Martell Cognac breaks new ground with striking OOH advert on Africa's largest animated LED lightbox display site

True to its spirit of pushing boundaries and defying the conventional, the Martell Cognac brand recently unveiled the largest animated LED lightbox display site in Africa – the first time that this animation technique has been used on a billboard of this size, on this continent.

“In a cluttered and hotly-contested outdoor environment, only brands that are brave enough to stand out from the crowd will be seen and heard and remembered,” says Martell Cognac Brand Manager Etienne Cassuto.

“Martell’s positioning line is ‘Be Curious’. The brand celebrates and inspires those who have the courage to be curious, to take the unconventional path and make new discoveries. With all of our communication, we strive to bring this positioning to life, which is why we pushed our creative agency to create something new, something different, something memorable,” he says.Situated along Corlett Drive, in the stylish urban precinct of Melrose, Johannesburg, the billboard stands a whopping 9.4m tall and measures an equally large 9.4m across. But, while its size is impressive, what really brings the billboard to life is the 5125 individual LEDs that lie behind the billboard, creating the illusion of movement and animation.

“What this billboard does is bridge the gap between static print and digital animation. This was essentially our brief,” Cassuto explains.

Created by a process called Color Alchemy, by a company of the same name, this technique combines a revolutionary multi-layered print technology with full colour spectrum lighting to achieve a range of eye-catching visual effects.

During the daytime, the billboard appears static, but at night, the sequenced lighting brings the liquid gold to life, creating a striking effect that simply cannot be ignored.

The combination of magnitude and movement an innovation in outdoor advertising, adds a whole new dimension to the out of home category, allowing advertisers to create‘Big Brand Feel’ at a fraction of the normal cost.

“Martell is proud to be part of a naturally curious team that brings innovation to life, that pushes boundaries, and defies the conventional in order to create the extra-ordinary,” concludes Cassuto.