Billboard and Outdoor Advertising

I haven’t always agreed that less is more. In this economy and environment, however, I realize that greed is not good. For example, I drink out of my promotional mug instead of buying bottled water and canned soda. Sometimes little changes in lifestyle can make Mother Nature a happy woman.

Denver Water, the company that supplies H2O to 1.1 million metro Denver residents, took the “less is more” mantra to the next level. Their billboard message is simple and conveys the point. In this eco-friendly promotion, they literally mean what they say. Not only are they promoting the message to conserve water, but they physically used less labor and materials to construct it. Here’s hoping the Denver Nuggets beat the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

This Cingular billboard placed in Times Square certainly garnered a lot of attention for dropping “calls”. Who would have thought that dropping calls would be so popular? Good thing those tourists had their cameras handy to document the scene.

(From Star Geek)

Interactive billboards seem to be gaining more steam. While the MINI billboard I featured earlier just produces information about passing vehicles, this Fiesta Ford billboard in Belgium allows those passing by to directly engage themselves in the information provided. Using any cellular phone, you send an SMS code displayed on the board after which the billboard will tell the sender to “continue” and send a question back. If the question is answered correctly, the billboard automatically enters the sender into a drawing for a new Ford Fiesta. This billboard is a somewhat crazy, but fun way to encourage people to take notice of your advertisement and connect themselves with your product! In addition to the grand prize car, Ford Fiesta might want to add other promotional giveaways as prizes for the SMS billboard game to encourage more people to “play.”

(Photo via Cherry Flava)

A light bulb illuminates whenever someone walks beneath this billboard for The Economist, a popular political and international affairs publication. I like the eye-catching nature of this board: a passerby may glance over the ad then notice it light up and turn back to look again. The image of the light bulb also reflects The Economist’s aims “to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.” (From The Economist website.)

Though the board contains no other text other than simply “The Economist” its message is extremely clear, making it an excellent blend of guerrilla marketing and traditional billboard advertising.

This is really funny guerilla marketing! This human shaped billboard was creating by Mother London, an eccentric advertising agency. A gargantuan female is taking her photograph at the picture booth in a mall in London with her massive lower back tattoo exposed.

This is one of a series of imaginative sculpture ads that were done for London Ink, a reality TV show featured on Discovery Channel’s Real Time channel. The premise of the show is based on a tattoo shop owned by Louis Molloy and the tattoo culture in London.

If you’ve been anywhere in New York City recently, you may have spotted one of the “Ana’s Eyes” billboards or bus ads that have been cropping up everywhere. The simple black and white signs provide no information other than the simple message, “See the World Through Ana’s Eyes.” Every time I saw one of these advertisements I was always intrigued and perplexed. Who is Ana? What is so different about the way she sees the world?

Lately, I noticed some of the billboards providing a little more information: “See the World Through Ana Tzarev’s Eyes.” Ana Tzarev is a Croatian born, self-taught artist currently residing in Monaco. The billboards are in place to promote her New York gallery which will open to the public on November 24^th and also host numerous artistic and cultural events. While the billboards are extremely vague, their mysteriousness has created a buzz of curiosity amongst New Yorkers making it an extremely effective campaign.

I wonder if the gallery is planning on doing any additional promotional activity. The campaign has focused mainly on billboards, buses and phone kiosks thus far, but I think the “See the World Through Ana’s Eyes” slogan could transition very well to totes and apparel.

I am just reminiscing about all those moments when I thought the person on the other end of the phone was so intrigued by what I was saying that they were struck with silence; in actuality I was talking to myself the whole time!!! I REALLY hate dropped calls!

This ad was a great outdoor billboard that truly leveraged the idea of being larger than life. Dropped calls ruin the consumers’ experience of using a cell phone so the fallen piece of the ad not only reinforces the inconvenience of the dropped phone call but also shows that the former wireless phone company known as Cingular wanted to alleviate this nuisance.

To advertise their strawberry and banana fruit smoothie, Dunkin’ Donuts commissioned Kurt Wenner, a master artist and architect, to do the street art for the fruity drink’s introduction into the market. The 3D floor ad looks as if it is emerging from the ground, making a dynamic and delicious impact.

I love ads that are creatively bizarre and fanciful like this one. Great combination of street art, guerilla marketing, and outdoor advertising!!

The advertising for movie premieres has to make a dynamic enough impact for the public to be moved to see the film. When Superman Returns came out in 2006, advertisements were seen internationally. This specific two layer elevator billboard was taken in Brazil. The clever ad juxtaposes Superman’s supernatural strength with the elevator’s regular opening and closing door functions thus creating a cool effect to illustrate one of Superman’s extraordinary abilities.

This guerilla billboard definitely piqued the interest of those who were curious about seeing the Superman movie.

Definitely can’t miss this billboard when driving down the highway! This gigantic Adidas ad, which was located near Munich Airport, shows former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, diving across the WHOLE 4-lane highway. The Adidas ad definitely made a colossal impression amongst spectators.