So that we aren't accused of simply highlighting odd advertising stunts without giving credence to their success or failure, we point you to a MarketingSherpa study that examined Calvin Klein's one day "live" billboard in which male and females Calvin Klein models hang out in a board constructed to look like a living room. Usually these things are tossed off as stunts purely to garner media attention which, though not a bad thing, doesn't always translate into sales. This time it did. Times three, in fact. The promotion, along with achieving media coverage in 15 countries, 100,000 visitors to the campaign's microsite and 20,000 street team sample packs gone by mid-day and another 20,000 but day's end, netted three times normal sales for CK One at the nearby Macy's Herald Square location.
In reaction to complaints they glorify gangs and violence, Paramount is taking down some billboards for the 50 Cent movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The billboards show 50 Cent in a crucifixion pose with a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. Doesn't everyone know that a rapper has to hold a gun when they sing? It's what gives them cred. Trouble is, 6th graders don't know that or don't need to know that and that's exactly where one of the boards is located - right next to a school. School officials and area activists want the board gone. Paramount is taking them down.
On October 15, Scion launched a Halloween-themed campaign consisting of wild postings, billboards and online banners promoting the 2006 Scion with the headline "Trick and Treat." The billboards went up on high-traffic locations in Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Portland and the wild postings are now appearing in the same cities plus Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and Sacramento. The online banners debuted on the sites on the same date and will run through October 31. The "trick" part of the trick or treat aspect of the campaign relates to many Scion buyer's desire to trick out their vehicles. The "treat" part relates to Scion's extended accessory options.
The campaign was created by ATTIK and can be viewed here.
Citigroup financial services firm Women & Co. has launched a very unique (and this time the word is warranted) four market, outdoor/street campaign consisting of mirrors, rather than posters, hung in cities containing messages such as "You're one of a kind. Is your financial plan?," "That smile would go great with a financial future" and "You look like a million bucks. Does your retirement account?" The mirrors carried the companies web address. The mirrors were partnered with a street team which handed out branded compact mirrors to remind women to keep looking at their finances. The campaign was created by New York-based Interference.
By now you know that, with our overly jaded viewpoint on advertising, we don't usually get very excited about much because we've seen it all before. Well, we're gonna shove that pompous, egoistic nonsense aside for a bit and get REALLY excited about this new holographic ad for Lexus in Times Square. The holograph, at sidewalk level, shows the car zooming back and forth and allows passerby to interact with the vehicle. Apparently, according to this video, it did the trick of grabbing attention. Selling cars is an entirely different matter but for the sake of this effort, it was certainly an attention getter.
The holographic images were all produced by Imaginary Forces in Los Angeles.
Like muffins falling out off a billboard and crushing a car, large red balls are popping up - on crushed cars - to promote Powerball. Flicker user Andy explains, "I took it in the Twin Cities. These two cars (and Powerballs) were on the back of a flatbed truck, being driven somewhere, possibly the MN State Fair, that was going on at the time." Yes, this happened back in September so don't get all pissy on us complaining the story isn't two seconds old.
From Flickr user Sangsara, who shot the image of a cow atop a bus for a flavored milk company, comes this interesting in-bus ad concept. Along the hand rail, small promotional packages for drug company Pfizer are hung. The ads seek clinical research volunteers. While Pfizer surely hopes people grab these hanging ad handles, we sure hope commuters grab the real handles when the bus comes to a stop lest there be a pile of injured, ad-carrying people at the front of the bus. View close up shots here and here.
To attract attention to it line of flavored milk products, Malaysian-based Marigold placed a cow - not a real one - atop a bus in Singapore. Flickr user Sangsara was there to catch the action.
While riding to work this morning on a train in Chicago, CTA Tattler reader, Robin, saw a man, with his face painted blue and a cell phone to his ear, get on the train and blather on annoyingly so all could hear. Robin noticed the man's hoodie had a logo on the front but couldn't quite make it out. After a bit, he moves closer to her, turns around and reveals the back of is hoodie which read, "Talk Until You're Blue in the Face with U.S. Cellular." Once the man had the attention of Robin and a few others, he began to tell whomever he was on the phone with "Naw, don't worry about it, brah, I've got free incoming calls with this thing. Yeah, and they gave me a sweet phone, too. Yeah, we could walkie-talkie. Even takes pictures." Now there's some nasty ass guerrilla marketing.
Robin didn't take kindly to the stunt and said, because of the stunt, she'd never spend money with U.S. Cellular and would tell all her friends and family not to as well. Not quite the reaction U.S. Cellular was hoping for. Robin also mentions the Chicago Transit Authority's daily announcements, "Solicitation on CTA trains is prohibited; violators will be arrested," and wonders whether this man, and U.S Cellular, were breaking the law or whether the Transit Authority was breaking its own rule by taking money from U.S. Cellular and allowing this stunt. Gotta love guerrilla marketing.
This is a billboard, shot by Flickr user Trev Vg, in Paris for, apparently, a lawnmower maker. We've seen racy ads that get the message across but this one definitely wins the prize for mixing relevance with attention-getting imagery. Those French sure aren't as caught up about sexual imagery as we Americans seem to be.
UPDATE: Apparently this campaign is years old and has already been featured in Archive Magazine. Well, we're just really sorry about covering something so old but we don't live in France and we don't read Archive Magazine. Call us dumb but we still like the ad and thought you would too.
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