No use crying over spilt milk . . . except when it can cut you a deal on flights to Italy! Expedia, the online travel provider, has come up with a unique and somewhat subtle way to advertise its flight deals to Italy from Germany. By teaming up with coffee shop Deli Star, Expedia is targeting German travelers by utilizing cappuccino’€”which is, after all, Italian at its core. By holding stencils over the cappuccino milk foam and sprinkling chocolate powder, Deli Star workers created surprisingly legible’€”and effective’€”travel offers. Paper coasters placed under the cups gave further details on the travel deals and provided additional branding exposure for Expedia. Talk about ordering a coffee to go. . .
All posts in Alternative advertising
Milk: A Great Source of Protein, Calcium, & . . . Trips to Italy?
Out-of-Home Joins Inauguration Festivities with Messages of Optimism & Change
January 20 marks the historical inauguration of our 44th president, making it the perfect environment for companies to reach millions of Americans with their own messages of change. GM has made this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity into a road trip, beginning in Detroit and ending in Washington, D.C. just in time for the inauguration. A caravan of Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrids, carrying the theme ‘€œThe Road to Change Starts in Your Driveway,’€ will stop at Ohio State University, Penn State University, and Howard University.
Mirroring Obama’s own message of hope and optimism, Pepsi plans to have a large presence at the inauguration with messages such as ‘€œYes You Can’€ and ‘€œAll for One’€ residing on the city’s billboards, buses, etc. In another out-of-home tactic, street teams will hand out commemorative buttons, hats, and scarves that flaunt those same messages of hope. To see what else Pepsi has planned, go to www.RefreshEverything.com.
American companies aren’t the only ones welcoming in the new President at our nation’s capital. As part of its ‘€œEmbrace Change 09’€ out-of-home campaign, Swedish-born Ikea has recreated the Oval Office (using their own Ikea 
furniture) in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, one of the nation’s busiest train stations. According to a company release, ‘€œPresident-elect Obama’s notion of change and his commitment to fiscal responsibility match the Ikea philosophy of practical and affordable home furnishings for all.’€ For this reason, Ikea has offered to furnish any room in the White House the First Family wishes to redesign’€”for free! Go to www.embracechange09.com to learn more.
NYC is a spectacle on NYE thanks to out-of-home advertising
Much like years past, New York City’s Times Square is bringing together some of the biggest brand names for the all-time New Year’s Eve celebration. And once again, out-of-home advertising is the star of the show. This year, however, sponsors are getting a bit more creative and optimistic (not to mention frisky) in an economy that has seen mostly pessimism and stagnation in the past year. From confetti wishes and kissing stages to wind-powered digital billboards, it will truly be a site to see.
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!
One more reason to love Jameson
I was flipping through the virtual Advertising Age this morning and ran across an interesting piece on Jameson Irish Whiskey. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I am already a big fan of the brand, which is really the main reason I clicked on the link. But all predisposition aside, they are about to launch an impressive, innovative campaign leveraging digital projection to “speak” to passers-by in New York, Boston, Denver and LA. According to Advertising Age, here’s how the “spot” unfolds: Continue reading →
Bus Shelters Go Green in Red Hot Miami
Just ran across this post on the EcoLocalizer blog about the new solar-powered bus shelters in Miami, FL. As part of its 20-year exclusive contract to provide street furniture for the city, Fuel Outdoor is replacing worn-out shelters with 600 new, eco-friendly options. The sleek, modern designs include solar panels to take advantage of the Sunshine State’s key natural resource, and converts this energy into the electricity that powers the backlit ad panels and shelter lights at night. The new installations not only provide eye-catching advertising opportunities, they also improve citizen safety and the urban visual environment without negatively impacting Mother Earth. I’d call that a win for everyone. Kudos to Miami city officials and Fuel Outdoor for setting a good example for other metros to follow.
