The best outdoor ad you’ve never seen

It’s not often I talk about outdoor advertising. But this ad is just friggen brilliant. It’s so good I feel compelled to share it with the rest of the world because there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve never seen it before:

(Apologies for the lack of picture quality on my iPhone camera)

For my international friends the ad itself may require a little further explanation. The important thing to notice is the painted garage doors on the adjoining houses. The alternative colours patterns represent the jerseys worn by Essendon and Collingwood, arch rivals in the Australian Football League (Australia’s national sport). Both clubs have huge supporter bases and are amongst the most successful in the history of the game. Each year they contest the biggest game of the regular season, hosted on Australia’s version of Remembrance Day (called Anzac Day). The game draws 100,000 spectators to the ground and millions to their television. The only way to describe the clubs is as the most bitter of enemies.

Now… back to the ad itself. The message should be pretty clear with this context in mind. The ‘Time to move?’ message plays on the pure loathing felt between the two teams. Naturally, if you’re living next door to an opposition supporter moving house is the only option, thereby requiring the assistance of a real estate agent (in this case Rendina). Very, very clever! But aside from a little quirky humour, there’s a whole lot more to like about this awesome ad:

• Placement: There’s a good reason why you’ve never seen this ad before. And that’s because it’s been placed in a single strategic outdoor location… a block of flats opposite Windy Hill (Essendon’s home ground). The ad was created for this specific location. Now that’s targeted media!
• Relevance: The location of the ad alone ensures an extremely high degree of relevance to the audience. The ad would generate a giggle from any local citizen. But beyond that, it’s thinking outside of the box on how to deliver a key message that will capture the attention of the audience. If there’s one thing that the people of Melbourne relate to, it’s sport! And in a city obsessed with sport, AFL is a religion (especially in a town like Essendon). If you want to reach the people, you gotta speak their language.
• It’s not an agency: Although I can’t be sure, it’s highly unlikely this is the work of an advertising agency. Small real estate agents just don’t work in tandem with agencies. And the single placement of the ad would steer most agencies away from the work. I love the thought that a local real estate agent has come up with this idea and run with it. It shows that advertising ain’t rocket science, and you don’t need to be an industry wanker to come up with a good creative concept.

So there you have it folks… my nomination for the best outdoor ad of all time. And for those wanting to see a little bit more of this classic football rivalry, check out the video below from this year’s clash between the two teams. A truly classic moment in sport and one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.