Just like last time, Bored Panda reached out to Tobbe Christell, an expert in the realm of outdoor advertising and a pivotal figure at Havelle, known for developing and executing successful campaigns that blend creativity with practicality.

On the topic of Havelle's creative process, Christell notes, "Havelle can rarely take credit for the entire creative process. The best ideas usually start with the advertising or media agency, but all too often they are ideas that are not practically feasible due to technical, legal or budget constraints. What I think Havelle is good at is taking an idea, reshaping it and making it - or a variant of the idea - feasible, either together with an outdoor company or permission directly from the city in question."

"As there is often a short lead time, the production is always thought through already at the idea presentation, so that it can be produced quickly if it becomes a reality. Once the installation is up, it is well documented and posted on the appropriate social media channels. Anything can happen with a creative outdoor installation, so of course it's important to ensure that the installation is 100% throughout the campaign period." He told us.

When asked about integrating technology into interactive ads, Tobbe takes a pragmatic approach: "I never want to let a technology control an idea, but of course I try to stay informed about new technologies and keep them in mind if they can be of any use to an idea. Of course, new and upcoming technology will develop outdoor advertising and creative solutions, and I dare not say what the future looks like."

Christell also perceives outdoor advertising as a crucial mass medium complemented by digital landscapes. He explains, "I see outdoor advertising as one of the few mass media that still exists, but we only do creative installations in one or a few places. The new digital landscapes are then fantastic platforms to show the creative advertising. If the idea and the documentation are good, the solution with the right tools can get millions of views and far beyond the borders of the country in question.

The fact that outdoor advertising is as big as it is today is largely thanks to the digital platforms."

Reflecting on a challenging campaign, Christell recounts a tight deadline for a TV series premiere where a car had to appear as if submerged in an ice floe. "Often time is the most critical. Last year, for the premiere of a TV series about cars, we were asked to recreate a yellow Mitsubishi EVO car in a central station and make it look like it has sunk halfway into the water in an ice floe. And this in 2.5 weeks. Time was too short to recreate the car, so we had to try to find a real Mitsubishi EVO, which after much searching we managed to find. However, we could not tell the seller that we would immediately cut his most cherished possession in half, an hour after the purchase. The ice floe was created from styrofoam and pretend snow and everything was ready a few minutes before launch."

As for trends, Tobbe expresses a desire for Havelle to set them rather than follow. He says, "In my dream world, it is the creative installations that sometimes sow a seed for something that then becomes a trend in outdoor advertising. I don't try to take advantage of trends, but these, as well as previously both implemented and unimplemented ideas, we always have in the back of our minds when we work with new solutions."