Touch-screen tram stop ad lets restaurant patrons reserve a table

An interactive installation by Finnish ad agency HeyDay enables passers-by make a reservation at a nearby restaurant from a tram stop in Helsinki.

If Chicago bus stops can be used to serve up warm soup samples on cold winter days, then why shouldn’t a busy tram stop in Helsinki let passers-by make a reservation at a nearby restaurant? That, indeed, is now the case thanks to an interactive installation by Finnish ad agency HeyDay for local restaurant Ravintola Lämpö. Consumers can use Ravintola Lämpö’s touch-screen ad to reserve a table, order a coupon by SMS, browse through the menu and even watch TV. The entire installation resides inside a standard Abribus tram stop ad cabinet with the addition of a touch-screen foil enabling the screen to be used in any weather through the cabinet’s thick glass. To make a reservation, users simply indicate when they’d like to eat at Ravintola Lämpö, enter a mobile phone number and receive confirmation via SMS. Later, once they’ve had their meal, the system sends another SMS requesting feedback on the visit; in exchange for their ranking, consumers receive a coupon for use next time. It’s one thing for consumers to see an ad for a restaurant in the course of a busy day, but most ads offer no easy way to turn intentions into actions on the spot. HeyDay’s technology, on the other hand, does just that, taking outdoor advertising to a new level. Restaurateurs around the globe: how about you?