When it comes to integrated out of home campaigns, hand painted murals are having a moment.

One of the latest is this impressive piece of wall art hosted by Westfield Stratford City in London to mark the release of the latest game in the renowned Tekken franchise.

It was created by Mural Republic for Bandai Namco Europe and Generation Media. Hand painted over six nights in subzero temperatures, the artists used a base layer of emulsion paint and spray paint to create characters from the street fighting franchise.  You can watch the video here.

Bringing the Fight to the New Generation – TEKKEN 8 is here! @MuralRepublic‘s latest mural production at Westfield Stratford marks the release of this highly anticipated entry to the long-standing fighting game franchise, now spanning over three decades. pic.twitter.com/owm3fiuFij

— BANDAI NAMCO UK (@BandaiNamcoUK) January 27, 2024

In terms of the target audience, Bandai were looking to reach the enormous contingent of gamers that form part of Westfield Stratford City’s 1.2million monthly footfall. Job done.

Custom canvases

Drawing on a craft which is as old as the street themselves, modern day murals offer brands a chance to create real world pieces which live on in the digital realm.

Ocean’s portfolio includes 10 standout locations in three cities including one in Edinburgh, eight in London and another in Manchester, a city which has just been named “creative capital of the UK” by Adobe Express.

Each opportunity is sold on its dwell time, emotional response and ROUTE score. That’s the out of home measurement standard we work by. Time lapse video meanwhile allows the brand to take its audience reach wider with easy to share online clips. Swarovski is just one brand that has racked up millions of views for its NYC mural featuring Bella Hadid.

Combing your mural with anamorphic effects, experiential activity or QR codes cranks up the audience experience further.

Old school craft

In an OOH context, Ocean’s street art murals offer brands and agencies four different creative approaches:

Basic: simple vector artwork of no more than six colours allows for bold logos and clean short text pieces.

Complex: medium to high detail illustrations offering a wider colour palette, use of gradients and significant use of stencilling.

Partial Realism: Often a mix of graphic shapes, text and photorealism. Graphic pieces can be distorted to give the impression of a DeepScreen® 3D piece.

Realism: Photographic replications of people, faces, packaging or products. Completed by true complexions, flesh tones, light and reflection.

Now that’s the Art of Outdoor 

Here are four of my all-time favourite murals which represent innovative creative execution.

Stop the clock! IWC Shaffhausen turned its artwork for the Big Pilot watch into a stand out anamorphic mural in Westfield London. The designers and artists created a 3D effect that focused in on the luxury wrist watch when viewed from a particular angle. An integrated QR code downloaded an app, allowing people to virtually view the product using AR.

No butts. Keep Britain Tidy took over our Manchester wall with a duck themed mural aimed at smokers, asking them to bin their cigarette ends responsibly. Positioned on the busy Cross Street side of the Arndale Centre, this piece was beautifully quackers. Watch the video here.

Catwalk canvases. Back to London’s Westfield destinations for some photoreal artwork from H&M to celebrate their collaboration with House of Mugler. Two eye catching murals in Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City used photographic replications of models wearing new pieces and signature looks from the collection.

Ghostbusters. Measuring a mighty 40040 x 9200, Netflix used the grand expanse of the Wall at Westfield to bring to life its dark fantasy drama Lockwood & Co. UV paint was applied to the vinyl banner, bringing the paranormal investigators to life after dark. Simply glowing.

To find out more about how murals can work as part of your campaign, contact Labs.

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