Since now we have the freedom to talk about the now cremated HUTCH Cheeka ad, let’s take the famous example. It followed us pretty much wherever we went. The concept reminds me of our sleek hi-definition LCD screens which are pegged up on every wall wherever people go! At their gyms when they are sweating it out, we display what they should have for breakfast Or when they wait for the elusive elevator, the latest corporate apparel commercial pops up. Over a weekend at a multiplex, in mall food courts, in their clubs, in bookstores, in salons, outside their doorstep…whew! it’s the 24 X 7 phenomenon…well almost. the craze has caught on. The bandwagon has left the station and is wheeling full speed ahead. But in this fracas, do we take a moment to stop and think? What are we dishing out to people? They notice us and they tell us ‘oh we have seen your screens everywhere’! Sounds pompous but it’s like it is. Do we try to figure out that when they watch the screens, what must they be thinking? Do they feel excited? Do we value add to their lives? PHEEET! The whistle blows. It’s not just about plugging TV screens anymore.
The trend shows that with a few crores of investment money and a real estate deal suffices for plugging TVs everywhere. But the challenge is ‘what next’? We are not TV, but out of home TV. it’s different. We are not exactly content driven but people are driven by content. They will remember the stuff they watched on our screens. So it’s important we use our media to the maximum. It should be about stuff they would like to know, content they would benefit from. In a nutshell: the media should be a part of ‘THE COMMUNITY’. Our media is powerful. Like any other media. And it can be used it to partake in their life. Though miniscule, but be a VALUE-ADD to their 24 hour cycle. We can share a joke when they are at a mall, show the next movie trailer when they are in a multiplex, give corporate grooming tips to those visiting commercial buildings for work, talk style when they are shopping in-store, inform them of the next play in town ..there’s so much we can share as a media which is seen when they are out of home! If they don’t have the time to read a paper or watch TV, at least our media can fill in the gap and be a part of their life. Their day. There’s no primetime anymore to reach out to your TG. It’s only all day primetime. So make the most of it.
The other day a family came by at a restaurant. Over the conversation they didn’t mind peeking at the screen every now and then. And they laughed at a cute joke that played on that screen. It felt nice. We made a minor difference to their life that day. That’s all for my 500 words on this.
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