Advertising is everywhere, or it soon will be

The growing mania for "sponsored cities"—slapping advertising on all manner of municipal real estate—can lead to only one place as the economy continues to sputter. Soon, we'll have advertising inside our homes. Forget about the messages that ride on cable wires and satellites feeds into our various household screens. These ads would reside in the structures themselves, powered by chips beaming precision-targeted pitches onto our walls and ceilings. Messages would be tailored by income level and family size, based on information from lease and mortgage applications. Body-heat sensors, retina readers and activity monitors would trigger highly sophisticated ad servers. Three sleepless nights would lead to ads for insomnia remedies flashing through the hallway. Persistent raids on the fridge would drive promos for snacks or weight-loss centers. They'd be tasteful and quiet for the most part, with the exception of Castrol's raucous Scotsman in high-def for the garage. Let's say, one ad per occupant per room per day, in exchange for 10 percent off the rent or mortgage or half-price utilities and free WiFi. Times are tough, and I'd be willing to try it. Better to have ads on the walls than mice running around inside them.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on March 9, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Gianatasio, Non-traditional

Keep her happy in bed. Stop your snoring.

"Move over, Viagra. The real answer to what women want most in bed isn't a better lover but a night without snoring!" That's the beginning of an e-mail pitch from a company called SnoreStop, which is taking its message to the streets in a snazzy new "Bedmobile," featuring a pajama-clad model lounging in a flatbed truck fitted with sheets and pillows. Hey, what if the Bedmobile collides with the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile? That could violate standards of public decency. Here's a quote from SnoreStop's CEO: "Billions of dollars are spent every year on pills and techniques designed to make women happy in bed when all they really want is a night of sound sleep." Wait—what pills, what techniques?! Don't leave me in the dark here!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on December 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Non-traditional, SnoreStop

New Zealand bets on an exploding billboard

If you're the kind of person who likes to sit at the computer and watch absolutely nothing happen, you could do worse than visit When will the fruit burst?, a promotional Web site for Cadbury Pascall fruit chews. The site tracks the progress of an actual billboard in New Zealand featuring a giant fruit balloon full of Fruit Burst chews that's been placed next to a giant pin. As the balloon fills with air, it moves closer to the pin, and we laypeople can place bets on when it will pop ... and hopefully not scar a large swath of downtown Auckland with chewy shrapnel. Although if it does, we hope the live feed is still going.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on October 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Kiefaber, New Zealand, Non-traditional

Now, there's a real killer conference booth

Forrester Research analyst Jeremiah Owyang spotted this eye-catching booth at the recent Online Market World conference in San Francisco. Doba is a "dropshipping" site that connects wholesale suppliers with online retailers (i.e., you use it to sell other people's stuff). While the Web seems awash with people who think the site's a scam, you have to give them props for knowing how to get your attention without resorting to the usual trade-show devices (by which I mean boobs).

—Posted by David Griner

Published on October 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Conferences, Griner, Non-traditional

Ocean Spray's cranberries take to the road

As slogans go, "Bogs Across America" isn't one that trips off the tongue. But when you see a cranberry bog set up in New York City's Rockefeller Center, part of Ocean Spray's Bogs Across America promotional campaign, it's quite a sight. As an item on Ocean Spray's Web site says, "Good thing Fashion Week's not in October because when we bring our 'Big Apple Bog' to Rockefeller Center, hip-high waders will be all the rage." And indeed, the temporary bog does have several Ocean Spray folks wading around in it, hip-high boots and all. The bog is in New York through Thursday and in L.A. on Oct. 15-17. For you bog aficionados out there, it's a spectacle not to be missed.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

Published on October 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Dolliver, Non-traditional, Ocean Spray

Can't afford TV? Hey, flip books are similar!

Flip books haven't been a major part of anyone's marketing efforts since, oh, probably the late 1800s. But with everyone cutting back their media budgets, custom flip-book maker Flippies sees an opportunity for the original motion pictures to make a comeback. "History has demonstrated that flip books are the ultimate recession-proof marketing tool," Flippies president Jeffrey Kay says. "Right now, flip books are to marketers what meatloaf is to comfort food." Though it has trouble with SAT-exam-type analogies, Flippies has built a solid business and boasts a client list (MTV, Subaru, L'Oréal, Puma, AT&T, etc.) any agency would be proud of. Its flip books, featuring "crystal clear clips of full motion video with a simple flip of a thumb," work nicely as interactive brochures, event giveaways and trade-show handouts. Sure, they've been around a while (they were invented in 1882 by Henry Van Hovenbergh of Elizabeth, N.J.), but Kay points out that they're "one of the earliest forms of interactive media on record."

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on October 6, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (10)
Filed under Non-traditional, Nudd

Dos Equis teams with freak-show Jim Rose

After a night of watching Japanese robotic dancers, fire jugglers and French burlesque singers, boy do you need a drink. Cue legendary "new circus" performer Jim Rose, who is teaming with Dos Equis for "The Most Interesting Show in the World Tour." The show is scheduled to play in bars, clubs and small theaters in cities like New York, L.A., Chicago and Miami starting next month. "We're focused on creating an engaging experience built around the essence of the ad campaign and the relevant passions and interests of our consumers," says Dos Equis exec Elizabeth Costa. I'm not sure the brand's drinkers enjoy hammering spikes through their heads and nostrils like Rose does. That's more a Jagermeister thing. And while the artist might not personify the gravel-voiced and dashing "Most Interesting Man in the World" from Dos Equis' spots, he surely ranks among America's most perforated.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Alcohol, Dos Equis, Gianatasio, Non-traditional

Foosball table livens up any marketing plan

Marketing materials simply don't get more manly than a foosball table with sausages for players. That's just what Red Tettemer has created with this "Sausage vs. Sausage" foosball table for client Hatfield Quality Meats. The PR missive explains: "Art directed by Todd Taylor and designed by Jaimi Steen, the foosball table will be used at live events and sponsorships. The ultimate goal of the foosball table is to add to the Hatfield brand experience at events and create a fun, engaging environment for consumers to familiarize themselves with the brand and the products themselves." A real sausage fest. Go meat!

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on September 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Hatfield Quality Meats, Non-traditional, Nudd, Red Tettemer

Naked statues languish without healthcare

Nothing sells healthcare—or anything, really—quite like nudity. Which brings us to "Uncovered," an outdoor display by Taxi for Blue Shield of California that features 40 statues showing humans in "vulnerable positions." Maybe they wouldn't be so vulnerable if they wore some pants! The broader idea is to symbolize the 6.7 million Californians who have no health coverage. See some more pics here. The statues debuted last Friday in Los Angeles at an event with Blue Shield CEO Bruce Bodaken and former Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans, who both kept their clothes on. The statues move today to San Francisco, where the public display of naked human bodies probably won't draw all that much attention.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gianatasio, Insurance, Non-traditional, Taxi

Army recruits face first big test at the mall

I suppose some left-wingers will object to the U.S. Army setting up a high-tech "Experience Center" in a Philadelphia mall. Frankly, I can't think of a better place for young people to prepare for military service. The center is next door to a Sam Ash music-equipment store, and the sounds emanating from there will allow would-be recruits to build up a healthy resistance to torture. The Dave & Buster's across the way will get them used to mess-hall grub. And at the H&R Block, they can watch their friends who got MBAs and cushy white-collar jobs invest their money. Most important, holiday shopping season will soon be here, providing some practical exposure to combat. You've got be strong to fight your way through the food court to the Crate & Barrel on Dec. 24. Army strong.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Non-traditional, U.S. Army

Take cover from Jet Angel's branding ideas

If the company's for real (and I'm praying it isn't), Jet Angel's business model consists in large part of slapping client ad messages on decommissioned military equipment and parking these once-fearsome war machines in front of children's hospitals. Yeah, that'll boost a brand's image. To hype itself in the political season, Jet Angel apparently drove McCain and Obama missiles around Manhattan and Washington, D.C., aimed them at local landmarks and sent the resulting pictures to the press. (See more pics here.) If the whole thing is a joke—i.e., an attempt at ironic humor or satire—it fails to meet the demands of the post-South Park era. (I know the show's still on, but who watches anymore?) In the illustration on the company's site, the hospital should be in ruins and the nurses' hair on fire as they run screaming past the corporate-logo-emblazoned weaponry. The street-campaign should be Photoshopped to show the buildings ablaze—and why not toss in a Flogo Godzilla? My point: Real or not, Jet Angel, you bombed either way.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Campaign '08, Gianatasio, Non-traditional

Advertising in Toronto spans earth and sky

Thanks to agencies Zig and Bos (who should team up for an Adult Swim show), you can't look up or down in Toronto without seeing an ad. For radio station CFRB 1010, Zig poses controversial questions that the broadcaster might cover—such as "Should panhandling be illegal?" or "Is crime getting out of control?"—and brings them to life on the streets. Panhandlers cradle signs posing the first question, while police chalk outlines on the pavement illustrate the latter. There's something touching about that panhandler's expression and body language. And the somber juxtaposition of the street people's plight and the chalk outlines gives the campaign extra emotional resonance. (See more photos of the work after the jump.) In fluffy contrast, Bos is sending Pillsbury Doughboy-style balloons and Flogos (which we've written about before) into the Toronto air for wireless provider Fido. Do Canadians appreciate their skies cluttered with marketing messages? Maybe that could be the topic of CFRB's next show.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Click to read more ...

Published on August 28, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Bos, CFRB, Gianatasio, Non-traditional, Outdoor, Zig

One look, and the ads know what you need

Dear YCD Multimedia: I have some issues with your Facial Recognition Technology, and I'm not referring to the unfortunate acronym. Sure, it's intended to recognize customers by scanning their faces—and then serve in-store ads based on their past purchases. But it must be malfunctioning. Last week at Walgreens, the checkout screens began flashing ads for Metamucil, Rogaine and Viagra as soon as I reached the counter. I'm not sure why my features prompted such a humiliating display, but I could hear the people snickering all the way over in cosmetics. Now, it's gone too far. This morning, the sensors at Dunkin' Donuts mistook me for Rachael Ray. Granted, I was wearing a wig and lipstick at the time, but it's been a difficult few months, and I think I deserve a few free combos for my trouble. It makes you wonder if this hasn't happened before. How else can you explain some schmo being mistaken for the president of the United States these past eight years?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 28, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Future, Gianatasio, In-store, Non-traditional

ING dreaming of a cafe on every corner

It looks like ING Direct wants to be Starbucks. The financial institution is expanding its high-tech coffee-cafe banking model to New York and Honolulu. Patrons at ING cafes in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and a few other markets are already served Pete's coffee and pastries (and given the chance to buy ING-branded merchandise!) while bathed in the glow of plasma screens flashing news about the bank's products and services. Given ING's recent results, I'm not so sure I'd trust its financial advice. As for emulating Starbucks, well, that company's doing even worse. These days, the green tea latte might be its only asset even close to the color of money.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Finance, Gianatasio, ING, Non-traditional

'Burn Notice' promo written in invisible ink

USA Network's pre-Emmy promo piece to build buzz for Burn Notice, a show about an ex-CIA operative, is printed in invisible ink. The elaborate kit, designed by TDA Advertising & Design and mailed to voting members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, includes 12 episodes of the show on four DVDs, a UV flashlight and a lot of white space. Small print reads: "Steps: 1. Use this flashlight to reveal hidden text. 2. Deny you ever used this flashlight." I can do the latter legitimately, since I wasn't sent the kit, just the press release, which was eminently readable on my screen. I have installed a UV light in my cube, though, so now I look all dangerous and cool, and my co-workers are avoiding me even more than usual. Excellent! See more images over at The Denver Egotist.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Non-traditional