When Netflix expanded its experiment in sports rights ownership by following its own brand ‘Netflix Cup’ golf tournament (between PGA Tour stars and F1 drivers) with 3 March’s ‘Netflix Slam‘ tennis match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, sponsor and racket brand Babolat leveraged the event by jumping on the Fake Out Of Home (FOOH) trend.
The oldest tennis brand in the world, which sponsors both players, celebrated their on-court Las Vegas exhibition clash (hosted by MGM Resorts International) at the entry gates to the venue – the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino – by building a giant slot machine in which images of the players appear and which seemingly offered tennis ball prizes.
But, of course, the French sports equipment brand hasn’t actually built this giant installation at all and it wasn’t really sending giant tennis balls tumbling dangerously onto the Vegas roads. Instead it had blending location-based CGI trickery with real world footage and seeded it across social media to make it seem like they’d built an arrestingly huge slot machine and generate buzz.
Arguably the most famous sports marketing FOOH to date was FIFA, Argentina and Messi partner adidas’ low latency, 2022 Men’s World Cup ‘Impossible Rondo’ stunt in Dubai: a low latency, FOOH celebration of Argeinta’s World Cup win.
While a standout 2023 example was tournament title sponsor Heineken’s Champions Cup Final ‘Giant Rugby Ball’ (seemingly) perched atop host city Dublin’s O’Connell Bridge House (part of the beer brand’s ‘Love Rivalry’ activation).
While the tactic lends itself particularly well to sports marketing due to the space’s unknown outcomes and location-based events, this is, of course, a wider marketing trend: notable other FOOH initiatives have ranged from Jacqueus’ giant ‘Le Bambino’ bags in the streets of Paris and L’Oréal’s ‘Lash Sensational Sky High’ mascara in the London Underground and Tanqueray on Madrid’s Gran Vía.
@maybelline 📣 All aboard the Sky High Mascara Express ✨🚄 After hitting the NYC Streets, we’re taking over London💂🇬🇧 We are on the move with #SkyHighMascara elevating your lash game to new heights🌤️ 🌇 it’s guaranteed to serve limitless lash length 📏 and full volume😍 #Maybelline
These types of advertising activations blur the lines between physical reality and digital fiction: smart CGI and social media sophistry create seemingly spectacular outdoor installations are simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. They aim to maximise social impact without actually being on the ground, they also often offer a long PR and media tail as they spark debate about fakery and authenticity.
It can certainly generate sharing and social buzz, but beware of consumer backlash about authenticity (and even location rights).