Allow me to reintroduce out-of-home, unabridged by Jay-Z.

Rapper turned media mogul / impresario Jay-Z is set to release his memoir “Decoded” on, chronicling the rise of the street hustler who found rap fame and eventually became the self-described “black Warren Buffet.” In what will more than likely be hailed as the most inventive and clever out-of-home media campaign of 2010, Jay-Z and company are using big budget non-traditional promotions to build anticipation for the 336 page book release on November 6, 2010. (Check out the cover art, done by Andy Warhol.)

The “Decode Jay-Z with Bing” advertising tactics weave elements of both traditional (billboards) and non-traditional (guerilla) outdoor advertising, interactive advertising (Bing) and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Oh, and it all ties together seamlessly to form a location-based scavenger hunt. The basic premise of the campaign is to place actual excerpts of text from the book on pieces of media space that relate to the content, proximity-wise. For instance, if there is a page of the book that describes a pool hall in Brooklyn, part of that page might be copied onto the actual felt of a pool table in that very hall. If Jay-Z is talking about a particular hotel in Manhattan, part of that page might appear on the bottom of the hotel swimming pool. Consumers and fans in New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and London will be able to enjoy seeing the “pages” appear in the next few weeks.

You can search for the “Decoded” pages through Bing.com/Jay-Z, kick-starting the scavenger hunt. The site will allow users to view a 3-D map and click on specific spots on the map so the user can see from actual street level, just like a pedestrian. Visitors follow clues to help them find the pages.  Discovering pages can land a player the scavenger hunt’s grand prize, a trip to Las Vegas to see Jay-Z play on New Year’s Eve.

Advertising agency Droga5 and Microsoft Bing partnered to create what will undoubtably prove to be the textbook example of how to integrate multiple advertising channels. Gone are the days where you can expect a positive consumer response with a single, static message. With today’s continuously evolving media, consumers expect, if not demand an interactive element, or at the very least- to be uniquely targeted with a call-to-action through at least one media platform.

Out-of-home media, both traditional (bulletins, posters) and non-traditional (wild posters, street teams) lend themselves exceptionally well to these coming of age social media based campaigns. Achieving the large scale impressions that are necessary for success without the budget busting cost of television commercials that get politely fast forward through during DVR replays- outdoor media are the perfect catalysts for interactive campaigns.

The main players in the Decoded contest will prove to be those of the iPhone. iPad, Kindle generation, with technology being a way of life and contest interaction a mere key stroke away- which isn’t a coincidence. Don’t be surprise if the eBook downloads alone immediately place Jay-Z’s “Decoded” on the New York Times Best Seller List.

(This isn’t Jay-Z’s first venture in large-scale out-of-home campaign. In July you could find his face on a NY wallscape with Nets co-owner Mikhail Prokhorov in the highly debated NBA free agent players of 2010. Check out this larger than life Jay-Z in our previous blog: Out-of-Home Billboards, Wallscapes and Murals Beckon LeBron, D. Wage, Ad NBA Free Agency Begins.)