Billboard and Outdoor Advertising

Donato’s Pizza took their billboard advertising one step further than all those other pizza places. On one side of the dual billboard, they show a massive, delicious-looking rendition of the pie; on the other side, the “newscaster” of a generic night-news program appears to be reaching across his own advertisement, unable to resist stealing a slice. The second billboard isn’t for a real news show, of course–those anchors have people to get pizza for them–but the fake reporter certainly looks realistic in his business attire.

This is the only example of two billboards “communicating” I’ve ever seen–anyone else notice something like this before? It puts a pretty cool spin on what can be a tired advertising space.

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.

(Via: Strange Signs)

Here’s an interesting way to get customers to come to your steak house restaurant, let them know that God allows for all animals to be eaten right next to a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. Perhaps this won’t appeal to vegetarians but it’s a good way to get the attention of Religious carnivores.

(Via Adverblog)

I can’t decide if this billboard from MINI USA is frightening or just really cool. In several major cities, MINI (creator of the famous MINI Cooper) has placed billboards that can actually recognize passing MINI vehicles and greet the driver by name. Apparently the boards contain built in sensors that can immediately identify individual cars and retrieve basic information about the owner. Rest assured, MINI owners give their consent to tag their cars with information so no one’s privacy is being unwillingly violated. There are still other concerns associated with this type of advertising including the potential for drivers to become distracted and cause accidents.

While the campaign certainly earns my respect for innovation and creativity, the “Orwellian” quality of the ads might turn some people off the brand. A less subversive way to demonstrate customer appreciation might be sending mini-owners personalized holiday gifts.

Ok first off, if traffic was so sluggish that I could solve a Sudoku puzzle I would cry then I would definitely be looking for another mode of transportation. Actually, if traffic was slow enough to read and absorb any highway billboard, traffic must be WAY too congested! But despite all that, this witty billboard by De Pasquale was a really great way to promote Air Train in Brisbane, Australia.