Archive for November, 2012

Thinking About Building Projections?

November 30th, 2012

Projection advertising has come a long way over the last few years. Take our recent Black Friday campaign for Jack in the Box in San Jose – using projection equipment mounted to a mobile unit, we were able to project high-definition images onto street scapes in some of the area’s most popular shopping and nightlife destinations.

Building projections are a relatively low- cost way to break into the non-traditional advertising sector and gain substantially greater impressions than what is already achievable through traditional billboard media.

These projections can be made even more effective when coupled with other guerrilla advertising techniques – such as street teams distributing swag or couponing, social media tie-ins, high-tech scent machines, etc.

Interested in learning more? Contact Sam Bolland at 206.599.9855.

What’s Trending: Eco-Friendly Advertising

November 19th, 2012

According to a recent consumer study, shoppers are forecasted to devote a larger share of their budgets to brands that promote sustainability (Ryan Partnership Chicago and Mambo Sprouts Marketing, 2011). If eco-consciousness weighs so heavily on in-store decision-making, it’s only natural for brands to step up and create ads that reflect sustainable practices and influence choices before a shopper steps foot inside the automatic sliding doors.

A number of brands have already made great strides in embracing “green-vertising” on both smaller and larger platforms. While simple eco-friendly advertising methods could include switching from flyer distribution to outdoor LED projections and using recycled materials to create promotional items, companies such as Coca-Cola® and Tropicana have taken the concept a step further.

In June 2011, Coca-Cola introduced the world’s first living billboard. In conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, the brand unveiled a 60’x60’ billboard in the Philippines made of recycled Coca-Cola products and covered with 3,600, CO² absorbing, Fukien tea plants. The goal of the installation was to promote the Coca-Cola Live Positively program, which focuses on encouraging social responsibility and adopting sustainable practices.

In April 2011, Tropicana and DDB Paris installed a billboard, on a busy street in Paris, which was composed of, and powered by, over 2,500 oranges as a part of the brand’s Natural Energy campaign. Bearing sustainability in mind, at the end of the installation, the oranges were donated for use as compost or for the creation of biogas.

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_zoHUykPi4

Some of our favorite environmentally friendly advertising techniques include reverse graffiti (where advertisers pressure wash an image/message onto sidewalks, tunnel walls, etc.), rake advertising (where a team of artists etches an image/message onto a beachfront) and sky typing (where computer-generated bursts of smoke are emitted to create perfectly formed messages in the sky).

We hope that this article provides you with inspiration. Give thought to different mediums, don’t limit yourself to traditional advertising and remember that everything has the potential to become a canvas for your next eco-friendly campaign.

Sam, Uncensored: Innovate, Don’t Replicate

November 16th, 2012

Like most everything in the world, advertising is an industry of fads. Once a concept is projected out into the universe and achieves “cool” status, every agency, marketing company and design shop will line up to grab a piece of the cake, chew it up and spit it out, over and over again. Once an agency grabs onto one of these popular, proven concepts, it’s easy to fall into a spin cycle that can last for months—with the same ideas being tossed around until both the staff and the clientele is sick of hearing about it (i.e. flash mobs).

That’s not to say the idea itself should be completely thrown away, just for the sake of breaking the cycle. For example – in 2011, the flavor of the year was photo booths. Incorporating a photo booth into a campaign works because it’s nostalgic, it promotes a fun interaction between brand and consumer and audiences will walk away from the event with an instant photo memory to share with others in-person and through social media. Instead of removing photo booth experiences from your agency’s repertoire, focus on what elements made it work and innovate outward.

Rather than pitching the same, tired photo booth concept, take the roots of what made it a good idea in the first place (social media potential, connectivity, fun, personalized takeaway) and creatively pursue new frontiers. With advancements being made everyday in 3D printing capabilities, brands can easily recreate life-like scenery, environments and scaled figures to pose with and share with friends online. Who knows – in a few months, printing 3D miniature takeaways, on-site, of consumers having fun at your event could soon be a reality.

Check out this article on 3D printing being used for portraits in Japan: http://www.webpronews.com/you-can-get-a-3d-printed-model-of-yourself-in-japan-2012-11

Interested in learning more about how to upgrade old campaign ideas? Contact Sam at 206.599.9855.

Let’s Talk Turkey: Quick-Turn Holiday Shopping Campaigns

November 13th, 2012

Once a year, thousands of Americans will leave the comfort of their homes in the wee hours of the morning, shake off their tryptophan hangovers and take to the streets in search of good deals. This annual ritual signifies the beginning of the shopping season and heralds in a month of long lines, crowded malls, overfilled parking lots and endless opportunities for advertisers.

So, with Black Friday right around the corner, how can local advertisers take advantage of the holiday shopping craze? As experts of out-of-the-ordinary advertising techniques, we at Beyond Traditional have brainstormed innumerable, low-cost promotions that can easily be planned and executed within a short turnaround. Through a combination of guerrilla advertising techniques, and the advantage of having a captive audience (in 2010, the line outside of Macy’s in Manhattan stretched to over 7,000 shoppers!), there is incredible opportunity to secure thousands of impressions and one-on-one consumer interactions for your brand.

Here’s one of our ideas, which is simple in its execution but impactful in terms of quality brand-consumer interactions and impressions. Imagine – it’s 11:45 p.m. on a frigid winter evening and the line of shoppers outside of the downtown Target store is 5,000 deep. People have been standing idly in line for the last 45 minutes, the lack of movement has made them colder than they planned for and shoppers huddle together with their friends and family members to keep warm. Out of nowhere, a team of brand ambassadors arrive on the scene, they are equipped with specially-designed hot beverage backpacks full of cocoa and utility belts holding stacks styrofoam cups (printed with your company’s logo), satchels of mini marshmallows and an artillery of miniature candy canes. The team fans out and cheerfully distributes cups of hot cocoa to the grateful crowd. When the last cup is poured and the doors begin to open, the team melts into the crowd and disappears just as mysteriously as they arrived. In the morning, when the deal-seekers return home to tell their tales, despite all of their shopping induced injuries and arguments, they will remember your brand and that much-needed cocoa as a highlight of the day.

Interested in learning more about last-minute holiday advertising opportunities? Contact Sam Bolland at 206.509.9855.