Minnesota Lottery Shakes Things Up with QRad Content Control Capability

January 18, 2024

When we talk about frequency in out of home advertising, consistency and repetition are its main ingredients. And while they are indeed essential ingredients, too much of the same exact thing can make a brand go stale.

Sometimes you’ve gotta shake things up to get some attention.


That’s why our friends at the Minnesota Lottery jumped at the opportunity to incorporate our QRad content control capability into the latest advertising in the Minneapolis Skyway! So, what is QRad? “Content control capability” is a mouthful.

It’s actually pretty simple. An advertisement with a QR code runs on a small-format DOOH screen like our Liveboards or Video Urban Panels. Someone scans the QR code, which then triggers actual changes in the ad creative! So how did the Minnesota Lottery utilize this groundbreaking technology?


The campaign’s festive holiday creative included a snow globe clad in a green bow, the QR code, and instructions to “scan for a surprise.” Whenever someone would do so, the snow globe would shake! It’s a little thing, sure, but it’s unexpected moments of surprise and delight like these that endear a brand to its customers.

Don’t think of this as a toy though – QRad can be used as a gateway to ecommerce or lead generation, with that promise of entertaining interactivity serving as an incentive to make the scan. A few potential use cases: an ad for a new car that lets a consumer see it in their favorite color, a retail brand that lets shoppers see a shirt on a model representative of their size, or one for a local business that spawns walking directions to its location. And don’t even get us started on gamification! 

 
One important note: QRad is only available on small-format assets. For one thing, it’s intended as a 30-second user experience – and you can probably understand why highway billboards might not be QR-friendly. That means the audience for these campaigns is on foot. And if you’re advertising in Minneapolis, there’s no better place to impact pedestrians than in the Skyway.

Part transit modality and part lifestyle center, the Minneapolis Skyway System consists of 9.5 miles of enclosed pathways connecting 80 city blocks, allowing the city to remain vibrant and bustling even when the temperature dips below zero. The pathways connect parking garages to office buildings (including HQs of brands like U.S. Bancorp, Target, and Ameriprise Financial), making them the literal last mile of many daily commutes. Also linked through the Skyway are apartments, malls, live theaters, hotels, government buildings, and – well, pretty much all of the downtown core.

Advertising on the Minneapolis Skyway also reaches those attending events at the city’s largest venues: Target Field, Target Center, and U.S. Bank Stadium. That means an active audience on nights and weekends and not just during rush hours. In addition to digital assets, Skyway media also include wall wallscapes, specialty cling media, and static backlits. 


While the Minnesota Lottery, like similar agencies, is a prolific advertiser across formats and mediums, digital out of home remains core to its strategy – and not just because of QRad. DOOH makes sense for any advertiser with a large number of different products to promote. Creative can be swapped in and out on short notice, allowing for agile responses to business conditions.

Advertisers can also integrate live, dynamic data into digital creative (such as current Mega Millions or Powerball jackpots) through the use of our XPress dynamic content capabilities. Our mad scientists at XLabs (or is it “ad scientists?”) are truly creating the future of out of home, today.

And you can join them! Get in touch today and learn how our advanced digital out of home capabilities can make your brand stand out.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT

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