Universal Pictures has kicked off the first ever mobile-controlled, personalised, geo-specific digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign to span five European territories to promote the theatrical release of Despicable Me 2. The interactive campaign will run on Clear Channel’s network of 259 digital screens in 51 shopping malls inviting consumers to control and personalise the on-screen creative via their mobile phone.
The interactive campaign, which will run across UK, France, Spain, Norway and Finland, was conceived by Clear Channel, planned and coordinated by content solutions provider TED@MediaCom and powered by an app from London-based digital production company Grand Visual. The creative technology solution links input from SMS or web app to prompt more than 30 animated sequences that make up the interactive experience.
The execution features Gru’s mischievous Minions – characters in the film – tapping their feet impatiently with the call to action to text a command to see them dance, wrestle, play, build or boogie. Users text any command along with their name to a shortcode and seconds later the Minions act out the instruction accordingly with an on-screen thanks to the named participant.
OpenLoop, the DOOH campaign management dashboard, powers the real-time interaction and personalises the copy and playout in a mall-specific geo-targeted response. In what is said to be another media first, users are also rewarded with a text linking them to a copy of their personalised Minion film which they can share socially online.
The interactive experience is supported by additional static and digital formats in close proximity to participating malls. The Outdoor campaign is fully integrated with Universal Pictures’ social and online channels and an online version of the game replicates the experience.
Neil Wirasinha, vice president international advertising at Universal Pictures International said: “From the outset we wanted to challenge convention by taking a traditional medium and turning it into an engagement hotspot for kids, parents and the whole public to have fun with the Minions from this summer’s event animation movie Despicable Me 2.
“To pull off a media and technological feat on this scale required a huge amount of collaboration from all the parties involved. Technology (OpenLoop) is at the heart of the campaign and has enabled us to reach and engage users across digital outdoor, mobile and online and we’re delighted to be taking the Minions’ mayhem to new places.”
