Back in the late 2000s, viewing 3D content was only possible in cinemas. You’ve probably tried recreating those glasses they hand you in movie houses at home using red and cyan cellophanes. Although these DIY attempts might not have given your TV the full three-dimensional effect, they at least provided images with ‘shadows,’ which made them appear to jump out of the screen. Fast forward to today, LED technology has made viewing 3D content possible outside theaters.
In the past few years, 3D billboards have slowly sprouted in major cities across the globe. Now, you might be wondering how these work. Contrary to what you might think, you won’t need a pair of special glasses to view the content in three dimensions! Instead, these outdoor advertising mediums primarily rely on content design.
The advertising world is finally recognizing the power of 3D billboards for branding. Although traditional advertising mediums are still widely used in the industry, nevertheless, the sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and elevated visual experience offered by digital advertising are unmatched.
Introduction
3D advertising makes use of visual effects and design elements to create the illusion of depth, thereby allowing advertisers to present content in a different way. As a result, it provides unmatched brand recall for the product or company being advertised. Specifically, the realistic images created in 3D can evoke more emotions and build a stronger connection between the viewer and the brand, especially when compared to traditional billboards. Additionally, 3D technology can be utilized on billboards, TV, digital ads, and even public media art. Consequently, you can reach diverse audiences from all walks of life.
How Does 3D Advertising Work?
Technology and Design
At the heart of 3D advertising is the principle of forced perspective—a visual technique that manipulates the scale and position of objects to create an optical illusion. By changing the viewer’s vantage point, 3D ads effectively make objects appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than they are, thus creating the illusion of depth and dimension.
Additionally, 3D technology in billboards combines multiple images taken from different angles into one visual that looks 3D when viewed from a certain angle. This is done through high-resolution LED screens that can display these images with incredible clarity, resulting in an unbeatable visual experience. Therefore, the result is a billboard or digital ad that has depth, with elements popping out towards the viewer, grabbing attention, and leaving a lasting impression.
Ten Innovative 3D Advertising Examples Around the World
1. Coca-Cola
A great example of how companies can use 3D advertising is the Coca-Cola 3D billboard. Set in a busy city, it featured a large LED screen that used forced perspective to create depth. As a result, people jumped through time and space and moved between the real world and the virtual one, showing how 3D digital billboards can increase brand presence and audience engagement.
2. Nike Air Max
Nike celebrated 35 years of Air Max with a 3D billboard in Tokyo, taking advertising to a new level. Located outside Shinjuku Station, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, a shoebox poked out of the digital billboard and opened to show various Air Max designs in bright, changing colors. Consequently, people stopped in their tracks with the 3D tech in this campaign, demonstrating Nike’s brand creativity and willingness to push product and marketing boundaries.
3. Cat 3D LED Billboard
A 155 square meter 3D curved outdoor screen in the middle of Tokyo, near Shinjuku Station’s East Exit Plaza, has become incredibly popular. Both locals and tourists are mesmerized by the animated ads on this “naked-eye” 3D billboard featuring a realistic cat moving around the screen. In particular, the curved shape of the screen amplifies the 3D effect, making the images more engaging and dynamic. Thus, this shows how location and design work together to create a great campaign.
4. Versace Greca Goddess
Versace used a 3D moving image ad to promote the Greca Goddess handbag at the Piccadilly Lights in London. In the 30-second ad, a statue of a goddess playfully interacts with the handbag before humorously disappearing behind a curtain adorned with the Versace logo, as if observing the pedestrians. Hence, the ad highlights the brand’s luxury and how 3D can add a face and a story to its marketing strategy.
5. Super Nintendo World™
A 3D LED billboard for the “Mario Kart TM: Bowser’s Challenge” ride at Super Nintendo World™ in Los Angeles was installed at a downtown crosswalk. The high-definition digital animation of Mario and friends racing with Bowser proved to be a hit among fans and newbies alike. With the size and detail of the 3D animation, it’s a great example of pop culture and technology in advertising.
6. House of the Dragon
A huge LED screen campaign was launched in New York’s Times Square to promote HBO’s “House of the Dragon”. The ad had amazing visuals that took people into the world of Westeros, with dragons and characters popping out of the screen. This was a visual treat and a great example of how to create buzz for a highly anticipated media release.
7. Super Mario Bros Movie
A 3D billboard for the Super Mario Bros. movie brought the characters to life. Placed in a busy neighborhood, Mario was interacting with game elements, like fighting a Piranha Plant. The movie generated a lot of buzz because, the 3D effects were so realistic that they almost broke the 4th wall. This shows how nostalgia and pop culture can be tapped with 3D advertising.
8. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
A 3D billboard for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had Peter Parker and Miles Morales fighting Venom and the action spilled out of the screen. The dynamic and fast visuals looked like the characters were jumping into the real world and grabbing the audience and increasing the hype for the game.
9. GI Kempinski Mall
One of the biggest and most sophisticated 3D billboards in the world may be found in the GI Kempinski Mall in Jakarta. This billboard, which is more than 6,200 square feet in size, uses 10mm mesh LED to display incredible 3D material that draws in customers and tourists. The immersive art and premium brand advertisements are among the must-see attractions in the neighborhood. This is an illustration of how retail may use 3D advertising to improve customer experience and increase engagement.
10. Piccadilly Circus
London’s Piccadilly Circus has always been a hub for iconic ads and 3D billboards have taken it to the next level. One great example is the Call of Duty campaign, which had Soap MacTavish breaking through a glass panel in a big way. The 3D effects were amplified by the billboard’s location and visibility, making it a great tool to create buzz for the game. This shows how location and design can make or break 3D advertising.
11. Hachi 3D
Near Shibuya Station an adorable 3D Akita dog appears on a billboard and charms the pedestrians. Sponsored by Hit, this 3D dog has been a hit since 2022. Best viewed from Hachiko-mae Square, Shibuya Scramble Crossing or Miyamasuzaka intersection, the dog pops out of the screen and interacts with an animated clock at the start of each hour.
12. Netflix Army of the Dead
To promote Zack Snyder’s film Army of the Dead, a 3D zombie tiger named Valentine was brought to life on the Piccadilly Lights screen in London. This digital spectacle made it look like the tiger was stepping out of a decaying, post-apocalyptic Las Vegas scene, creating a super realistic effect. The movie stars Dave Bautista and Ella Purnell and is set in a quarantined Las Vegas overrun by zombies where a group of mercenaries attempt a high-stakes heist.
13. Fortnite x Balenciaga
The Balenciaga x Fortnite collaboration created a 3D billboard that stopped people in their tracks in major cities like London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul. This outdoor display featured Fortnite character Doggo dressed in Balenciaga gear towering over passersby. The scene was made using Unreal Engine with real-time ray tracing and advanced lighting to make Doggo look super realistic especially when viewed from specific angles aligned with the sun’s position.
14. Vivo X80
AI artist Bonum Abstraction created a 3D display that represents innovation and transformation. This artistic display highlights the Vivo X80’s features.
15. WAVE
WAVE is a public media art installation that simulates a giant wave crashing through an 80m wide and 20m high L-shaped LED screen in a city center. This installation uses an anamorphic illusion technique to make the wave look 3D as if it’s contained in a glass tank. Created to bring serenity to the urban environment, WAVE is a blend of advertising and public art that’s both calming and impressive.
16. Wuhan Donde Tianyu
In Taikoo Li, a 3D prairie lion jumps out of a screen for Wuhan Donde Real Estate’s outdoor campaign. Against a backdrop of rising and setting sun and moon, the lion looks majestic and the scene is immersive and dynamic. This installation is part of the FLINT WALK project and is designed to leave a lasting impression with its realistic and colorful visuals.
17. The “Infinity Wall” in Nexen UniverCity
The Infinity Wall, a 30m x 7m LED installation at Nexen UniverCity’s R&D center, is a 3D visual experience that showcases the company’s values and philosophies. One of the highlights is the “Combination” mood board, which uses motion capture technology to recreate the movements of dancers in super realistic way. The design earned D’STRICT the 2020 IF Award in Interior Architecture category for its use of space and technology.
18. Beijing Tiffany & Co Flagship Store
D’strict worked with Tiffany & Co. in 2010 to create a hyper-façade installation for the opening of their flagship store in Beijing. Unlike other LED screen based displays, this project used projections to create 3D movement on the building’s exterior. By covering the Beijing Trade Center with gray stickers and projecting images calculated to fit the building, the façade became a dynamic diamond shape. This was the store’s opening and showcased D’strict’s ability to combine modern technology with artistic design.
19. “FLOW” at Outernet London
Entertainment hub Outernet London hosted d’strict’s “FLOW”, a large scale media display that took over the Now Building’s screens with a visually stunning journey through Western art history. “FLOW” featured various art movements from Renaissance to Realism, translating their content into dance. As the performance progressed, it moved from the external world to the inner world of the characters, asking the audience to reflect on the world and oneself.
20. Waterfall-NYC
In July 2021, a’strict , a collaborative media artist group of d’strict, hosted the public media artwork ‘Waterfall’ in Times Square in New York City. Four 102.5m-tall vertical LED screens on the exterior of One Times Square created the illusion of a waterfall cascading down the building.
21. Mini South Africa
Mini South Africa used a 3D digital out-of-home (DOOH) billboard to promote their brand. The ad featured a Mini car jumping out of the billboard, with the 3D visuals increasing brand visibility and engagement.
22. Audi, BMW, Mercedes
Audi, BMW, and Mercedes each used 3D digital out-of-home (DOOH) billboards with futuristic visuals to promote their cars. The campaigns featured cars jumping out of the billboards, combining speed, luxury, and technology.
23. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
Samsung partnered with Google to promote the Galaxy Flip4 with 3D digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads. The ads featured the phone’s flip mechanism with dynamic animations of the phone folding and unfolding.
24. WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s 3D display in London’s Piccadilly area brought the app to life with interactive visuals. WhatsApp messages and emojis popped out of the screen and engaged the audience with lifelike animations.
25. KFC
KFC’s 3D LED billboard took advertising to a whole new level by making its food items, like crispy chicken, jump out of the screen. The campaign used technology to bring the KFC menu to life, making the viewers hungry for the brand.
26. Girl Wearing Pearl Earrings
Coca-Cola integrated the famous painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” into one of its campaigns. The ad featured a vending machine below the screen, with the girl from the painting offering a bottle of Coca-Cola to the viewers and sending it down a tube to the vending machine.
27. Duck River Sea World
Duck River Sea World’s 3D commercial ad in Shinjuku brought the park’s marine life and attractions to life. 3D technology created an immersive experience for the audience and showed the beauty and fun of the marine park to people crossing the busy streets.
28. Dustin Brown x YOOM
A 100-foot-long billboard in LA featured a special AR experience for Kings legend Dustin Brown. Located across from Crypto.com Arena, the billboard had a QR code that took fans to an AR experience celebrating Brown’s career as the franchise’s all-time games played leader and the first player to win the Stanley Cup for the team.
29. Red XIII
In Omotesando, Tokyo, Final Fantasy VII fans got a 3D display of their beloved characters like Cloud Strife. The billboard had high-definition animation of the characters interacting with the sci-fi cyberpunk environment, a nice tribute to the 1997 classic.
30. Forespoken New York
A 3D billboard in New York had Freya from Forespoken jumping off the screen.
31. Hyundai India
Hyundai’s 3D billboard in India had an interactive display of their latest cars. A huge LED screen made the cars hover, rotate, and show off their features.
32. Meta Quest 2
A 3D billboard for Meta Quest 2 had an NFL player jump out of the screen and make a gravity defying catch. The display showed the immersive experience of the Meta Quest 2 headset.
33. Samsung Z-Fold5
Samsung’s 3D billboard for Z-Fold5 had a curved screen with detailed animations. The display showed off the unique folding design and technology of the phones and grabbed the attention of people walking by with its futuristic look.
34. Asahi
Asahi was the first alcohol brand to launch a 3D ad campaign for their canned beer. The ad started with a quick intro of the product and then a 15-second dynamic sequence.
35. Lenovo
Lenovo, the official tech partner of Formula 1, created a 3D billboard featuring a racing car that crashes into a house, scatters pillows all over the place, turns, and speeds away. Real race footage was also included in the advertisement to convey the thrill of Formula 1.
36. Call of Duty
Activision unveiled a 3D advertisement starring Soap MacTavish prior to the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. The commercial featured Soap shattering glass and cutting the electricity, followed by an outdoor scenario where Ghost materialized. The screen was lit up with green strobe lights as the Call of Duty emblem emerged.
37. Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Video used Piccadilly Lights for a 3D experience to promote their fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. The display showed a hand reaching out, then a hooded figure with viper-like teeth, perfect for the eerie and mysterious tone of the campaign.
38. Roewe
Roewe’s 3D billboard ad for RX5 Plus had the SUV making sharp turns, almost drifting off the screen. A popular figure then appeared, showed the car key, and threw it away, only for it to boomerang back to the screen. The advertisement concluded with a close-up of the nodding figure’s face.
39. Mercedes Benz
The 3D billboard for Mercedes Benz showed automobiles racing off the screen.
40. Ray-Ban
Ray-Ban’s 3D DOOH billboard ad had sunglasses floating off the screen, showing the brand’s timelessness.
41. Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich, a single malt Scotch whisky brand, used a 3D billboard in Times Square, New York. The ad showed a bottle of Glenfiddich whisky pouring into a glass, with the liquid seeming to defy gravity as it filled the glass.
42. JEEP
JEEP’s 3D DOOH billboard had a car driving through rough terrain, popping out of the screen to show off its off-road capabilities
43. IWC Schaffhausen
Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen has installed a 3D display at Piccadilly to promote The Big Pilot campaign. The ad featured their leather-strapped automatic watches in both horizontal and vertical positions, rotating to show the mechanics behind the hands
3D Advertising Strategies
Integration with Augmented Reality (AR)
Integrating 3D with AR is one of the best ways to take 3D advertising to the next level. AR adds an interactive layer to the 3D experience, allowing the audience to engage with the ad more deeply. For example, a 3D advertising billboard might feature a QR code that viewers can scan with their smartphones. Consequently, this action unlocks an AR experience where they can explore the product or interact with the brand in a virtual space. As a result, this approach not only amplifies the 3D effect but also makes the experience more immersive and personal.
Brands can produce visually appealing and highly interactive advertisements by fusing AR with 3D advertising. This will increase consumer engagement, social media shares, and brand audience connection.
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Designs
As consumers get more eco aware, it’s a smart move to incorporate sustainability into 3D advertising. Brands can design 3D billboards and digital signage with eco-friendly materials like energy efficient LED screens and recyclable components to reduce their carbon footprint. And by powering those ads with renewable energy companies can prove their commitment to sustainability.
This is on trend and helps brands build their reputation. Consumers will support companies that put sustainability first and by putting those values into their ads, brands can appeal to the eco crowd.
Measuring the Success of 3D Advertising
Metrics and Analytics
To measure the success of a 3D advertising campaign you need to track various metrics and analytics. These will give you insight into how the ad is performing and how it compares to other marketing channels. Here:
- Engagement: How often the ad is interacted with (e.g. shared on social media, photographed, scanned QR code on the billboard).
- Views: How many people see the ad, in person or online where it’s shared?
- Time Spent Viewing: How long the viewer looks at the ad, which indicates level of interest and engagement.
- Conversions: For instance, if the 3D ad includes a call to action (e.g., visit website, buy), tracking conversions will provide a clear measure of the ad’s performance.
- Social Media Mentions: How often the ad is mentioned or shared on social media to measure its online impact.
By tracking these metrics brands can measure the return on investment (ROI) of their 3D advertising and make data-driven decisions for future marketing
3D Advertising Best Practices
Design and Content
Effective 3D ads rely heavily on good design. This means using shading, perspective, and layering to create the illusion of depth. The content should be visually appealing and relevant to the target audience. The message should be clear and aligned with the brand values and objectives.
Viewing Angle & Environment
The 3D billboard’s effectiveness often depends on the angle it’s viewed from. Designers should consider the most common viewing angles and make sure the 3D effect is optimized for those perspectives. The ad should also match its environment. For instance, an ad in a busy urban area might employ bold, attention-grabbing visuals. In contrast, one placed in a natural setting might feature a more subtle, integrated design.
Placement and Location
Location is key to 3D advertising. High-traffic areas like city centers, transportation hubs, and popular tourist spots are ideal for 3D billboards. The location should be chosen based on the target audience’s demographics and behavior. Placing the ad where the target audience will see it increases its impact. One good example is the COEX K-Pop Square in Seoul, South Korea, a large curved display that plays K-Pop related content in the heart of K-Pop Mecca.
The Future of 3D Advertising
Trends and Predictions
As technology gets better 3D advertising gets better. Here are the trends and forecasts:
- Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR will get more integrated with 3D advertising. These will allow for experiences beyond what’s possible with 3D billboards. For example, AR apps enable users to interact with 3D objects in the real world. Conversely, VR immerses users in fully virtual environments, allowing them to explore products or services in detail.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI will be big in the future of 3D advertising. AI-driven algorithms will place ads, personalize content based on viewer data and even create ads that change in real-time based on audience engagement.
- Interactive and Gamified Experiences: As consumers want more interactive experiences 3D advertising will get more gamified. This could be interactive billboards where users can play a game or solve a puzzle with rewards or discounts as an incentive.
- Sustainability and Eco Friendly Innovations: As sustainability grows 3D advertising will get more eco friendly. This could be biodegradable materials for physical elements, solar-powered digital screens, or campaigns that promote environmental awareness.
- Global: As 3D advertising gets more mainstream it will go beyond major cities and into more markets. This will give brands new audiences to reach and adapt to.
Conclusion
3D advertising isn’t a trend; it’s a tool that lifts your brand and leaves a lasting impression. Using 3D, brands can engage consumers in new ways. They can stand out and make an impact.
The examples of Coca-Cola’s reality-bridging billboard and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ad show this transformation. 3D advertising turns ordinary marketing into memorable experiences.
To succeed, brands must stay ahead, understand their audience, and create visually appealing and smart campaigns. This approach helps achieve goals like brand awareness, sales, or product buzz.
In a world where attention is valuable, 3D advertising captures and retains it. It’s essential for brands that want to make an impact. As technology evolves, 3D advertising’s opportunities are endless, offering exciting possibilities.
