The integration of physical and digital marketing

As I was travelling in Boston this week-end, I was intrigued by an unusual bus stop advertisement at a bus stop. What looked like a standard and simplistic billboard by Aldo (paste link) turned out to be an interactive touch-screen integrated into one of the most basic advertisement support there is.

I found the experience to be very entertaining. The user had several options:

-          Watch the promotional video for the fall collection

-          Discover Aldo’s latest collection by swiping through the product snapshots

-          Select a product of interest to get more details on it

Whilst being highly entertaining for a short period of time, I was missing the “Buy” functionality. I was deeply disturbed by the fact that this ad had been so successful at sparking my interest and keeping me focused for more than one minute, but didn’t allow to take action!

Scholars and professionals preach that consumer goods companies can differentiate themselves today by way of seamlessly integrating the various distribution channels. Successfully executing that strategy is however an area that has yet to be mastered by most marketers. The very inspiring tesco subway station shopping was definitely a breakthrough in that field and a case in point on how to integrate the physical and digital world. Hopefully this will inspire many others!

http://www.designboom.com/technology/tesco-virtual-supermarket-in-a-subway-station/