into the faces of the passing shoppers, inviting them to experience not only the aquatic power and elegance that Pure represents, but also the extravangance and avant-garde fashion that the brand Hugo Boss stands for.
If coffee and fragrances can be marketed as experiences, so can brands. If you can create a distinct ambience for your audience to experience what your brand stands for, why not?
Filed under: Branding, Marketing, Outdoor Advertising | 2 Comments
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Recent Comments
Hi there!
Just wonder where did you encounter Boss Pure? I wanna look for it too.
Cheers!
Virginia
Hi Virginia!
The OOH campaign for Pure is actually launched in Singapore, in Orchard. It is located at an underpass from Tangs shopping mall to the Lido Shaw House.