TheMarketingblog

This is different and clever : JCDecaux gets (too?) personal with Marketing Directors in their new campaign

JCDecaux briefed BBDO to promote their yearly roadshow among Belgium’s biggest Marketing Directors.

There was only one problem: Marketing Directors almost never take the time to respond to their invitation. So we decided to create a huge impact by getting really personal 🙂 This way they had no choice other than react.

Every year JC Decaux the largest outdoor advertising corporation in the world, gives presentations to inform clients about the possibilities of outdoor advertising. This year, they focused on the fact that even in these modern times, outdoor is still a very effective medium.

But each time, they struggle with the same issue: outdoor advertising never have the time to attend our presentations. So JCDecaux asked ‏@bbdobelgium to find a (more) effective way to convince them by introducing: “personal billboards”.

Without asking their permission, JCDecaux put a photo of every marketing director each on a single billboard along with their name and an e-mail address of JCDecaux.

Effective outdoor

Then they waited for a reaction, so the marketing directors could tell for themselves how effective outdoor still is. They reacted exactly how we wanted: confused, shocked and a little annoyed that people kept contacting them to know what the purpose was.

JCDecaux responded with an e-mail apologizing for any inconvenience: “We just wanted you to experience the effectiveness of outdoor advertising, As you said it yourself, you got so many reactions from only one single billboard. Just imagine what our entire network could do for your brand.”

After, they could to sign up for the presentation… And why wouldn’t they free up some of their time now? After all, they experienced the effectiveness of outdoor for themselves.

BBDO Belgium
Scheldestraat 122 Rue de l’Escaut, 1080 Brussels