“OOH is always the best test for an idea…”
Executive Creative Director Mike Roe first became interested in ghost signs when he noticed one outside his office window. Hoffman York was getting ready to celebrate its 90th year, and he was thinking of ways to celebrate its heritage.
Hoffman York, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin marketing agency, is located in the city’s historic Third Ward. Due to its historic designation, the area has many restrictions on new OOH, and even some on old.
Hoffman York started in 1933, the same year prohibition ended. They had a lot of fun commemorating the event with signs that said, “We want beer to make better ads.”
As executive creative director, Roe is ultimately responsible for the creative product. And he wanted to do more.
“I wanted to make sure we stayed current and cutting-edge,” Roe said. “I never want us to be perceived as outdated.”
From the beginning of the 20th century up until about the 1930s it was quite common for advertisers to paint advertisements on the sides of buildings. In many places, these signs were painted over, covered up, or the buildings were destroyed. But many historical industrial cities have faded remnants of these advertisements. These are called ghost signs.
To showcase some of their tech chops while nodding to their 90-year history, Hoffman York created augmented reality advertisements as a noninvasive way to preserve ghost signs in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward before they completely fade away. He wanted people to see what they looked like in their glory days.
The company sets aside money and employee time for pro bono projects that benefit the community or support a cause every year. With the help of augmented reality technology, he and a team of coworkers created a ghost sign tour of 13 signs on 10 buildings in the Third Ward.
Roe estimates the Third Ward, which is now a popular arts and entertainment district, has 35-45 ghost signs. He spoke with people at the Historic Third Ward Association and learned that the area is a federally protected historic district. A historic fire in 1892 destroyed hundreds of wooden buildings, which were replaced by brick buildings.
Using a QR code on a paper map or mobile link, users can hold their phones up to a building and see what the ghost sign used to look like. When viewers point their cameras at the sidewalk, a historic marker pops up with more information about the historic sign.
But how did Roe and his team learn what the signs used to look like? How did they get the right colors?
“Most of the signs are now illegible, so I had to find old photographs, some of them century-old. And when you look for those photos, they’re usually of other things, “ Roe said. “So you’re sifting through all these old photographs to try to catch these buildings in the background.”
Roe found all the photos of the signs at the Milwaukee Public Library, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
“I’ve never had an excuse to really explore those places before, but whenever I would tell the staff there what I was looking to do, everyone was so friendly and excited and happy to help,” Roe said.
The brand colors were matched using eBay. For example, one of the buildings had two Rex Chocolate signs. Rex Chocolate was a big chocolate manufacturer.
“When I was researching them, I found magazine and newspaper articles about them, then on eBay, I found some of their old candy tins. I love to see that there was this whole experience, this whole brand that few people know about now that used to be this giant of Milwaukee industry,” Roe said.
Finding information about the old brands was harder than expected. Some brands, like Pillsbury, Coca-Cola, and Quaker remain strong today. Most of the brands no longer exist.
“Trying to find out more about these brands and who were these companies over a century ago, what were they and what did they make and tracking those down and trying to get more info was fascinating,” Roe said.
Once all of the references were established, designers and art directors re-created the signs. But the most challenging part was the augmented reality, which was created using Adobe Aero.
“That type of technology works really well for closer stuff, like when you go to a furniture store website and they show you what your furniture would look like in your living room,” Roe said. “But we were trying to use the technology on a much bigger scale to show what something would look like on the side of a whole building.”
The developers used geolocation to anchor the building so that the sign will stay in the same spot when you move, rather than floating around.
What has the reception been to the augmented reality walking tour? Surprisingly positive.
“A lot of people have told me about their passion for this art form, so we’d love to feed that passion as much as we can,” Roe said.
He’s also noticed many ghost signs in the Fifth Ward, and he would love to expand the tour.
“I would never have called myself a history buff, but there’s something about these signs. I look at them and then when I see what they used to look like, I think about that company and what they used to sell and what it used to be like,” Roe said.
Though none of the ads on the walking tour were likely done by Hoffman York, they have a strong history in outdoor advertising. Now, they do more digital advertising. But they describe themselves as a brand agency. They start with big ideas and, based on the strategy, determine what mediums should be used. He loves how OOH forces you to be simple and efficient with your ideas.
“OOH is certainly something we are very versed in and comfortable in,” Roe said. “OOH is always the best test for an idea. Can you strip it down to a visual and less than 7 words and get your idea across?”
What other possibilities does augmented reality create? Could we have augmented ads in Pokemon Go? Could we bring Faux OOH executions to life? Could we further preserve historical OOH as art? Does augmented reality unlock OOH in places where it was never allowed before such as historically designated districts? What are your thoughts? Share in the comments below.