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. . .
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.
Coke leaves its mark by decreasing its (carbon) footprint
Since 2007, Coca-Cola has made it a company goal to turn around the image (and carbon footprint) of its corporation. Once an eco-offender, producing tons of waste and run by gas-guzzling trucks, Coke is now one of the ‘€œgreenest’€ brands in the U.S.
Coca-Cola’s billboard has overlooked New York City’s Times Square for decades now, a continuous resident since 1932. This year, however, the brand rang in the new year by reinventing their memorable advertisement by using wind power to light the digital screen. According to Coke, this commendable move will reduce 376 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – the equivalent of converting 38 houses to clean energy for one year or planting 471.5 acres of trees. But even better yet: this transformation has started a trend among 30 neighboring billboards, preventing a combined total of 1,866 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually!
The billboard’s energy source isn’t the only thing that’s new this year. ‘€œRefresh. Recycle. Repeat.’€ is the billboard’s most recent message, declaring its commitment to going ‘€œgreen.’€ This display, along with its goal to recycle all of the plastic bottles and aluminum cans it sells in the U.S., is part of Coke’s new philosophy to ‘€œLive Positively.’€
Coke has also hit the fashion scene in past years with its eco-friendly fashion line of clothing and accessories, all of which are made from recycled products. Trendy t-shirts, which display sayings like, ‘€œRock your rubbish’€ and ‘€œRehash your trash,’€ can be found at www.cokestore.com.
LEFT: “Drink Me. Wear Me.” (front) “Love Me.” (back), CENTER: “Rehash Your Trash”, RIGHT: “RPET Red Hobo Bag” made from plastic (PET) bottles
Learn more about the company’s recycling programs and how you can help in your own community by visiting www.livepositively.com.
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!
This just in…Ad Age covers DOmedia
If you were driving down Marconi Boulevard around 4 PM this afternoon, we can explain the loud shout you probably heard (over the car radio and through closed windows…). That was about the time we saw a great profile piece (subscription required) hit the online edition of Advertising Age, the venerable industry trade pub. Even when you know you’re on to something big, a little validation is always nice. Not only did Jack Neff’s story represent the role DOmedia is beginning to play in the industry, early-adopter Doug Spak (VP Media Director at Northlich) had some pretty great things to say about what we’re doing (or DOing, if I’m being brand-correct). All of which recharges our collective batteries to keep swinging for the fences.
