Advertisements in and around Shinjuku, Japan 2011

Large-scale outdoor advertising is commonplace to the Japanese. Huge outdoor screens have become a familiar sight to both locals and tourists alike, being a part and decoration of the various cities. Being very technologically-advanced, Japan is one of the leading countries in media innovation.

One campaign in Tokyo that sparked interest was the use of advertising billboards with a facial recognition function. This software can accurately identify the shopper's gender, ethnicity, and even his approximate age! Marketers will be ecstatic to learn that their ads can now be more targeted and appropriate for consumers.

A virtual mannequin appearing in a digital billboard

Camera-equipped billboards to scan passers-by


Japanese cities are plastered with advertisements ranging from building-topping billboards to smaller ads around town. One is never far away from a commercial message, and these are increasingly evolving into digital signboards. Below are some of the sights and sounds of Shinjuku that caught TPM's eye:

Lightboxes standing out magnificently in the city at night

Ads on flights of stairs that people frequent

Mobile billboard trucks that are lit at night

The contrast of light in the night is bound to catch someone's eye!

Numerous ads concentrated in an area

Advertising within shops

Advertisers taking advantage of the highly populated city area

Seeing how Japanese brands are thriving in the use of outdoor advertising, are your advertisement campaigns reaping similar benefits from Out-of-Home advertising?

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