The “Hijacked Highway” campaign by Sodimac leveraged immersive experiential marketing to redefine consumer engagement within the household and garden sector in Peru. Centered on the brand’s promise to simplify and inspire home improvement, the campaign emphasized accessibility and convenience by bringing a virtual catalogue of over 20 real-life offers directly to potential customers traveling along the Panamericana Sur, the country’s primary highway. By offering VR cardboard glasses to vehicle passengers, the campaign transformed a routine journey into an interactive discovery experience, effectively merging physical and digital touchpoints.
From a strategic perspective, the campaign identified a unique opportunity to capture the attention of an otherwise distracted and transient audience—commuters and travelers on a major thoroughfare—by hijacking traditional billboard space with innovative VFX and virtual reality technology. Rather than static advertisements, the dynamic VR experience created a sense of novelty and engagement, encouraging users to interact with the brand in an unorthodox environment. This approach extended Sodimac’s market reach beyond typical retail settings and digital ads, tapping into behavioral insights around travel downtime and passenger engagement. The choice of experiential media and virtual reality not only aligned with growing consumer curiosity about immersive technologies in 2017 but also positioned Sodimac as a forward-thinking brand adapting to evolving media consumption habits. Overall, the campaign strategically blended immersive technology with a practical product offering to deepen brand interaction in a crowded marketplace.
FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits.
This campaign, titled "Hijacked Highway," centers on an experiential activation where Sodimac transformed roadside billboards into an immersive VR platform. Passengers using VR cardboard glasses were able to see real home improvement offers as a virtual catalogue overlaid onto the real environment. The campaign’s core creative device is an innovative, direct demonstration of Sodimac’s product catalogue and offers, leveraging technology (VR) to vividly showcase how the brand delivers its benefits in a compelling, hands-on way rather than relying on narrative storytelling, symbolism, testimonials, or comparisons.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Maestro – Positioned as a convenient and accessible home improvement retailer, Maestro targets cost-conscious consumers by offering a wide range of affordable household products and DIY solutions, emphasizing local store presence and community engagement across Peru.
2. Promart – Promart differentiates itself by focusing on premium and innovative home improvement products, appealing to middle and upper-middle-class consumers seeking quality, design, and expert advice in both physical stores and digital platforms.
3. Easy (part of Cencosud) – Easy leverages its international experience and broad product assortment to deliver a one-stop shopping experience with competitive pricing, home delivery, and extensive customer service, targeting various consumer segments in Peru’s house and garden industry.
4. Sodimac Homecenter Ecuador – While a regional player, Sodimac Homecenter in Ecuador represents a strong extension of the brand’s presence, focusing on comprehensive product ranges and professional services that cater to both DIY enthusiasts and construction professionals.
5. Ferretería EPA – EPA stands out by concentrating on professional-grade tools and supplies for contractors and builders, offering specialized knowledge, trade discounts, and tailored solutions to maintain a strong foothold in the household and construction markets.
Q: What is Hijacked highway about?
A: Hijacked highway is a 2017 experiential campaign created by McCann Lima for Sodimac in Peru, targeting the house and garden market. The campaign reimagined traditional highway advertising by distributing VR cardboard glasses to auto passengers traveling along the Panamericana Sur, enabling them to view a virtual catalogue of over 20 real-life home improvement offers overlaid onto the physical landscape. By merging digital interactivity with the physical environment, Hijacked highway aimed to engage a transient audience in an innovative way, reinforcing Sodimac’s positioning as a forward-thinking home improvement retailer.
Q: What creative device does Hijacked highway use?
A: Hijacked highway employs FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This creative device centers on directly showing how Sodimac’s product catalogue and offers work by leveraging virtual reality technology. Instead of relying on narrative storytelling or testimonials, the campaign provides a vivid, hands-on demonstration: passengers use VR cardboard glasses to interact with a virtual catalogue superimposed on their real-world journey. This approach foregrounds the tangible benefits and accessibility of Sodimac’s offerings through immersive, experiential engagement.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Hijacked highway?
A: The campaign proposition for Hijacked highway is to redefine consumer engagement in the household and garden sector by making home improvement inspiration accessible and convenient for travelers on Peru’s busiest highway. Sodimac positions itself as a brand that simplifies the home improvement process by bringing a curated selection of real offers directly to potential customers during their commute. By transforming routine travel time into an interactive discovery experience, the campaign underscores Sodimac’s commitment to innovation and customer-centricity in a competitive retail landscape.
Q: How does Hijacked highway rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Hijacked highway holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 70/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, the quality of its experiential execution, and its relevance within the evolving landscape of immersive advertising in the house and garden sector.
Q: Who are the competitors in Sodimac's category?
A: In Peru’s house and garden market, Sodimac competes with Maestro, which appeals to cost-conscious consumers through affordability and local presence; Promart, which targets middle and upper-middle-class shoppers with premium, design-focused offerings and expert advice; Easy, leveraging international experience and a broad product range to deliver a comprehensive shopping experience; Sodimac Homecenter Ecuador, which extends the brand’s regional reach with a focus on both DIY enthusiasts and professionals; and Ferretería EPA, which differentiates itself by catering to contractors and builders with specialized tools, trade discounts, and expert solutions.
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