Ambient Media is often defined as non-traditional media or that which takes advantage of the ‘ambient’ environment – placing branded messages in unorthodox locations often using unique posting methods.

However, there’s two key attributes which make Ambient Media exceptional at getting your message noticed and sticking in people’s minds.

I

MAKING THE MEDIUM MATCH THE MESSAGE

A well executed ambient campaign is highly targeted but selecting a medium which is relevant to the message adds a deeper level of communication. This is a powerful yet relatively unrecognised benefit of harnessing ambient media formats.

Take, for example, a brand wishing to target trendy young people. Placing an advert on a traditional poster site may reach the audience but let’s compare this to a targeted series of street stencils. The latter communicates the same message but is amplified by the implied message inherent in the medium itself – in this case edgy, urban and youthful.

Communicating in this way, utilising a medium which relates to the audience as well as broadcasting the message, provides a deeper level of engagement and is more likely to influence and generate word-of-mouth amongst peers.

Consciously or not, customers will create a closer bond with a brand if they feels as though they can relate to it and are able to recognise interests and values which they share. By speaking their language in using a method which supports this is a power psychological benefit which should not be ignored.

II

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

It is a well known fact that people tend to ignore things which they see regularly. A psychological experiment conducted in the 1970’s in which people were given a bank note and later asked whether they noticed anything unusual about it concluded that the vast majority of subjects had no idea that the picture of the president had been substituted for Goofy. Similarly, there is a degree of media blindness in today’s dense media landscape.

This, however, does create an opportunity to stand out and this is precisely how ambient media, by way of surprise, can deliver levels of engagement and recall well beyond that of traditional media.

Our roots in ambient media have firmly established a mindset of innovation which means we’re constantly developing new formats and looking for the latest trends and opportunities.