Lenovo uses mixed reality digital OOH to appeal to creators as a must-have brand

Recently, for example, Lenovo worked with digital artists Hoxxoh and Shanef3d to use mixed-reality digital art and create digital street art murals in New York City. The effort, in partnership with creative shop SuperHeroes NY, was an attempt to get consumer attention via a unique digital art approach to out-of-home and demonstrate how using the company’s Yoga Pro line helped the creators make the art that was on display.

Using mixed reality art to get attention may be a burgeoning trend. The effort is similar to that of Jacquemus’s Le Bambino; as Digiday’s sister publication Glossy reported, the brand imagined what handbag shaped buses driving down the streets of Paris during Fashion Week would look like using 3D imagery.

Aside from the 3D mural art, Lenovo is focusing its efforts on digital marketing, particularly social media with an “influencer-led approach,” per Idi, as the brand is accelerating its transition to digital to meet consumers where they are spending their time.

It’s unclear how much Lenovo is spending on creator partnerships or how it is dividing its ad budget as Idi declined to share specific details. Per Vivvix data, including paid social data from Pathmatics, Lenovo spent $100.3 million on advertising in 2022, up from $83.8 million in 2021. So far this year, per Vivvix and Pathmatics’ data, Lenovo spent $17.1 million on advertising during the first quarter of the year.

Using social and digital ads to reach creators makes sense to Eunice Shin, partner at brand consultancy Prophet.

“It’s just undeniable that younger audiences are not watching cable TV,” said Shin, adding marketers seeking to boost brand awareness and reach — what they had previously used traditional TV advertising for — for younger audiences will have to retool their approach now. “If you want to reach them, you’re missing your target there. The tipping point has occurred and now we are going to digital video.”