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2009 OBIE Award Winners Announced

by DOmedia on April 21, 2009 in Advertising, Agencies, Alternative advertising, Billboards, News, Technology, Uncategorized with No comments

Congratulations to all of the recently-named OBIE Award winners, merit winners, and finalists! This year’s participants all showed a great deal of creativity in the out-of-home space, but a few of them in particular caught my eye.

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.

Wanna Get High in Amsterdam?

by DOmedia on April 2, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, People, Technology with No comments

I’m, of course, talking about Sony Ericsson’s most recent out-of-home advertising campaign (what’d you think I was talking about?). Sony’s C905 model cell phone is out to show everyone its 8.1 mega pixel camera can hang with the best of digital cameras. And to prove it, they turned an Amsterdam bus shelter into a photo opp session, complete with a C905 camera and touchscreen.

People could then strike a pose for everyone nearby, and their picture would appear on a massive screen across the street, temporarily looking down on passers-by. I can only imagine the photo gallery from something like this . . . especially in a city like Amsterdam.

But what about the clutter factor?

by DOmedia on April 2, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized with No comments

As I was diligently toiling away in my office this afternoon, I overheard Brittany talking about a guy trying to get into the Guiness Book of World Records for the most advertising tattoos on one’s body. Needless to say, that’s something that will get your attention. After reading the complete article in the Anchorage Press, it turns out that Billy Gibby, aka “Billy the Billboard”, began offering up his flesh for sale about a year-and-a-half ago. GoldenPalace.com (an online casino gaming site) has the dubious honor of being the first “client,” occupying the prime real estate of Billy’s entire back. Since then, he’s added four more “placements” and is looking for others who will be willing to shell out some cash to make a permanent mark.

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.

KFC: Kindess From the Colonel?

by DOmedia on March 31, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, People, Trends with No comments

KFC’s Colonel Sanders has temporarily left the world of fried chicken to instead fill in potholes. Following the recent trend of cause-marketing, the company is now helping local governments by fixing their streets. In return, KFC can market their “Fresh Tastes Best” campaign by stamping “Re-freshed by KFC” on the freshly laid pavement.

The current economic landscape provides the perfect opportunity for corporations to stand out by connecting with local communities in a meaningful, helpful way. According to Advertising Age, this trend of cause-marketing appears to be growing. For example, Charmin provided a public restroom in Times Square for the third holiday season in a row. Along the same lines, Starbucks donated about 400,000 hours of community service towards the rebuilding effort in New Orleans. And the shoe company Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in a developing country every time a pair of their shoes is purchased.

Hopefully we’ll soon see many more marketing efforts like the one from KFC–which began in hometown Louisville, KY, and will seek out four more cities before returning to the life of chicken and mashed potatoes.

Go Big or Go Home

by DOmedia on March 23, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, News, Technology, Trends with No comments

Carnival Cruise Line has done it again. In the most recent phase of their newest marketing campaign–taglined “Fun for All, and All for Fun”–the company has introduced six massive, interactive aquariums around the country. The computer-animated aquariums will appear in vacant storefronts in Baltimore, Dallas, L.A., New York, Washington D.C., and Houston through the end of April.

Designed to interact with passersby, the fish and plant life react to motion as people walk past. Using their cell phones, pedestrians can go a step further by creating personalized fish by making various sounds into their phones and using the keypad to swim the fish around the aquarium. The fish even change in size and shape when consumers lead them to food! And don’t worry about having to leave your newly-made friend. Pedestrians can retrieve their fish by coming back later and using the same cell phone.

The interactive aquariums are only one part of Carnival’s impressive marketing campaign the past six months. They kicked it off in a huge way when they broke their first Guinness World Record. In downtown Dallas in late October, they dropped the world’s largest volleyballs, measuring 36 feet in diameter, into a crowd of 2,500+ people! Then in November, they broke yet another record in Philadelphia with the world’s largest pinata. The pinata, which rose over three stories, was filled with 2 tons of candy! Talk about a sweet tooth . . .