Monday, January 15, 2007

peripheral clutter or advertising innovation?

Read this New York Times article about outdoor advertising. Ignore the bashing tone, and look at those (insert sarcastic tone here) innovations! Sushi pieces scaled to the size of luggage on a baggage claim conveyor belt? I guess that's better than those "got milk ads?" that spray the smell of cookies on harried commuters while they wait for the bus.

When you're pissed off & waiting for your bag or bus, are you really thinking, "Gee, I could really go for some sushi/cookies and milk right now"? Well maybe you do; but personally my line of thinking is, "How fast can I get out of here?".

A good example of non obtrusive/ out-of-the-box outdoor advertising is the execution below done by Saatchi + Saatchi. This over-sized necklace is more public art than "Vegas strip".


I was surprised the author did not mention the technology developed by DoCoMo. Their scanable barcodes allow users the choice to participate in the ads. Want to know more about that company being featured at the bus stop? Fine, scan the barcode on the ad and visit the company's site. Obtrusive? No, this is a "you come to us" format.

When executed well, ads like Saatchi + Saatchi's generate conversation, interaction, and ROI. This proves innovations in outdoor doesn't have to be just peripheral clutter.

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