Up, Up, and Away!
March 5, 2009 by Ellen Ewart
Filed under Marketing
Yesterday I talked about getting your branding message onto a billboard with effective results. Today we’re taking it a step further.
Advertisers continually attempt to infiltrate our daily routines so that their messages enter our subconscious until the moment we need to make a buying decision. And generally, we soak it up.
What if you could position – literally – your brand somewhere that no one else has gone? Somewhere where the real estate is wide open?
Image: flickr Si1very
This Where’s Waldo stunt by Vancouver artist Melanie Coles goes beyond simply being seen since the very nature of Where’s Waldo is that he appears somewhere after much searching. Imagine that rather than Waldo, that were your brand. There are other examples of branding popping up in the middle of your Google Maps experience.
Take KFC who gave this a whirl a few years ago. Back then, the effort itself was publicity enough. But I wonder if Google Maps were more of a household thing, would it have driven the campaign that much more?
Rooftop messaging has been around long enough to make its mark, yet I’ve yet to hear of a campaign that really took off. I think the success in this strategy lies in creating an experience rather than just tricking a customer into looking at your ad by popping up where you wouldn’t expect it. It’s about viral marketing in this case. Like the Waldo stunt, knowing something is out there and having to seek it out brings the customer that much closer to your brand. And can anyone say “partnership with Google”?!
Would you rather customers see your brand or interact with it? How far would you go to reach your target audience?
I commend the creativity and resourcefulness displayed but how many people will see the ad? During a time when there is more pressure to deliver more for less and a higher ROI, I have difficulty understanding how this is a smart move. I will assume that there are at least a couple high rise apartments right behind this building and that at least 400 eye balls will see it. What do others think? Maybe I am wrong…here we are discussing it so it is getting word of mouth I guess.
I agree with you Rob, for the most-part. Though I think the idea here is that people who use Google Maps or Earth or any kind of satellite mapping will stumble upon these things and when they do, it can be very viral.
I wonder if a company created a contest surrounding their brand that had regular people search around the world for a hidden image using only Google Maps. Something like an Amazing Race without leaving your home office.