Contrary to Sunday night where virtual cobwebs were hanging in the AD:TECH exhibit area of the Hilton, this morning the hotel was abuzz with thousands of attendess registering, meeting, greeting, and checking out exhibitors booths, which, miraculously are in a dramitically different state than they were last night. In the registration area, there were two characters dressed up like Microsoft butterflies asking for business cards and offering attendees a chance to win a Rio. DoubeClick provided the closest thing to a "booth babe" this year with a beach, complete with a woman sunning herself while reading a book and being fanned by a male "servant."
Click here for more pictures including a pair of hotties registering. Hey, it'a a trade show.
Tian, the ever vigil Chinese marketing monitor points to a Nike ad that was translated incorrectly. While translations are always a grey area, Tian says Nike intended headline, "Extinguish fire from the base" ended up reading, "Extinguish fire but with base." He points out a few other problems but it does not seem to be is bad as the classic Chevrolet Nova/Nogo translation.
Viral advertising agency ASABAILEY has placed a well-aimed left hook on the chin of O&M, by scooping up http://www.ogilvymather.co.uk for £4.95.
Is this underhanded, cheap attack from the viral team, or is O&M and other agencies, fair game for a stunt such as this? What was the team trying to prove? If it was to make a big established ad agencies look outdated - it worked. ASABAILEY teases the agency even more with a little ad that reads, "If you understood the modern brand... ...you'd understand how to protect it."
The lesson is simple and clear, check your own URL and protects your brand on and offline, for the cost of a couple of domain names you could save your business a whole load of trouble.
UPDATE: Asa Bailey gets interviewed by PR WEEK about the stunt and about viral advertising.
On the eve of New York's AD:TECH and with just a few hours to go, exhibitors were busy setting up for the storm of more than 5,000 expected attendees. At 6PM, boxes were strewn throughout the exhibit hall, booths appeared half built and piles of registration materials were quickly being organized. The work is cut out but if history's a guide, everything down to the last tchotchke will be in place.
Intermingled with all this activity were the New York Marathon runners, their support teams and their families, all most likely looking forward to a relaxing dinner after a grueling day.
Click here to see all the event set up pictures including PointRoll's FatBoy who appears to have been relegated to the corner, perhaps for bad behavior.
