Outdoor Campaigns - Inventive Marketing

Posted June 20th, 2007 by Amy Gifford

According to Inc.com, and many others in the advertising industry, outdoor campaigns are suddenly cool...again.

All we have heard about in the world of advertising lately seems to revolve around the Internet, and "new" media, such as mobile, viral video, blogs, social networking, etc.

It's surprising that there has been an unexpected revitalization of the original "old" media: outdoor advertising.

Spending in this segment of the advertising industry approached $7 billion in 2006 and is on track to grow by 8% this year, while network TV, radio, and newspaper advertising is expected to remain constant.

Because outdoor ads can be cheap and can be tailored to local markets, it would seem they would benefit many entrepreneurs. Around the world, this outdoor phenomenon is taking place.

According to Inc.com, here are some campaigns from the last year that are putting outdoor advertising back on the map:

Daily Cup of Coffee

Why waste the precious steam coming from the manhole covers when you can make a perfect coffee ad out of it? New York City manhole covers were reimagined as steaming cups of Folgers coffee. The New York Post called the ads "pretty realistic--except for the unjava-like aroma."

Rainy Days

Turning its customers into walking billboards, Gloss, a Vancouver hair salon, offered clients transparent umbrellas bearing the slogan "Hair You Want to Show Off."

Getting the "handle" on a Bad Habit
"It's not really a campaign, it's just a bag," says David Mously, who designed this campaign for Stop 'n Grow, a nail-biting deterrent sold in Europe. His design turns the bag's handle into a gaping mouth.

Special Delivery
Papa John's finally realized that mailing millions of pizza coupons to the American public is not the most effective marketing strategy, so they have taken an innovative approach to directing marketing with its deceiving faux delivery boy & pizza appearing at your doorstep.

The optical illusion actually works by affixing a sticker right below the door's peephole with the image.

What can you Build with Legos?

Using giant-size posters to create a clever optical illusion, a toy distributor transformed five buildings in Santiago, Chile, making them look as if they'd been constructed entirely from Legos.