Experience the ‘Ambience’:

Buzzing the Traditional Media off through Ambient Advertising

Abstract: Ambient advertising is a unique, intimate and non-traditional form of communication between the

product and the consumer and uses all physical and environmental elements leading to stronger customer

engagement. This innovative form of communication goes straight to the top of the consumer’s mind and stays

there for an extended period of time. The research study explores the innovations in ambient advertising

including flash mob dancing, use of structures, posters, props, the backs of bus tickets, supermarket floors,

shopping carts, bank receipts, animals, and other strange and unusual venues. The study further examines how

ambient advertising can effectively support both traditional and digital media. This unconventional form of

advertising makes effective use of surroundings and physical environments to grab attention of the intended

audience leading to positive brand and ad attitudes and purchase intentions. This research paper investigates the

following questions:

• What are the social and economic effects on the potential consumer engagement from innovative

ambient advertising techniques like flash mob dance and effective utilization of physical spaces for

conveying advertising messages?

• Is ambient advertising the future of advertising?

• How can digital and traditional advertising benefit from ambient advertising, thereby revolutionizing the

advertising industry?

Keywords: Ambient Advertising, Traditional Advertising, Digital Marketing, Physical Space Utilization

INTRODUCTION

Ambient advertising utilizes the environment and elements of the environment to advertise a message.

Generally, ambient advertising utilizes the environment in a more cost-efficient manner than traditional forms

of advertising such as television, print and radio. Every year more and more chunks of marketing budgets are

used for ambient media in lieu of traditional forms. In recent years with the economic downturn, ambient media

has thrived in part because more people commute to work, walk in transit hubs and shopping malls. Megan

Hicks (2009) writes about the use of pavement for ambient media: “When companies post advertisements for

their products in places that are novel, inventive or borderline illegal, they call it ‘guerilla marketing’. Urban

footpaths have becomes a site for such tactics with advertisers appropriating the means and methods of

pavement artists and stencil graffitists to generate brand awareness”.

Ambient media also delivers what is known as “proximity to point of sale” advertising. The ambient media is

geographically placed near the point of sale to make it easy for a consumer to buy the product. In the past

decade, ambient media has emerged and advertisements keep showing up in the most unusual places. Ambient

advertising catches the consumers by surprise and this is what leaves the lasting impression in their minds.

Ambient advertising is originally derived from outdoor advertising (i.e.: billboards) which is the oldest form of

advertising. Some techniques of this guerilla advertising are demonstrated by positioning out-of-place artifacts

in carefully chosen sites, and promoting products using promoters who behave in out-of-the-ordinary ways.

This type of advertising catches the consumers’ attention instantly especially since they are not expecting an

advertisement in a manner the information is presented to them.

Figure 1 shows an ambient marketing campaign that DDB Worldwide in Hong Kong did for their client -

McDonald’s. DDB was faced with the challenge of combating flat sales and cutting through the clutter of food

options in order to ignite excitement over McDonald’s New York style burger. DDB took one of Hong Kong’s

most famous icons, the Hong Kong Red Taxi, and turned it yellow to imitate the New York style taxi. For two

weeks, passengers were offered free rides to any McDonald’s in these yellow New York style taxis. Passengers

could flag the taxi down, go to a taxi stand, or call a reservation line to be picked up. A redemption coupon for

McDonald’s New York style burger was given out with every cab ride. It was a huge success. Most

McDonald’s sold out on the first day of the campaign launch. The cabs were spotted everywhere, including

Twitter, Facebook, websites, blogs and even national TV. While thousands of passengers sampled the free New

York Style Burgers and taxi rides, thousands more talked about it and the New York Style burger became one

of the fastest selling new burgers in years for McDonald’s.

The McDonald’s campaign by DDB Worldwide in Hong Kong creates a buzz because it is out of the ordinary.

Ambient advertising can attribute much of its success on the element of surprise that comes with the ad. When a

person reads a newspaper or flips through a magazine they expect to see advertisements and so their brain scans

the advertisements in a unique way because the person/receiver “expects” the ad. The element of ‘surprise’ is

crucial to the success of an ambient advertising. As ambient advertising gets more popular and becomes more

frequent, the lasting effects of the ‘surprise’ element may fade.

FIGURE 1: McDonald’s Campaign by DDB Worldwide in Hong Kong

Figure 2 illustrates another ambient campaign that JWT in Auckland, New Zealand did for their client – Nestle,

which owns the brand Kit Kat. The creative team at JWT came up with a poster that could be put together by

passersby at concert venues and outdoor events. The JWT team embraced the slogan of Kit Kat which is “Have

a Break” by literally giving people a break by giving them a free chair to sit in. JWT prototyped and tested

various designs to create a plywood flat-packed Kit Kat poster that could be made into a sturdy functional chair.

“The poster chairs were placed strategically near outdoor summer concerts for people to take down and enjoy a

break during the gig” (JWT.com). Each chair was stamped with the Kit Kat brand logo so that every person that

got one would always be reminded that in order to have a break; you have to have a Kit Kat. This is one

extremely creative ambient campaign in which the person not only gets to take part in putting together the chair

but they then get to sit on the chair and after that they can keep the chair and take it home to always be

reminded of this brand Kit Kat.

FIGURE 2: Kit Kat Campaign by JWT in Auckland, New Zealand

The conventional and traditional advertising message referred to as “once static” advertising message has now

evolved into a “dynamic, interactive and consumer-involving content” and as a result, consumers are becoming

actively engaged in the creation of a brand. This evolution of advertising mediums is taking place right now.

From the perspective of the product creator or business owner, this new form of emerging ambient advertising

has huge implications that can lead to less money being spent on advertising resulting in more profitability. The

key to ambient advertising is delivering the right message in the right place at the right time with lesser costs of

advertising.

From an international business and marketing perspective, this new form of advertising has huge implications in

countries like China where the internet is censored. In London, for example, the cosmetics company - Clinique

has persuaded cab drivers to chat with their riders about skin care products. Clinique’s strategy is for the cab

driver to then drive the passenger straight to the mall where they can purchase some Clinique product. The

message and the call to ‘action’ have to be right on target in order to generate revenue with ambient advertising.

Now more than ever, brands are looking to engage their consumers in unique ways that will leave an ever-

lasting impression and ambient media has the ability to do just that when done right.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In Gambetti’s paper on “Engaging Urban Touch Points” (2010), she talks about several key factors that drive

the rapid expansion of this new form of ambient media as follows:

• perception among advertisers that these media provide high engagement, targeting options,

proximity to point-of-sale, measurable impact and cost effectiveness;

• exposure to and recall of these media is growing as individuals spend more time commuting to

work, walking in urban areas, waiting in transit hubs, and shopping at retail outlets;

• the vast majority of consumers view alternative out-of-home media as favorable and educational;

and

• new technology enables companies to launch digital advertising platforms that generate higher

revenues than the conventional formats they replace

The globalization of the world and the internet makes it possible to market your ambient campaign to the world.

Gambetti (2010) further says that “Ambient communication is of special interest to marketers who need to make

decisions about the most effective communication mix…Moreover, outdoor advertising, along with Internet

advertising, is the medium that has undergone the most significant changes in recent years. These changes have

enhanced ambient media’s ability to elicit consumer brand engagement, focusing the attention on engagement

as the new effectiveness parameter for innovative brand communication.”

The ability of ambient advertisements to engage the potential consumer is what leaves an imprint in the

consumer’s mind. The consumer connects with this experience and the feelings during the experience with the

brand. Unlike a TV ad or a billboard or a radio commercial, ambient media catches us by surprise when we

least expect to see an ad. For instance the pavement is becoming a popular place to advertise. Hicks (2009)

says “in recent years corporations have recognized that new technologies and new media expand the

opportunities for pavement advertising…In the near future we are likely to see even more advertisements on the

ground, many of them authorized and legal as government departments lease spaces on public streets and

motorways as horizontal billboards.” Corporations want to advertise for less and create a lasting impression on

their brand by using ambient ‘guerilla’ marketing. The ad in Figure 3 was created by Meister Proper of Grey

Worldwide in Germany and is a brilliant ambient campaign that utilizes the pavement.

FIGURE 3: Mr. Clean ad done by Proctor & Gamble Co. (Advertising Agency – Grey Worldwide)

In the Futurist Magazine, Marvin J. Cetron (2004) talks about Advertising’s New Frontiers. Ambient media can

be anything from the back of a bus ticket to a supermarket floor, to shopping carts or bank receipts…anything is

fair game in the world of Ambient ‘guerilla’ marketing. Consumers have to notice the ads because they are

being placed where the ads “can’t be avoided.” Cetron (2004) refers to a case of British company recently

installing 150,000 hand dryers in washrooms in pubs, airports, and shopping centers. Each dryer comes with a

digital screen showings ads, videos, and animation. That amounts to a captive audience of about 40 million

people as they dry their hands.” Digital media is just one form of ambient media. Most gas stations are getting

on the bandwagon and have installed or will soon be installing digital platforms at each gas pump so that one

can sit there and watch the advertisement while pumping gas.

There is another growing ambient trend referred to as ‘dogverts’, when a company outfits the dog with clothes

that have their logos or messages on them and hire people to parade them around the city. According to Certon

(2004) Sony Ericsson hired professional dog walkers to parade their canine charges proclaiming their new

picture-messaging phones as something to drool about. The surprise element within these ambient marketing

campaigns is crucial and some fear that after a while, the impact may wear off. A spokesperson for Henley

Centre, a strategic marketing consulting firm said that “While companies are trying to get noticed and stand out

from the crowd, ambient media is actually adding to the advertising clutter, and there is a danger that consumers

will just switch off and ignore company messages”. This leads us to a serious drawback to the very nature of

ambient media. Ambient media is successful now because people do not expect to see it. However as ambient

media is becoming more and more popular and used more often as advertising technique, people will begin to

anticipate it and avoid it altogether.

‘RIP’ CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR AMBIENT ADVERTISING

Figure 4 illustrates how to buzz off traditional media through Ambient Advertising using the R.I.P. conceptual

framework. There are three key elements that influence a consumer’s purchase intentions after experiencing an

ambient advertisement. The first key element is the “Relationship Strength” between the customer and the

product. The feelings towards the brand after experiencing the ambient ad and the relationship between the

consumer and the product both contribute to the opinion of the ambient ad. The second key element that

contributes largely to the effectiveness of ambient media is the “Inherent Dramatic Surprise / Excitement”

element. Ambient advertising by nature is unexpected. The element of surprise causes drama and excitement.

The third element that contributes to the effectiveness of ambient advertising is the “Prodigious / Exceptional

Execution element”. ‘Prodigious’ means ‘extraordinary or marvelous’, which signifies out-of-the-box thinking

when it comes to ambient advertising. Ambient media is always prodigious in one way or the other - whether it

is the concept of the ad itself, the magnitude or size of the ad or the impact of the ad on the consumer. This trait

of ambient media is crucial to ability to leave a lasting impression about a brand or service at the top of the

consumer’s mind.

FIGURE 4: R.I.P. Conceptual Model for Ambient Advertising

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A survey based quantitative research was conducted on a sample size of 81 respondents out of which 52 were

women. Table 1 shows the demographic details.

Table 1: Gender, Age and Ethnicity of the Sample

Gender

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid Male 29 35.8 35.8 35.8

Female 52 64.2 64.2 100.0

Total 81 100.0 100.0

Age

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid 21 - 25 60 74.1 74.1 74.1

26 - 30 13 16.0 16.0 90.1

31 - 35 4 4.9 4.9 95.1

36 - 40 1 1.2 1.2 96.3

46 - 50 1 1.2 1.2 97.5

56 - 60 1 1.2 1.2 98.8

61 and above 1 1.2 1.2 100.0

Total 81 100.0 100.0

Ethnicity

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid African American 64 79.0 79.0 79.0

White (Caucasian) 13 16.0 16.0 95.1

Asian 1 1.2 1.2 96.3

Native Hawaiian or other

Pacific Islander

2 2.5 2.5 98.8

Other 1 1.2 1.2 100.0

Total 81 100.0 100.0

First Qualitative Stage – 25 ambient ads / stimuli were presented to a jury of 15 students in order to judge the

degree of ambient advertising of each stimulus. The results of this qualitative stage were ordered category

ranking of 25 stimuli – frequency counts were conducted and finally, 5 stimuli were selected; and the three

factors of the conceptual framework: Relationship Strength, Inherent Dramatic Surprise and Prodigious

Exception, were the focus of ordered category ranking.

Second Qualitative Stage - These 5 stimuli were then presented to two focus groups of 20 participants each in

random order. Randomization was used to avoid systematic measurement errors as a result of respondent wear-

out. Since the population at a Historically Black College and University is homogenous with similar socio-

demographic characteristics; only gender was included as a classification question. Thereafter, the findings

were recorded for these focus groups and generalized for males versus females.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

After conducting the research, the results were obtained as shown in Tables 2 and 3 highlighting factor analyses and

correlation analyses between the three factors of ambient advertising and ad and brand attitudes and purchase

intentions. Table 2 below illustrates the presence of three factors for measuring ambient advertising.

Table 2: Rotated Component Matrix

Three Factors of Ambient Advertising

Inherent

Dramatic

Surprise /

Excitement

Prodigious /

Exceptional

Execution

Relationship

(Between

Product and

Customer)

AmbientFeeling4

I am surprised to see this advertisement.

.919 .153 -.047

AmbientFeeling1

There is a clear positive message in this advertisement.

.903 .032 -.15

AmbientFeeling7

Does this ad make you feel good or excited?

.886 .082 .157

AmbientFeeling5

The advertisement is dramatic.

.722 .070 .262

AmbientFeeling2

There is a clear exception in this advertisement.

.096 .927 .059

AmbientFeeling6

Does this ad make you feel bad or overwhelmed?

-.045 .888 .304

AmbientFeeling3

I grew up around situations/messages like these.

.474 .640 .088

AmbientFeeling9

Are you encouraged to support this cause or buy product

after seeing this ad?

.119 .104 .834

AmbientFeeling8

Does this ad make you feel indifferent to the product?

AmbientFeeling10

Would you buy this product after seeing this ad?

.168

.104

.303

.119

.909

.872

Eigen Values 4.69 2.23 1.15

% of variance 46.87 22.34 11.55

Cronbach alpha .806 .811 .759

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

Rotation converged in 5 iterations.

KMO and Bartlett's Test

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .840

Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 582.884

df 45

Sig. .000

Table 3: Correlation Analysis

AdBelivability AdIrritation InherentDrama

ProdigiousExecution

RelationshipStrength

AdBelivability Pearson Correlation 1 .944** .808

** .208 .660

**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .067 .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products

61223.295 36584.885 18162.000 3969.179 10379.449

Covariance 795.108 475.128 235.870 51.548 134.798

N 78 78 78 78 78

AdIrritation Pearson Correlation .944** 1 .770

** .173 .620

**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .130 .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products

36584.885 24545.654 10953.000 2082.538 6176.346

Covariance 475.128 318.775 142.247 27.046 80.212

N 78 78 78 78 78

InherentDrama Pearson Correlation .808** .770

** 1 .306

** .740

**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .006 .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products

18162.000 10953.000 8246.000 2141.000 4275.000

Covariance 235.870 142.247 107.091 27.805 55.519

N 78 78 78 78 78

ProdigiousExecution Pearson Correlation .208 .173 .306** 1 .480

**

Sig. (2-tailed) .067 .130 .006 .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products

3969.179 2082.538 2141.000 5920.718 2346.795

Covariance 51.548 27.046 27.805 76.892 30.478

N 78 78 78 78 78

RelationshipStrength Pearson Correlation .660** .620

** .740

** .480

** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products

10379.449 6176.346 4275.000 2346.795 4042.987

Covariance 134.798 80.212 55.519 30.478 52.506

N 78 78 78 78 78

In this research study, we formulated a scale for Ambient Advertising with the presence of 10 items as

illustrated in Table 3. It was found that women feel more cheerful then men when ambient ads are conveyed.

Men preferred traditional ads over ambient advertising as the elements of surprise, drama and relationships were

found less significant for men than women. Brand interest, and positive emotion and impression about the brand

and an ad, leads to positive purchase intention. Ambient strategies make ads more interesting and likeable

leading to positive intentions to buy, while traditional strategies ignite more likeability but do not strike interest

in the target audience.

DISCUSSIONS

The ‘RIP’ effect illustrates how and why the impact of ambient advertising is unique to that of any other form

of advertising. The three elements aforementioned break down the impact of ambient media and why it works

so well for bringing the Top-of-Mind Awareness to a brand or a product. The relationship between the

customer and the product always contributes to the buying intentions a customer has about a brand. The

extraordinary nature of ambient media helps to leave a lasting impression on anyone who experiences it. The

inherent dramatic surprise element of ambient media is perhaps the most important element of all. Ambient

media engages the customer in a way no other media can because the consumer does not expect to experience it.

This element creates drama and excitement about the ad or about the brand or product being advertised.

CONCLUSION

Ambient Advertising reaches potential consumers in a unique and creative and often engaging way. This

emerging form of advertising cuts through the traditional advertising clutter and sends the advertised product or

service straight to the top of the consumers mind and it stays there for a significant amount of time. Ambient

media pushes the traditional limits of advertising into a whole new arena. Ambient media is the future of

advertising. Ambient campaigns require a lot of preparation and a lot of creativity and they must be executed

well or the campaign is wasted. The engaging nature of this new form of advertising is what consumers want.

Consumers want to be engaged and interact because it is human nature. Ambient media accomplishes what

traditional media conquers and much more.

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APPENDIX – Ads Used in ‘Ambient Advertising’ Survey

Client: Nestle Brand Kit Kat bench

Agency: JWT - London (2009)

Client: Frontline

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi –

Jakarta, Indonesia (2009)

Client: McDonalds

Agency: Cossette West- Vancouver

&TBWA - Switzerland (2009)

Client: Rimmel

Agency: JWT - London (2009)

Client: McDonalds

Agency: DDB Group - Hong Kong (2011)

Client: Nestle Brand Kit Kat

Agency: JWT- Auckland, New Zealand (2010)