Billboard and Outdoor Advertising

Talk about international guerilla billboards! These gigantic shopping bags are located on Martin Place, which is in the heart of Sydney, Australia’s commercial district. These bold, brilliant, distinctive bags are a clear indication that this area will appease any fashionista. I especially like the exasperated or sexy (no idea, which one it’s supposed to be) expression of the drag queen replica of the iconic Marilyn Monroe, but I guess I have weird taste.

These billboards definitely grabbed my attention while walking through Sydney.

This billboard was created for “Watch Around Water,” which is an aquatic safety campaign running throughout Western Australia. This grim billboard is almost too realistic for my liking, but it is super-effective in promoting the importance of ample, strong supervision for children visiting public aquatic facilities. Sometimes controversial, guerilla promotional campaigns that provide a shock factor are extremely dynamic, when done tastefully.

Take a look at this tiny billboard! This miniature advertisement is for a new video game on the Playstation 3 console called “LittleBigPlanet.” The game allows players to control small characters in a highly interactive environment where they can build anything from small gadgets to an entire world! In order to draw attention, this LittleBigPlanet billboard relies on its eye-catching appearance. While the efficacy of traditional billboards hinges on their larger-than-life communicating power, this billboard captures attention by being out of the ordinary. If I saw one of these tiny signs, I’d definitely stop to see what it was all about.

When you hear the words “innovation,” and “creativity,” which companies come to mind? For me, it’s definitely Google, and this awesome YouTube billboard is just another example of their think-outside-the-box strategies. Instead of posting a static billboard to advertise YouTube, Google decided to create something that was as interactive as the streaming-video web site itself. They posted up several of these billboards, which are essentially empty frames made to look like the YouTube media player screen. At the top of the screen in the content search box, there are terms which are related to whatever scene the billboard focuses on. For example, at one billboard set up at an intersection, the search box reads “people crossing the street.” Anyone who looks at the billboard has the impression they are watching a YouTube video. Talk about awesomely creative!

A bunch of graffiti on the subway yesterday reminded me of MSN’s “corporate graffiti” back in 2002. To promote the launch of their new product, the company strategically placed around 16,000 MSN “butterfly” decals around Manhattan.  The city eventually intervened and made Microsoft apologize and pay a few fines (they can afford it!). Those hassles were probably worth it, because the event generated an enormous amount of publicity and serves as an awesome example of guerrilla outdoor marketing.

Looking for a free ride? Look no farther! The latest trend to avoid ever-climbing gas prices isn’t hybrid cars, four day work weeks,or bicycling…in fact, it isn’t even environment friendly! Rather, it gets back to a root of capitalism: marketing. CNN recently reported that a growing number of companies, such as jobing.com, are offering their employees free gas and around $500 dollars a month to drive around “billboard” cars. Even if your company doesn’t offer such a program, you can get in the game yourself by signing up to become a driving billboard for other brands. One agency, autowraps.com, even calls mobile advertising the “hottest thing since the horseless carriage.” Huh? We have to ask, what’s next? Billboards tattooed on your forehead? Wait…been there done that. Anyways, I like this van in particular because the house scene is eye-catching.

A classic from the Billboard Liberation Front.

Ron English has done about a bajillion funny, quirky, thought-provoking, and generally entertaining billboards, including this one.