All posts in Technology

NYC is a spectacle on NYE thanks to out-of-home advertising

by DOmedia on December 31, 2008 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Billboards, Branding campaigns, DOmedia, Events, Sponsorships, Technology, Trends, Uncategorized with No comments

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

by DOmedia on December 1, 2008 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Technology, Trends, Uncategorized with No comments

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

by DOmedia on August 19, 2008 in Alternative advertising, Technology, Trends with No comments

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.

Is Google the Future of Advertising?

by DOmedia on June 6, 2008 in Advertising, Google, Technology, Trends with No comments

Just ran across an interesting post on TechCrunch profiling the latest addition to Google Analytics…TV ad measurement. This enhancement to their previous offering of Adwords TV Ads promises marketers instant access to key performance indicators:

impressions delivered
number of ad plays
cost
CPM

Additionally, since all of this information is loaded into the familiar Google Analytics interface, you can view your TV campaign performance right next to your online campaign reports, and even view website traffic and television impressions on the same graph.

Unfortunately, Google’s TV distribution is pretty limited right now, given that their ads can only be fed through Dish Network boxes. However, I have no doubt that this glimpse of what measurement is possible will cause marketers to pressure their other media providers for better data faster. Heck, with an average CMO tenure lasting less than 2 years, they need all the ammunition they can get.

Of course, only time will tell what impact this latest offering has on both the success of Google’s TV Ads product and the industry as a whole, but I think the trend is pretty clear…in the age of ROI, data is king.

Doc, I’m Hearing Voices…

by DOmedia on May 14, 2008 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Technology with No comments

A while back I read about a number of interesting outdoor executions promoting the A&E original series Paranormal State…most notably a billboard where a face mechanically protrudes then fades away and a wallscape that incorporated sound that only passers-by could hear. In fact, this second execution won an OBIE this year for Special FX (the ghostly visage was a finalist in the same category). All really cool, creative ways to not just promote an upcoming show, but also captivate people in a pretty freakish way, totally in line with the brand offering.

But other than the “very cool” factor, I really didn’t give either execution too much thought. Until, that is, I ran across this article that explains the technology behind the “ghostly voices” execution. Apparently the advertiser uses hypersonic sound technology to actually beam the message (or in this case, voices) right into your ear drum. According to the article,

The technology works by beaming waves of hypersonic sound at a pitch that is undetectable by the human ear. The waves continue until they smash into an object such as a person’s body. The waves then slow, mix and re-create the original audio broadcast. If the person steps out of the waves, they are no longer obstructed and are rendered inaudible.

For the A&E promotion, area New Yorkers “heard” voices whispering “Who’s there? What’s that? It’s not your imagination.” I can only imagine how anyone who had a few cocktails reacted… The campaign was an incredible success building buzz for the unreleased show and the shear novelty of the execution had people actively seeking it out so they could experience the “in your head” advertising themselves. According to A&E VP of Marketing, Lori Peterzell, “The technology really basically made it seem like the sounds were coming from inside your head…It was totally a freak-with-your-mind experience. It was a great way of building buzz about a show that didn’t exist yet.”

So, as I’m reading the article, I’m in awe of the technology and the incredibly brand-relevant application for a show about ghost hunters… Wait a minute! Did they just say advertisers can beam messages straight into your eardrum, so it seams like it’s all in your head? OK, that’s pretty freaky and a little scary. First we had billboards emitting odors, now we have marketers playing voices in our heads. While the hypersonic technology skirts any “sound pollution” ordinances, it feels a little invasive, even moving into that controversial “subliminal advertising” realm.

Right now, the novelty of the technology certainly lends a positive buzz appeal, but what happens as more marketers find a way to add hypersonic sound to their billboards, wallscapes, phone booths, subway installations, etc., etc., etc.? With no way to avoid hearing these messages, will we, as an industry, experience a backlash against this and other types of sensory assault in the name of brand promotion? As with any number of new technologies, the old rule holds true here: Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.