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Go Big or Go Home

silobaltimore_12.jpgCarnival 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.2987373480_7c7f34f1f3_s.jpg

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 . . .

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4A’s Media Conference & Tradeshow Recap

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Last week, DOmedia had the opportunity to attend the AAAA Media Conference and Tradeshow in New Orleans (tough break, we know).  And while attendance may have been down from previous years, creativity and morale were still very high over at the DOmedia booth!

Between the many compliments on the overall visual presentation and the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the website capabilities, the 4A’s tradeshow was an official success!  Making its world debut on Wednesday morning, the new DO booth (A.K.A. DO erector set) attracted attendees to take a test drive of the site using our two 22″ monitors.  Of course, the infamous orange DOmedia yo-yo’s may have helped drive traffic just a bit, too.  Everywhere you looked, orange dots could be seen flying through the air, attendees rekindling their childhood yo-yo skills.  (And a personal thanks to everyone who trained me in the art of yo-yo over the three days–I can finally walk the dog!)

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On Tuesday night, we had the great pleasure of sponsoring the Director’s Dinner at the Hilton where conversation consisted of trends in out-of-home and alternative media as well as an update on how DOmedia has grown since it was last introduced to the 4A’s.  Thank you again to everyone who attended!

And congratulations once again to all the DOmedia contest winners and a huge thanks for your support!  Participants received entry tickets by coming by the booth, wearing a DOmedia button, or following us on Twitter to name a few.  Several exciting prizes were given out such as iPod Touches, iPod Shuffles, and numerous iTunes gift cards!

Check out the rest of our pics from the tradeshow on our Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/10211400@N08/sets/72157615079096686/


Creative Outdoor Ad Contest Announced Using Creative Outdoor Ads

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Australia’s Outdoor Media Association has launched a creative outdoor campaign–for a contest rewarding creative outdoor campaigns.  The newly created contest, called The Outdoor Awards, will judge the year’s best outdoor advertisements across 11 categories.

Every year, the best creative work will win a prize valued at $10,000.  This year, however, the association is striving to show the effectiveness of outdoor advertising by producing the prize in the form of a billboard’€”covered in 10,000 $1 scratch-off lottery tickets!  The billboard, which is heavily guarded 24 hours a day (so don’t even think about it!), is located on the side of a Sydney road where 100,000 cars pass every day.

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The launch of The Outdoor Awards campaign actually began in October when OMA utilized yet another OOH medium.  For 40 days, a mobile billboard truck was driven over 10,000 km in Australia.  The message displayed on the truck was simple and to the point: ‘€œTHE OUTDOOR AWARDS ARE COMING’€.

With their lone billboard, OMA is raising national awareness of the contest, showing the effectiveness of a creative outdoor ad, and presenting the actual prize to a large-scale audience.  Talk about killing two birds with one stone . . .

Oh, and good luck to the winner.  May your incredible, award-winning creativity aid you in scratching off 10,000 individual lottery tickets before reaching insanity.  I hope you have a lot of pennies . . .


DOmedia Profiled in The Columbus Dispatch

dispatch-logo.jpgOur recent public launch piqued the interest of our own local Columbus Dispatch. Reporter Braden Lammers put together a great story that not only features DOmedia and tells our story, but also highlights the growing OOH/alternative media industry.

Sales of outdoor and alternative advertising are on the rise at a time when advertising sales overall haven’t been strong.

With some consumers fast-forwarding through TV commercials and switching to satellite radio, advertising agencies are looking for a new way to reach people, Lamb said.

“The idea is to grab attention,” said Lynn Dailey, professor of marketing at Capital University. “The whole idea of alternative media makes sense. You don’t avoid the building, (and) if there is a bus in front of you, you have to look at it.”

If you haven’t had a chance to read the full story, check it out here.


DOmedia Launch Covered by Adweek, Mediaweek

adweek_screen_launch.jpgNews of our recent expanded launch has hit the airwaves and is receiving a ton of interest. Further confirmation that what we are building will really help all players in the alternative and out-of-home advertising space. In fact, Katy Bachman with the Adweek group of publications covered our recent unveiling in both Adweek’s and Mediaweek’s online offerings. Read the full stories here and here. And stay tuned for additional coverage…