Auckland Agency Launches 'Pigeon-Based Targeting' to Disrupt Out-of-Home Advertising
In a bold move set to ruffle feathers across marketing departments nationwide, boutique Auckland agency NEST&Co has unveiled the world’s first 'pigeon-based targeting solution'—a media placement strategy that uses trained pigeons to deliver micro-influencer messages via tiny, laminated billboards strapped to their backs.
The agency’s Creative Director, Sam 'Wingspan' Halvorsen, says the idea came after weeks spent stuck in the Britomart train station, watching pigeons 'command more attention than any digital billboard ever could.' After unsuccessfully pitching a ‘wet cement activation’ to a client in the pet insurance vertical, the team pivoted to avian advertising.
Each carrier pigeon, or 'airborne ambassador,' is outfitted with an A5-sized vinyl message board and GPS tracking for CPM accuracy. Early adopters include a vegan dog food start-up and a fintech app targeting people who only pay in coins. Targeting is achieved by releasing pigeons near outdoor cafes, co-working spaces, and anywhere a MacBook can be opened within five seconds of ordering a single flat white.
Despite SPCA concerns and technical difficulties with pigeons frequenting vape shops in Grey Lynn, the agency insists the campaign is a 'first-mover advantage in the ornithological OOH space.' Media buyers are reportedly interested, although most are ‘just trying to understand the rate card.’ The cost per coo currently sits at $12.80.
The agency’s Creative Director, Sam 'Wingspan' Halvorsen, says the idea came after weeks spent stuck in the Britomart train station, watching pigeons 'command more attention than any digital billboard ever could.' After unsuccessfully pitching a ‘wet cement activation’ to a client in the pet insurance vertical, the team pivoted to avian advertising.
Each carrier pigeon, or 'airborne ambassador,' is outfitted with an A5-sized vinyl message board and GPS tracking for CPM accuracy. Early adopters include a vegan dog food start-up and a fintech app targeting people who only pay in coins. Targeting is achieved by releasing pigeons near outdoor cafes, co-working spaces, and anywhere a MacBook can be opened within five seconds of ordering a single flat white.
Despite SPCA concerns and technical difficulties with pigeons frequenting vape shops in Grey Lynn, the agency insists the campaign is a 'first-mover advantage in the ornithological OOH space.' Media buyers are reportedly interested, although most are ‘just trying to understand the rate card.’ The cost per coo currently sits at $12.80.