Because we've seen these images at least 3,000 times on Flickr in the last two days along with many people having sent them to us, we figure, hell, there must be something to them. While we're inclined to pass them off as a typical, ego-driven agency self-promotional effort, they are getting notice so there must be something good about these boards placed outside the offices of Brown Communications Group based out of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Brown describes its Light Switch board by saying, "Every corner of our building is supercharged with high energy strategy, advertising, interactive and public relations professionals. Stop by. Our lights are always on." Hasn't some wise-ass, eager to have a bit of fun, tried to turn off that light switch yet? Or try to plug something into the Wall Plug version of the board? Come on people. Get inventive.
Chris Thilk who writes the Movie Marketing Madness weblog has compiled a list of five tips movie marketers should heed when launching a movie marketing campaign. Chief among the tips is the recognition that the studio is not nor should be the sole source of information and content about a given movie. Thilk suggests studios should acknowledge and link to other sources of information about a movie rather than pretend the studio's website is the only place for movie info. He also says studios should make use of RSS to push out updates and deliver added information rather than require a movie's fans to remember to return to the site. Thilk also says studios should take an active role in joining the ongoing online conversation about a movie by searching Technorati for mentions and responding to what's being said about the movie.
Waifish Nicole Richie can be seen in the new Jimmy Choo footwear ads being voraciously swallowed up by paparazzi. Gallery of the Absurd has done some investigative research behind the Brett Ratner shoot, unearthed the original photo and revealed the extensive Photoshop work which was done prior to the ad making its way into fashion mags. Check out the before and after here along with analysis.
Toyota Canada will unveil a, two-minute feature commercial during this Sunday's telecast of The Academy Awards on Canada's CTV. The ad will run only in Canada and only once inside the Academy Awards telecast during the first commercial break. The long-form spot, entitled "What You Want Is What You Need" will introduce Canadians to the new, restyled 2007 Toyota Camry. The two minute commercial will be followed up with :60 and :30 versions to be aired on CTV through May.
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Staedtler writing implement company has launched a campaign in Australia to increase use of its products. The only domestic manufacturer of pens and pencils in the country, Staedtler faces competition from the all mighty keyboard, those pesky imports and the death of the handwritten letter. Acknowledging this, Staedtler, with help from Host, have created a campaign that leverages dependence on the keyboard for correspondence. The campaign consists of a site on which visitors can craft a handwritten message and have it mailed to a friend (in Australia) but the return address will be that of the website from which the note originated. Host hopes this spirals and causes recipients to visit the site, create their own notes and spread the campaign exponentially.
The site will also be promoted with print ads and handwritten notes placed in public places throughout Melbourne and Sydney. We're not quite sure how continually driving people to a website to create digital notes will increase sales of physical pens and pencils but, like, whatever. It'll be fun to watch the whole country pen-pal'ing itself.
Hoping to stand up as a model against software-install spyware, Santa-Barbara-based onCommercials has introduced a formalize revenue share model with aims to "official-ize" software-install advertising. Software developers can use onCommercials code to display commercials during the loading process of their software. Each time the application is started a commercial will be shown, dynamically chosen by onCommercials serving technology.
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Nike, in conjunction with AKQA, has launched RouteFinder, a Google Maps-powered tool that helps runners plan a route around London. RouteFinder let's runners create, measure, save and share their running routes along with other runners in London. AKQA combined the Run London and Google Maps interfaces to provide a range of functions and features that have more in common with a standalone application than a web page.
Using Run London graphical elements, users can search the city by postcode, distance, or type of run for routes other runners have created. Or they can begin creating a run of their own simply by clicking points on the map. They can even save a list of favorite routes, send them on to friends and browse the top-five routes of the season. Ducky.
Cheeky New Zealand vodka marketer 42 Below is at it again. This time the company is highlighting its Stil vodka with a "Win A Russian Bride" competition complete with video and print ads. Geoff Ross, chief executive of the 42 Below company, explains the promotion thusly, telling the Sunday Star-Times, "For the single Kiwi bloke who might not be an All Black or very good looking, this is a chance to get hooked up with somebody pretty hot. The ideal woman for the Kiwi bloke is one who keeps him fed and looked after all day and meets all his needs."
Of course it's all a tongue in cheek joke but, predictably, not everyone is taking it that way. View the video/ad here.
Screw Andrew Fisher and CI Host. Homer Simpson's taking all the fame now. In a recent episode of The Simpsons in which Homer, faced with losing his cherished blue trousers because the factory that makes them is going out of business, applies "Buy Blue Pants" to his head to create demand. In the episode when asked by Marge to define headvertising, Homer replies, "Headvetising, it provides brand awareness without relying on traditional media." During the episode Homer also applies brand logos to his chest and arms. Thanks to the ever vigilant Bucky Turco for spotting this one.
It's All Advertising caught a glimpse of the gigantic foosball table Adidas erected at Venice beach in association with a World Cup promotion. The game is actually playable with giant steering wheels at the end of each rod. The table accompanied an event at which junior soccer games were played on small fields. Not a bad way to grab attention.
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