Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
At The Photo Booth Company, we've always got an eye on what's next. And the overhead camera trend in Korea has become hugely successful.
Here’s our take on it, inside a globally familiar shape… the British phone box
The gap we saw and how it benefits your venue
The success of this overhead camera trend makes sense because the angle does something a straight-on selfie just can't. It's more flattering, and it breaks up the sameness of yet another selfie taken at arm’s length, usually at eye level.
We looked into why it hasn’t really spread outside Korea, and it soon became clear. If you’re a hire company, you need booths that are straightforward to build, transport and install. An overhead camera is more expensive and needs more complex engineering, so most companies haven’t invested in it yet, even though the camera angle has increased in popularity.
What they’re doing is great and fulfils their clients’ brief. But we can’t resist a challenge, and our partnership model builds in the ROI.
Tapping into the nostalgia trend with a phone box design
When it comes to tapping into the current wave of nostalgia, a phone box photo booth is a double whammy. It combines the now-vintage experience of how we used to call each other and having a copy of our photos that instantly become a physical part of our world.
This taps into a powerful set of emotions, whatever the age of the user. Real memories, wishing to live in times never personally experienced, and a sense of being fully in the present moment are all triggered by experiences like using a photo booth.
It’s a marketing tool you can use without friction with your business identity. It might be a quirky British phone box on the outside, but it’s your branding in the frame of every photo.
Why we chose a phone box design
Most of the overhead camera experiences are in a boring box, and we wanted something more eye-catching (and less claustrophobic).
We chose the British red phone box because of its iconic styling. It has a great aesthetic that’s both full of fun and instantly recognisable character.
There's real design history behind the shape too. The original was a competition winner by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1924. Yes, the famous designer of Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station.
His original prototype still stands outside the Royal Academy in London and has Grade 2 listed status. Our booth is based on one of the later evolutions, the K6, and it’s still one of the most recognisable pieces of British design from the last 100 years.
People already stop to photograph phone boxes in the street, and themselves inside them, without any extra prompting. You can turn one of these small, unplanned interactions into a marketing opportunity inside your venue.
As lots of phone boxes have been decommissioned for their primary use, loads of them are onto their second lives. Many are mini libraries, some are tiny art galleries, and others defibrillator stations.
How this type of photo booth is different
The footprint's compact, just 1m x 1.5m, so it fits into tight corners and busy areas where a bigger booth wouldn't work: retail floors, hotel lobbies, and entrances – wherever space is tight but footfall flows.
Inside, the overhead camera does a great job of taking flattering, distinctive photos that definitely aren’t standard. Even though it’s small, the angle means it still gets good shots of multiple people. Every output is branded to match your venue and, like all our booths, we can update the software for seasonal campaigns or promotions as needed.
Who it's for
High-end retail and hotels look for something that looks custom, is a quality build and is a bit different. So the phone box photo booth is an ideal fit for them and any other venue that sees how its instant charm will boost guest engagement.
Interest's building further afield as well, especially across Asia and the Middle East, where the pomp and circumstance of British design and heritage are really popular.
Partnering with us
Whichever venue you run, the same things hold true here as with every booth we build. It's designed, built and installed at no cost to you. Once it's in, our team keeps it running and updated, so it stays part of the venue rather than fading into the background after a few months.
If you want to check that it's worth the space, take our Photo Booth Profit Potential Quiz. 5 minutes to a personalised assessment.
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