Tag: digital out-of-home

The Great Escape

A stressed commuter walks through Zurich’s main train station, eyes forward, pace set to “late again.” Then a large interactive display stops them. On screen is a real Graubünden mountain man. He sees them. He speaks to them. He invites them to step out of the city and into the mountains. The offer is not “someday.” It is now. An all-expense-paid trip to Vrin, a mountain village in the Lumnezia Valley. The only catch is brutal and perfect. They have to drop everything and jump on the train leaving from the next platform.

The idea in one line

Bring the mountain to the most hectic place in Switzerland, then make escape a one-decision act.

The context you already build on

In 2011, Graubünden Tourism and Jung von Matt had created a clever stunt to publicize the remote mountain village of Obermutten on Facebook. There they targeted people closer to home, specifically stressed urban commuters in a Zurich train station.

What happens at Zurich station

Step 1. Replace “beautiful scenery” with a human invitation

Instead of showing landscapes, the campaign puts a real local face in front of commuters. He can see and talk to people as they walk past. It feels personal, not broadcast.

Step 2. Turn interaction into an offer with real stakes

Anyone who engages is offered an all-expense-paid trip to Vrin. The offer is framed as a cure for stress, delivered at the exact moment stress is visible.

Step 3. Make the brand promise non-negotiable with one constraint

The only catch is the mechanism. They have to drop everything and take the train that is about to leave from the next platform. That single constraint transforms the idea from a nice story into a real test of desire.

Why this works as live communication

It collapses the distance between promise and proof

Tourism often sells “escape” as a future plan. Here, escape is immediate, and the decision is binary. Stay, or go.

It uses technology to create intimacy, not spectacle

The interactive display is not the point. The point is that someone in the mountains is speaking to you directly in the middle of the city.

The constraint is the creative

The “next train” rule is what makes it unforgettable. It forces commitment. It also creates the story people retell because it is a moment with consequence.

The deeper point

If you want people to believe in a destination, do not just show it. Put a human being from that place in front of the audience, then convert emotion into action with a simple, immediate next step.

A few fast answers before you act

What is The Great Escape in one sentence?

An interactive display in Zurich station lets a real Graubünden mountain man speak to commuters and invite them on an immediate trip to Vrin.

What makes it different from standard digital out of home?

It is not a looped video. It is a live, human interaction that turns attention into a real decision.

What is the key mechanic that creates urgency?

The “next platform, next train” constraint. People have to go now, not later.

How does it connect to the earlier Obermutten work?

It builds on the same strategy. Make a remote mountain place culturally visible through an idea that people actively participate in.

What is the reusable pattern for brands?

If your promise is experiential, create a live proof moment, then add a constraint that forces a meaningful choice.

Pepsi Max – Unbelievable Bus Shelter

Pepsi Max for its new ‘Unbelievable’ campaign rigged an ordinary bus shelter in London, to perform tricks on unsuspecting travellers.

Using a custom see-through digital display, people waiting at the bus shelter were made to believe that they were actually seeing things like hovering alien ships, a loose tiger, a giant robot with laser beam eyes and so on.

The reactions to these ‘unbelievable’ scenarios were then captured and put in the below viral video.

Why this works. Even before you talk about “tech”

The technology is impressive, but the mechanic is simple. It takes an everyday moment. It inserts a believable layer of impossible. Then it lets people do the rest. React, laugh, point, film, share.

That is the real move. It transforms passive waiting time into a story that feels personally witnessed.

The bus shelter as a “media product”

This activation treats the bus shelter like a product interface, not just a placement. It has inputs and outputs.

  • Input. People arrive with low expectations and spare attention.
  • System. A “window” that looks like reality, then breaks it in a controlled way.
  • Output. Instant emotion, social proof from nearby strangers, and a camera-ready moment.

In other words, it is not only out-of-home. It is an experience designed to be recorded and re-distributed.

What makes it shareable. And why the video is the second product

The live moment is the first product. The viral video is the second product. The second product extends the reach far beyond the street corner.

  • High signal in seconds. You understand what is happening instantly.
  • Escalation. Each new “unbelievable” scene raises the stakes and keeps attention.
  • Human faces. The reactions are the content. The brand stays present but not intrusive.
  • Social permission. If others are reacting, you react too. Then you share.

What to take from this if you build brand experiences

  1. Design the moment first. The best “viral videos” start as real-world moments people want to show others.
  2. Keep the premise instantly legible. If it needs explanation, it loses momentum.
  3. Make capture a feature. If people will film it, stage it so the footage works.
  4. Build a repeatable format. One idea, multiple scenarios, consistent payoff.
  5. Let the audience star. The most believable proof is human reaction, not brand claims.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Pepsi Max “Unbelievable” in one sentence?

It is a London bus shelter activation that used a see-through digital display to create impossible scenes, then turned real public reactions into a viral video.

Is this augmented reality?

It functions like augmented reality for the audience, because it overlays illusions onto what looks like a real street view, even though the experience is delivered through a physical digital screen.

Why do people share this kind of content?

Because it triggers instant emotion and disbelief, and it is easy to explain visually. People share it to pass on the surprise.

What is the key design principle behind the activation?

Make the better story happen in the real world. Then make it easy for the story to travel as video.

What is the practical takeaway for marketers?

When you create a moment that people genuinely want to record, distribution becomes an outcome of the experience, not a separate media plan.

McDonald’s Free WiFi: Turning SSIDs into Ads

In Spain, McDonald’s offers free WiFi to all its customers. Since the WiFi signal reaches quite far, customers in surrounding restaurants also tend to use the McDonald’s network.

So McDonald’s decided to attract new customers via their own WiFi network. They simply changed the signal’s name into a message and embedded a promotion into it. 🙂

The simplest media channel you already own

This is a tiny idea with a very clear mechanism. A WiFi network name is a broadcast surface. It shows up exactly when people are deciding where to sit, what to order, or whether to move.

Instead of treating WiFi as utility, McDonald’s treated it as a micro-channel for demand capture.

Why the WiFi name works as advertising

  • High intent moment. People looking for WiFi are already in “connect me now” mode.
  • Local reach. The signal spills into nearby venues, where potential switchers sit.
  • Zero-click visibility. You see the message before you even connect.
  • Low cost, repeatable. Updating an SSID is simple, fast, and scalable.

Where this crosses from clever to strategic

The strategic move is not the pun. It is the use of owned infrastructure as a distribution channel. When your message sits inside a system people actively scan for, you reduce friction and increase the odds of action.

It is also a reminder that not all “digital” has to be an app. Sometimes it is just naming.

What to take from this if you run retail or CX

  1. Audit your hidden touchpoints. SSIDs, receipts, kiosks, queue screens, packaging, all are media surfaces.
  2. Message at the decision point. Proximity channels work best when they align with immediate behavior.
  3. Keep the offer instantly understandable. People scan lists quickly. Clarity beats cleverness.
  4. Test and rotate. Like any channel, vary the message to learn what actually moves footfall.

A few fast answers before you act

What did McDonald’s do with its free WiFi in Spain?

It changed the WiFi network name into a message and embedded a promotional offer into the SSID to attract people nearby who could see the network on their devices.

Why does the WiFi signal matter here?

Because it reaches beyond the restaurant itself, meaning people in surrounding venues can still see and use the network, making it a local acquisition channel.

What is an SSID in this context?

It is the WiFi network name that appears in a device’s list of available networks. Changing it changes what people see before connecting.

Is this a “growth hack” or a real marketing tactic?

It is both. It is a lightweight tactic, but it is grounded in a real channel. Owned infrastructure that reaches potential customers at a high-intent moment.

What is the transferable lesson for brands?

Look for owned, ambient digital surfaces where people already scan for utility, then place a clear message there that can drive immediate action.