When the world goes dark, some brands panic. The smart ones get creative.
In July 2024, a global cyber outage caused Microsoft Windows systems to crash across multiple industries. Vast swathes of the internet went dark.
While most companies scrambled to get back online, sporting goods giant Decathlon saw a rare kind of marketing moment — and made a mad dash toward it.
Within three hours, Decathlon Canada’s digital billboards and street-level DOOH screens in Montreal and Toronto were updated to mimic the dreaded blue screen of death.
Only this one came with a twist: a QR code offering 50% off gear and bearing the tagline “Outage? Get outside.”
It was cheeky, timely, and 100% on brand.
What made it memorable (and kind of brilliant, honestly) wasn’t just the fact that it poked fun at a serious situation — it was the speed.
Decathlon’s marketing team spotted a cultural moment, matched it to their mission (helping people enjoy the outdoors), and acted fast. No overthinking and no committee meetings — just a real-time response that resonated.
The results?
Over a million impressions in six hours, and an ad campaign that went suddenly viral, sparking a global conversation across a wide range of social media outlets.
It was living proof that big, established brands can move with the agility of a startup when they want to.
This is exactly the kind of opportunity that programmatic DOOH was built for.
The ability to change copy and creative instantly makes it the perfect playground for real-time storytelling. And when your brand message aligns so naturally with what’s happening in the world, people notice.
The bottom line here is that when opportunity knocks, you don’t always need a long campaign plan.
Sometimes, you just need a clever line, a quick upload, and the courage to hit “go.” That’s how you turn an outage into an outstanding idea.
If you’re struggling to find opportunities like that, we can help.
Just give our office a call today at 404-671-9490.