Beijing, Jan. 13 (Reporter) – When the neon lights of the city are lit up, outdoor light boxes, with their unique visual expression and diverse functional attributes, have long been more than just simple advertising tools. They have gradually evolved into the visual business card of the city's outdoor environment, integrating with urban landscapes to shape regional characteristics, while serving as an excellent carrier for commercial communication, building an efficient connection bridge between brands and consumers. The dual value of outdoor light boxes in urban construction and commercial operation is being increasingly highlighted.

As the "visual business card" of the city, outdoor light boxes are playing an irreplaceable role in optimizing the urban outdoor environment and shaping the city's image. The integration of light box design with urban culture and architectural style has become a new trend in urban construction. A typical example is the lighting building project of TSLAW TOWER in Kuala Lumpur. The Chinese enterprise City Window installed point light source strips on the building, forming a visual carrier covering tens of thousands of square meters through dynamic content design. The project combined the localized design concept of "I❤KL" with local festivals, creating a continuous emotional connection with citizens and tourists, and becoming a new landmark of Kuala Lumpur's night scene . Similar practices are also common in Chinese cities. From the Bund in Shanghai to Xiushui Street in Beijing, outdoor light boxes have integrated the historical context and modern elements of the city, presenting a "1:1:1" content ratio of urban image, public interaction and commercial advertising, which not only brightens the urban night scene but also conveys the city's cultural connotation .

In addition to shaping the city's image, outdoor light boxes have also become an excellent carrier for commercial communication with their advantages of wide coverage, strong visual impact and high audience attention. Relevant research data from Australian digital outdoor media company QMS shows that dynamic digital outdoor light boxes have a 38% higher impact on audiences' long-term memory than static ones . Creative and interactive outdoor light boxes can even achieve a marketing effect 18% higher than ordinary outdoor advertisements. A notable case is the "Running Earth" activity launched by Nike at Shanghai's Meiluo City. By transforming the spherical building into a rotating "earth" with curved screen light boxes and inviting celebrities and athletes to participate, the activity attracted a large number of on-site onlookers and 2 million online viewers in less than two hours of live broadcast, achieving a sensational commercial communication effect .

The dual value of outdoor light boxes in urban vision and commercial communication has also driven the innovation of materials and technologies in the industry. In terms of materials, 304 stainless steel, which is corrosion-resistant and high-temperature resistant, has become a "star material" for outdoor light boxes. Its service life can reach 5-10 years, effectively solving the problems of frequent maintenance of traditional light boxes . Through laser cutting technology, stainless steel light boxes can present exquisite patterns with a cutting accuracy of 0.1mm, forming a unique light and shadow effect during the day and night, which enhances both the aesthetic value of the city and the brand's sense of quality . In terms of technology, the application of AI creative platforms and offline control technologies has ensured the safety and efficiency of light box content release. The TSLAW TOWER project in Kuala Lumpur, which was completed in only one month from planning to implementation, relied on a digital system accumulated by Chinese enterprises through thousands of national-level activities, realizing localized design and compliant operation .

In the commercial field, outdoor light boxes have shown strong adaptability in different scenarios. In public transportation hubs with large passenger flow, outdoor light boxes have become an important channel for commercial promotion. A cooperation between China Transportation Company and bus advertising media companies showed that after rolling out customized product promotions on 1,000 bus light box screens, the number of new followers of the official WeChat account increased by 32.83% year-on-year, and ticket sales on the digital platform increased by 10% month-on-month . In high-end commercial districts, customized light boxes that match the brand style have become a "standard configuration" for stores. The minimalist stainless steel hollow light boxes used by Internet-famous coffee shops, paired with warm light strips, not only attract customers but also shape the brand's warm and healing image .

Industry experts pointed out that the dual attributes of outdoor light boxes as a city's visual business card and a commercial communication carrier are mutually promoting. A well-designed outdoor light box can not only enhance the quality of the urban outdoor environment but also improve the effect of commercial communication. With the in-depth integration of digital technologies such as 5G and IoT, outdoor light boxes will realize more intelligent functions such as real-time content update and precise audience positioning in the future, further enhancing their value in urban construction and commercial development .

Representatives of industry associations said that they will further promote the standardized development of the outdoor light box industry, formulate more detailed design guidelines combining urban style and commercial needs, and guide enterprises to balance aesthetic value, cultural connotation and commercial benefits in light box design. This will help outdoor light boxes better play their dual roles, contributing to the high-quality development of cities and the prosperity of the commercial market.