By Ben Baker, Managing Director for APAC, Vistar Media
Every year, Vivid Sydney lights up the city like no other – a vibrant expression of creativity, innovation and culture. While Vivid is based in Sydney, its influence is undeniably national. As the southern hemisphere’s largest multi-artform festival, it draws massive attention and nationwide curiosity, making it a perfect hotspot for marketers.
In 2024 alone Vivid Sydney attracted 2.42 million attendees – the third largest on record. But beyond all the lights and vibrant installations, Vivid has quietly become a goldmine for Australian marketers. Whether you’re in the heart of the Sydney CBD, at a train station or walking through the streets in another state, Vivid Sydney is a conversation Australians everywhere want to be a part of. It’s a rare moment that draws national attention, drives foot traffic and sparks deep cultural moments – offering brands the chance to show up when Australians are most switched on.
That’s what makes Vivid so important and why brand marketers must have it, along with other tentpole cultural moments, on their radar. With the flexibility and precision of programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH), brands can do more than participate — they can activate smart, scalable campaigns that feel personal on the street level but resonate across the country. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to turn festival moments into nationwide reach.
Tapping into the bright lights
While millions watch Sydney’s lights sparkle during Vivid, every digital out-of-home (DOOH) screen transforms into a dynamic stage for impactful storytelling. From dazzling light installations illuminating iconic landmarks to interactive DOOH displays that surprise and delight, Vivid Sydney’s DOOH landscape goes far beyond simple promotion. It creates an immersive cultural experience that sparks the kind of curiosity and engagement brands can only dream of.
Savvy marketers know that although Vivid offers a unique moment to connect, cutting through the buzz requires more than just presence, it demands precision. PDOOH takes this a step further by enabling real-time adaptation of creative content based on location, time and audience. This flexibility ensures every message feels relevant and timely, significantly increasing its chance to resonate and drive action. Ultimately success is achieved by engaging the right audience exactly when and where it matters.
Smart, seamless & connected
Local activations are essential to capture these moments, but there is a real opportunity to scale. pDOOH holds the ability to creatively automate a series of targeted, meaningful touchpoints that build momentum, widen cultural connections and drive measurable results. Expanding the reach of local campaigns across state borders, marketers can move beyond that one-size-fits-all approach and embrace a smart, seamless and connected strategy that speaks directly to high-value audiences—wherever they are.
It’s the key in today’s marketing world. pDOOH empowers brands to launch campaigns faster and smarter, while also giving you the kind of insights and accountability that can really change the way marketers engage with their audiences. With real-time reporting, audience targeting and performance tracking, marketers can now understand not just where their campaigns are running, but how and when they’re making an impact. And with solutions like device ID (DID) passback, brands can retarget those same audiences across digital channels – from social and mobile to display and CTV.
Unlocking Lasting Impact
But Vivid isn’t just about showing up during the event. Smart marketers understand that moments like this deserve a full-funnel approach. From the pre-event buzz and anticipation to capturing peak attention during the festival to staying relevant in the weeks after.
Before the event, campaigns can build anticipation and awareness, stirring curiosity and excitement. During Vivid, messaging sharpens to capture peak attention, driving foot traffic and engagement with on-the-ground activations and contextually relevant creative.
But the opportunity doesn’t stop when the lights go out. Post-event activations keep the brand top-of-mind, reinforcing connection and sparking longer-term engagement. This strategic layering turns a moment into a movement, amplifying brand value beyond the event footprint.
Take a page from major cultural activations like Coachella in the US, where brands used DOOH to build excitement leading into the event, connect with audiences on-site and retarget them across digital channels long after the festival wrapped. The same approach can be applied to Vivid, allowing brands to drive lasting connections across Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and beyond – connecting Australians everywhere.
Best practice for Australian marketers
Whether it’s Vivid, the Australian Open or the lead-up to Christmas, marketers should think of cultural tentpoles as more than just a single media moment. With pDOOH, these events become platforms for phased, data-driven storytelling. Allowing brands to adapt messaging across time, geography and audience behaviours. It’s this flexibility that helps campaigns stay top of mind, long after the crowds disperse.