Archive for May, 2008

The Sky’s the Limit…or not

cloudsx-large.jpgYou may remember us talking about Google advertising on the moon, and then Virgin and Google joining forces to conquer Mars. While those seem to have been elaborate April Fools’ hoaxes, we just ran across another far-fetched advertising opportunity that is, in fact, the real deal.

Remember when you were a kid and you could lay outside looking up at the sky making pictures out of the clouds? Some looked like flowers dancing in the breeze. Others looked like playful dolphins swimming in a vast sea of blue. You get the idea. Well, it seems an Alabama entrepreneur has found a way to customize those cloud shapes into recognizable products and logos. Special effects gurus Francisco Guerra and Brian Glover have parlayed their movie magic talent into the branding world, launching Flogos, “logos that float.” (If you want to see exactly how it works, check out their video on YouTube.”

According to the USA Today article,

“Francisco Guerra, who’s also a former magician, developed a machine that produces tiny bubbles filled with air and a little helium, forms the foam into shapes and pumps them into the sky.

The Walt Disney Co. will use one of the machines next month to send clouds shaped like Mickey Mouse heads into the air at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Guerra said.”

I can see the Targets, Nikes and Apples floating by now. Oh wait, that’s a real cloud.


Mediaweek Gets Out (There)

mediaweek.jpg While we were at the 2008 Traffic Audit Bureau Eyes On Conference a few weeks back (has it really been that long?!?!), one of the many interesting announcements highlighting the growth of outdoor advertising was that Mediaweek is launching a monthly feature specifically about out-of-home media. In the first “Out There” issue, Editor-in-Chief Michael Burgi unveiled the section with the following introduction:

“Welcome to Out There, our first-ever editorial section devoted to the burgeoning out-of-home media business. Compiled and reported by senior editor Katy Bachman, the new monthly section aims to cover all facets of the business: traditional outdoor billboards, place-based media, digital technology, alternative offerings, as well as advertising and research issues. We also plan to showcase creative elements that are driving innovation and unusual media executions.

Why now? Money. Revenue growth in the OOH sector outpaced all other media except for the Internet in 2007, and the medium is expected to keep growing at a healthy clip. And if you work in any major market, it’s simply inescapable. In my daily walk to the Times Square subway station, I’m dwarfed by massive wallscapes and spectaculars of all sorts as I pass phone booths (the few that are left) equipped with digital signage. Even taxis now carry video content.’€

In addition to the print feature, Mediaweek is also showing a little online OOH love with their new Out There resource on mediaweek.com. It’s a little sparse to begin with but it’s nice to see their intent to develop these categories. We look forward to seeing this section grow and mature along with the industry it’s covering.