100% of Freshbox’s proceeds benefit work training programs at Faith Mission homeless shelters and they were recently highlighted by the State of Ohio as a model social enterprise. Congrats on your launch and great use of alternative advertising to spread the word!

Luckily, no one bought (or drank) a bottle of Dirty Water, but many were compelled to donate to this meaningful cause by inserting bills and change directly into the machine.  The campaign also allowed people to donate with their phone by texting TAP to 864233 (UNICEF) – another great example of alternative media and SMS text messaging integration.

Props to the creative folks at Casanova Pendrill for coming up with this campaign and donating their time too.  Great work!

McDonald’s had a strong advertising campaign, winning two separate awards for both their “Always Fresh Coffee” and “Fresh Daily Eggs” billboards.  The first of the two shown high above Time’s Square, a spout continuously pouring fresh coffee into a cup several stories below (I wonder where all the coffee goes after making its big NYC debut . . . ).  The second involved a large egg that cracked open at 6:00 a.m.–when they begin serving breakfast–to reveal an over-easy egg, but closed again at 11:00 a.m. when breakfast ends. Between the two billboards, Leo Burnett Chicago took home two “Individual Execution- Traditional Billboard” awards as well as recognition for their Special F/X.

Another interesting use of out-of-home came from BBDO New York & Proximity Canada for Gillette Fusion Power, which took home the OBIE Award for “Individual Execution- Street Furniture / Transit / Alternative.”  As seen in the pic below, the agencies made creative use of a zamboni by attaching a larger-than-life Gillette razor to the back of it as it swept across the ice.

One of the more interactive campaigns came from Leo Burnett Toronto for James Ready Beer who vows to try to keep their prices at $1 a beer.  To do so, they needed to lower billboard costs and decided to look to their consumers for help.  By offering up their billboards, consumers became “celebrities for the day” by sending in pictures to be posted on the giant signs.  Underneath the images read, “Thanks ____ for keeping J.R. a Buck.”  Consumers and judges alike loved the campaign, awarding them “Best of Show” and “International.”  Click here to see the YouTube video.

All of this year’s award winners show that creativity and innovation in the out-of-home advertising industry are still on the rise.  To find more information on the rest of this year’s OBIE Award winners, go to the OAAA website at http://www.oaaa.org/awards/obieawards.aspx.

Now, putting my marketing hat on, I can’t help but wonder about a few key points:

• As Billy takes on additional clients, is there a clutter factor advertisers should take into account?
• Do different body parts have their own circulation numbers, taking into account the “air” time of each?
• What do you do if you change your logo?
• Does category exclusivity only apply to single limbs?
• Do you get make-goods if he breaks his arm?
• Are the ads considered seasonal? After all, this is Alaska we’re talking about!
• Would strategically placed tattoos be considered “animated” if flexing is involved?

So many things to consider! On the other hand, I’m thinking this definitely qualifies as advertising with the potential to really “touch” people.

It’s that time of year again: media savants from around the country come together for the 4A’s conference and tradeshow.  This year, the conference—which will be held in New Orleans from March 4-6—is focused around today’s most challenging aspect of the media landscape: the consumer.

And the best part of it all: DOmedia is joining the fun and bringing with us a little excitement of our own!  Introducing the DOmedia game, where attendees can win amazing prizes like 8G iPod Touches and iPod Shuffles just by stopping by the booth!  Your mission: to collect as many game pieces as possible and drop them in the prize bowl in the DOmedia booth (Booth number 709, 711) by 6:30 on Thursday.

Attendees can collect tickets by:

Opening their mail!  Many conference attendees received an official DOmedia travel wallet in the mail, complete with the first game piece.

Spotting the DOmedia rep in the Hilton Riverside conference area between 2:00 and 4:00 PM on Wednesday.

Simply visiting the booth and taking the DOmedia website for a test drive—Good for 3 tickets!

Picking up a DOmedia button at our booth and wearing it throughout the show—We’ll randomly select button-wearers and reward them with another game piece!

Following us on Twitter (@domedia) when we announce even MORE ways to win!

Winning numbers will be announced on Thursday at 6:45 via Twitter and in our booth.  Just stop by before 7:00 PM to claim your prize!

What DO you have to lose?

Coca-Cola’s billboard has overlooked New York City’s Times Square for decades now, a continuous resident since 1932.  This year, however, the brand rang in the new year by reinventing their memorable advertisement by using wind power to light the digital screen. According to Coke, this commendable move will reduce 376 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – the equivalent of converting 38 houses to clean energy for one year or planting 471.5 acres of trees.  But even better yet: this transformation has started a trend among 30 neighboring billboards, preventing a combined total of 1,866 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually!

The billboard’s energy source isn’t the only thing that’s new this year.  “Refresh.  Recycle.  Repeat.” is the billboard’s most recent message, declaring its commitment to going “green.”  This display, along with its goal to recycle all of the plastic bottles and aluminum cans it sells in the U.S., is part of Coke’s new philosophy to “Live Positively.”

Coke has also hit the fashion scene in past years with its eco-friendly fashion line of clothing and accessories, all of which are made from recycled products.  Trendy t-shirts, which display sayings like, “Rock your rubbish” and “Rehash your trash,” can be found at www.cokestore.com.

 LEFT: “Drink Me.  Wear Me.” (front)  “Love Me.” (back), CENTER: “Rehash Your Trash”, RIGHT: “RPET Red Hobo Bag” made from plastic (PET) bottles

Learn more about the company’s recycling programs and how you can help in your own community by visiting www.livepositively.com.

New this year at midnight, Times Square will rain hopes and dreams—literally. The Mars brand’s newest candy bar, 3 Musketeers Mint, is sponsoring a Wishing Wall for people to submit their resolutions, goals, and hopes for 2009. The messages will then be printed on tiny pieces of paper and dropped over Times Square at midnight, showering New York City with over a ton of wish-covered confetti. Wishes can be submitted online at http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_interactive.html or in person at the Times Square Information Center.

Echoing Mars’ upbeat tempo is Pepsi’s new ad campaign focused on youthful optimism that will blanket the billboards of NYC. The campaign, titled Wordplay, creates uplifting words out of the brand’s redesigned logo. As part of the NYE festivities, the company will unleash one thousand balloons (complete with new Pepsi logo, of course) on Times Square minutes before midnight. Stuck at home for New Year’s? You can still be a part of the action by texting “Change”, along with your own message of optimism, to 66333 where it could appear on MTV’s Times Square screen or in their coverage of the celebration.

Not to be outdone, JVC’s iconic (and newly designed) digital billboard will also allow partygoers to take pics from their cell phones and upload them to nyc@jvcnewyear.com. Once approved, they will display for three seconds on JVC’s 19- by 34-foot high-def screen.

With luck, the hope and happiness theme will carry through the coming year, lifting our spirits (and possibly the economy) along the way. Happy 2009!

You’re walking past Grand Central Station and spot an ad projected on the side of the building. It reads, “Maybe you drink Jameson because our ads really speak to you.” A few seconds later, it changes: “Yes, you. Steve, right?” A few seconds later, it changes again: “Not Steve? Sorry, you look like a Steve.” And finally: “Still here? What are you waiting for? A tagline?”

Clever. Creative. And definitely attention-getting…especially if you happen to be Steve. In most cities, this outdoor projection media campaign will be a scripted 7- to 10-minute loop that is designed to look like someone is typing the lines out. However, if you happen to be lucky enough to be in Los Angeles when this hits at the end of the month, then what you see will, in fact, be lines typed out by a copywriter in real-time interacting with individuals near the display. How cool is that?!?

Big-time kudos to advertising agency TBWA Worldwide and media shop Carat (both New York) and the brand team at Jameson, led by brand director Wayne Hartunian. Hopefully they’ll roll this out in more cities next year.