Google’s Mumbai Hoarding Marries Offline And Online, Gives Real-Time Updates On Traffic

Hoardings are often known to be creative, but this one is also useful.

Google has installed a giant hoarding promoting Google Maps in Mumbai. Instead of talking about how effective Google Maps is, or showing happy Google Maps customers, the hoarding simply shows off real-time Google Maps results for the road it’s situated on.

The hoarding has a large map of Mumbai, with a series of snaking LED lights showing the road from Bandra West to Goregaon. Much like the real Google maps, sections of the road where traffic is heavy are lit in red; sections were traffic is more manageable are lit in blue. These traffic insights change in real time, report users.

#LookBeforeYouLeave, says the ad at the very bottom, asking users to check traffic statuses on Google Maps before leaving home.

As far as ads go, this is fairly understated. No grand claims of Google Maps’s efficacy are made, and no celebrities talk about how much they love Google Maps. But the hoarding does something very clever — it shows off the product’s use case right when customers need it. When stuck in traffic, nothing is more helpful than knowing how bad the jam really is, and how things will be a little further ahead. And once Google Maps has given you the answer, you’ll remember to check it the next time you leave home. 

This is advertising for the 21st century.