When passers-by ignored a screen showing a battered and bruised woman, the image of her face would stay the same. However, if they stopped to look at her – the bruises would slowly start to heal.

Unsurprisingly, this innovative campaign went on to win its category at the 2015 Masters of Marketing Awards.

The deadline for this year’s awards is tomorrow (June 3rd), so we thought we’d take a look at a few OOH campaigns that have similarly captured our imaginations.

Here are just four recent examples worth a mention.

Kleenex – Kiss campaign

Anything that claims to be ‘heart-warming’ can always be a bit hit or miss, however Kleenex’s ‘Kiss’ campaign fell just on the right side of sentimental – mainly thanks to its clever use of location-based technology. 

Building on the concept that handing someone a tissue is an act of spontaneous kindness, it pre-filmed people offering messages (and a Kleenex kiss) to their loved ones, and displayed the videos on public billboards to unsuspecting passers-by.

Combining surprise, reactionary elements with a positive and cheering message, it proved that OOH doesn’t always have to be clever or particularly off-the-wall to be successful.

With over 4,500 ‘kisses’ sent off the back of the campaign, people clearly bought into the basic human message.

NHS – The power of blood donation

With the need for 20,000 new donors every year, the NHS has recently turned to experiential marketing techniques in order to encourage the public to give blood.

In a campaign running this May, NHS volunteers will ask members of the public at Birmingham’s New Street and London’s Westfield to give a virtual blood donation using augmented reality (AR) technology.

With a large screen showing an image of a sick patient and an empty bag, iPhones will be used to recognise a sticker placed on the recipient’s arm, which is then overlaid with an image of a needle and tube.

As the recipient watches the patient’s blood bag fill up, they can also see how their health gradually begins to improve.

By highlighting the importance of donation, and offering people a simulated insight into how giving blood can dramatically change a life, this campaign is a great example of how AR can be used in truly creative ways.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home – #lookingforyou

Another charity to utilise location-based marketing – last year Battersea Dogs and Cats Home targeted shoppers at London’s Westfield in order to encourage the adoption of animals.

Using disruptive technology to emotionally engage with the public, leaflets containing RFID tags were handed out to passers-by. 

Whenever a person walked by or underneath a billboard, Barley the dog (a former member of Battersea) was prompted to follow them.

Appearing to mimic the behaviour of a homeless or needy dog, the billboard was designed to heighten awareness of the cause as well as naturally tug at the heartstrings of animal lovers.

By combining technology with both surprise elements and emotional resonance, this campaign is an example of how outdoor marketing can disrupt a mundane or everyday experience.

The hashtag #lookingforyou was also used to reflect the fact that the campaign was built to target a specific audience of dog lovers.

Gett – Real-time campaign

In a bid to entice customers away from its biggest rival, on-demand taxi service Gett launched a real-time campaign aimed at travellers who might usually use Uber.

Highlighting the company’s no-surge policy, the campaign used billboards placed in specific locations around the New York City to directly target customers at specific times.

In utilising location-based marketing, this example from Gett shows that, when it comes to capturing a new customer-base, timing can be everything. 

By showing more ads when people are leaving work or post-work drinks, it attempted to capitalise on contextual demand.

With new research finding that 17% of consumers who see an OOH campaign are likely to engage with a brand on their phone, it’s clear that location-based marketing is becoming all the more powerful.

Don’t forget to get your entries in for the Masters of Marketing awards by the 3rd June!