When billboards become love letters

Drivers stuck in traffic and pedestrians crossing busy intersections looked up to see heartfelt messages dedicated to friends, parents, partners and everyday heroes. Some were playful. Others were moving and sincere. All of them came from ordinary people who wanted to spread the love in a unique way.

The messages were part of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s “Share the Love” campaign, which was powered by DOOHshare – a consumer-engagement platform developed by Tractor Outdoor and Ignis Labs (both part of Glynt).

Ruchelle Mouton, chief marketing officer at Glynt, explains: “This campaign was designed to broaden the meaning of Valentine’s Day. Instead of focusing only on romantic relationships, Cadbury Dairy Milk invited South Africans to celebrate anyone who makes life sweeter, whether that’s a best friend, a sibling, a mentor or a parent.

“People were invited to submit messages through QR codes placed on billboards or through links shared online. Those links directed them to a Cadbury Dairy Milk branded mobisite where they could write a short dedication to someone they cared about, and even add a photograph to commemorate a special moment, which would accompany the love note.”

Phila Combo, strategic portfolio lead at Starcom (media agency for the campaign), adds: “This campaign reflects the power of combining media innovation with human insight. By turning high-traffic outdoor spaces into platforms for personal expression, we were able to create a campaign that genuinely resonated with audiences. It’s a strong example of how data, creativity and context can come together to deliver a powerful brand experience.”

The campaign generated 11,812 visits to the mobisite and 1,837 message submissions, delivering a conversion rate of roughly 16%. Each message then passed through a moderation process that combined AI-powered filtering with human review before appearing on screen. The campaign was further amplified by organic social media exposure, with South Africa’s communities delighting the opportunity to share their messages with loved ones.

Once approved, the messages were published across Tractor’s national digital out-of-home network in Gauteng, Western Cape, KZN and Eastern Cape, turning these sites into declarations of collective love and emotion. Over the campaign period, the out-of-home component reached more than 1.4 million people and delivered over 10 million impressions.

Thabang Modiba, brand manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk, says: “Cadbury Dairy Milk has always been about generosity and connection. ‘Share the Love’ allowed us to bring that brand purpose to life in a way that felt both personal and public at scale.”

Mouton explains that the DOOHshare platform allows moderated user-generated content to be dynamically published across digital out-of-home networks.

“What makes the campaign particularly interesting is how quickly the technology came together. Campaign platforms that involve mobile submissions, moderation systems and live publishing across multiple digital screens would traditionally take between four and eight weeks to build.

“By using AI-assisted development tools and automated workflows, our teams were able to build and deploy the system in roughly one week.

“That speed opens the door for a different kind of outdoor campaign. Instead of broadcasting a single message to millions of people, brands can create platforms that invite audiences to contribute to the story.”

Outdoor advertising has always been designed to capture attention. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Share the Love campaign did more than that – it shared a taste of real love and connection, making the world just a bit sweeter.