All posts in Alternative advertising

Summer Creativity Provided by VW and Volvo

by DOmedia on July 21, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, Out-of-home advertising, Sponsorships with No comments

Who says the mundane tasks of our lives can’t be spiced up a little bit? The people at Volkswagen clearly have the creativity to do just that. After the wildly popular Fun Theory experiment, Volkswagen has now rolled out its sister campaign, the Fast Lane Theory. Life is always a little more fun in the fast lane, doesn’t it seem? Even better when you’re cruising in a Volkswagen on the Autobahn in Germany.

In the Alexanderplatz subway station in Berlin, Volkswagen constructed a slide to run the length of the stairway so that when walkers approached at the top of the stairs they had 2 options: a) take the stairs allll the way down or b) zip down the slide in 2 seconds. What would you pick? Check out the excitement that ensues.

In another unexpected place, the grocery store, the genius VW people assembled a grocery cart with a skateboard attached to the bottom, just under the handlebar. Think back to what you did as a kid (which most likely drove your mom crazy): run with the cart, jump on the bottom shelf and coast down the aisles, narrowly missing the four foot high display of paper towels at the end or the elderly lady reaching for the sugar on the top shelf. The reactions are the greatest part of the experiment, in my opinion. There were some people who were a tad confused by all the fun during such a boring chore as grocery shopping and others totally embraced the fast lane. Either way, we applaud Volkswagen for bringing out the kid in everyone again.

Across the pond, a VW competitor has also created a promotion gimmick this summer. Volvo is working to bring back the essence of movie drive-ins, only this time with all Volvo cars provided. You don’t even need a driver’s license! Dubbed the ‘€œVolvo Starlite Urban Drive-In‘€, Volvo has picked the cultural Truman Brewery in London to host the event. Once you’ve booked your tickets, pick out one of the 25 Volvos on location to pack in with a friend – 2 per car – and enjoy the movie on screen, whether it is Dirty Dancing or Grease. You can’t go wrong with Johnny Castle’s twisting hips or Danny Zuko’s retro leather jacket. Feeling hungry? Order some popcorn from one of the waitresses zipping through the lot on her roller skates. The Starlite’s success was so overwhelming (tickets sold out in less than a minute!) the creators are considering packing up and taking the event nationwide.

World Cup and Worldly Outdoor Campaigns

by DOmedia on July 2, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Digital signage, Events, Guerrilla Marketing, Out-of-home advertising with No comments

Of course something as important as the World Cup attracts only the coolest marketing campaigns of the year. All over the world, companies and sponsors have put together so many interactive gimmicks that we couldn’t decide which one to write about. So we’re gonna tell you about all of them!

Let’s start in Melbourne, Australia, where Adidas has placed a huge (19 feet high and 2 tons!) Jubalani soccer ball outside a crowded tourist-y area and has a young whippersnapper who plans to live in the ball for the entire length of the World Cup. By entire, we mean 22 to 24 hours a day! The lucky guy, Adam Santarossa, is set up with a flat screen TV, computer, Playstation, couch, bed, free food and drink, and all he has to do is use social media to keep the world updated on his new lifestyle and, of course, offer his commentary on the soccer games.

A hop, skip away in London, the famous Piccadilly Circus square features a digital screen sponsored by Coca-Cola that runs live video of fans’ celebratory dances. The stunt, aptly named ‘€œWhat’s Your Celebration’€, engages passersby by first calling them out. The people manning the board use a laptop to type messages to the people looking at the screen and then call them to the piece of Astroturf grass and corner flag to perform their best victory dance. Their video is then posted on the screen for the entire square to see.

Heading south to Johannesburg, Nike is promoting its ‘€œWrite the Future’€ campaign where fans can type a message up to 57 characters via the promotion’s Facebook page, Twitter (#NikeFuture), QQ (in China) and Mxit (in South Africa) to any of 50 Nike-endorsed soccer pros. Select messages are then displayed on the fourth largest building in the city along with awesome graphic images of players like Cristiano Ronaldo.

Much like the Olympics or the Super Bowl, the World Cup offers companies the chance to market to mass consumers in innovative and new ways. This year is no different ‘€“the creativity continues to flow and we are all very impressed with what we’ve seen. Now if only the U.S. had beaten Ghana’€¦

Drum Roll Please… Prepare Yourself for DOfind!

by DOmedia on June 4, 2010 in Agencies, Alternative advertising, DOmedia, News, Out-of-home advertising, Press with No comments

The team members at DOmedia are proud to announce the arrival of DOfind, the enhanced search interface that connects agencies and advertisers with OOH media providers and properties faster and easier than ever before. The goal of DOfind is to simplify this complex and time-consuming process known as media planning.

Request your free trial »

New and enhanced search tools allow subscribers to look for alternative, traditional & digital out-of-home media properties using specific criteria such as geography (set of DMAs, nationwide, search within a proximity to a location – to name a few), product category, venue and even target audience. Looking to reach female beachgoers this summer in their 20s who make between $25,000-75,000? Just enter your search criteria and click “search.” Plus, search results filters put the user in control of finding the media products they need by allowing them to uncheck any unnecessary criteria.

Also introduced with DOfind, Product Profiles feature key information such as Network at a Glance (digital OOH properties only), planning rates, contract terms, audience demographics, impressions, coverage areas, and art/production specs. Subscribers can then dig deeper for location-specific information found in the Asset Detail Profiles. DOfind is set up to be as detailed or as vague as the agency or advertiser needs it to be, which is why we created the ability to find products based on demographic stats like age, ethnicity, gender and household income. To appear in these targeted searches, media providers need only list all of their information within their profiles. It clearly takes two to tango, doesn’t it?

We are extremely excited about the potential of this sleek, new subscription directory, as are the many agencies and advertisers who provided all the great feedback we needed to get the tool where it is today. And after all the long hours put into the development of DOfind, it’s satisfying to know others in the industry are keeping a close eye on our activities. Several highly reputed online publications including Digital Signage Today and DailyDOOH have featured articles about the announcement of DOfind.

See what all the fuss is about… request your free trial today!

Corona Brings the Beach to Times Square

by DOmedia on May 28, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, Guerrilla Marketing, Sponsorships with No comments

New Yorkers got a real surprise when walking through Times Square this past week. Instead of the usual overcrowded and dirty sidewalks, there was a transplanted beach right in the middle of the city’s busiest intersection! Not only was there over 30 tons of real sand, there were palm trees (not the real ones, sadly), beach chairs, volleyball nets, corn hole boards, loud music and other themed items. And of course, what Margaritaville would be complete without an ice cold Corona in your hand?

In fact, a Corona bottle was placed right in the middle of the party, towering at 30 feet tall! Too bad it is only an inflatable promo item… There were also Corona brand ambassadors – some even (semi) famous – including Real Housewife of New York City, Kelly Bensimon, mingling all over the scene. The Corona sponsored event lasts through July 31^st.

The ‘€œpop-up beach’€ is the biggest summer launch for Corona Extra and Corona Light. Parent company, Crown Imports, reported that media coverage has been provided by ESPN2’s ‘€œSportsNation’€, local news, and online outlets in the States, Mexico and Japan. Other promotional giveaways at the party include sunscreen, bead necklaces, and key chains. But to win one of the 100 trips to Cancun, you better start looking for one of the 2,000 Corona bottles donning a promotional wrap that includes an entry code for chances to win online. Looks like summer is here early, and what better way to celebrate than with a Corona and lime? Better start drinking!

Ford Helps Small Businesses Take Advertising to the Streets

by DOmedia on May 14, 2010 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Guerrilla Marketing, Out-of-home advertising with No comments

When you stop and think about all the ways advertisers can reach their audiences, the most obvious way is driving right under our noses’€¦ our cars! Think about it: cars are seen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no matter where or who you are. Cars are basically bulletin boards for their drivers’ personality and style; whether someone is conservative or wild and flashy, cars have become a regular status symbol… a trend Ford has taken note of and is now cashing in on.

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Major American automaker, Ford, has developed its own personalized line of car wraps for small business owners. Last year, Ford created a website that enabled private drivers to design and create funky car wraps to decorate their Ford cars. Now, Ford has extended the offer to small businesses. Owners of Ford’s Transit Connect truck can create their own custom graphic wraps using various shapes, letters and colors that are available to them online. Or if you’re looking for an even more personalized wrap, upload your own graphics and images! The site offers extensive creative choices and is easy to navigate, even for the novice artist.

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Graphics can be added to an entire truck, or just one specific side. The wraps are 3M vinyl and installed by a Ford dealer or a specialist. Costs range from about $100 for a small panel logo to $3,500 for a full vehicle wrap. That seems like a small price to pay to get your product on the road for everyone to see!

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