Advertising Worth Admiring

I’m floored… I’ve just stumbled upon a few advertisements, over at BusinessWeek.com, that did more than just sell me on a product – As a marketer, these ads inspired me. They inspired me to think BIGGER when developing future marketing concepts.

When was the last time an advertisement INSPIRED you? I’m willing to bet it has been a while. There is so much mindless marketing being shoved down our throats right now that I’m truly embarrassed for the individuals who created the crap. It’s a breath of fresh air to know that there are some bizMAVERICKS (AKA… Rebel Businesspeople) working amongst us in the advertising industry.

As you view these images, open up your marketing mind and allow yourself to be inspired. I would hate for you to check out these ads and simply be entertained. We, as marketers, have something to learn from these examples of brilliant advertising.

FORGET STARBUCKS… I DRINK MY COFFEE STRAIGHT FROM THE SEWER!
There's Coffee In The Sewers!

Saatchi and Saatchi N.Y. has brewed a special roast of advertising that will perculate the interest of every coffee drinker who walks past this creative ad. Unfortunately, the aroma that this cup of coffee is releasing smells like the bitter stink of sewage – But fortunately, we don’t give a damn because this ad is just too cool!

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS!? – PARKING STRIPE ADVERTISING
Parking Stripe Ads

Just when you thought that advertisers had utilized every square foot of the earth’s environment, Parking Stripe Advertising Inc. comes along and proves you wrong.

What does Parking Stripe Advertising do? They place advertisements on parking stripes! This is a brilliant business concept that has a world of potential customers who will gladly whore their parking lots off to advertisers. This is one of those entrepreneurial ideas where you kick yourself and say… “Why didn’t I think of that?”

ONE SNIFF OF THAT WHITEOUT AND YOU’RE GONE!
Think Of The High You Would Get From Sniffing That Much WhiteOut!

BBDO NY has created a campaign that is truly intoxicating. Imagine the fumes those massive office supplies put out!

These ads for FedEx Kinkos are literally larger than life. How can you not direct your attention to such a spectacle? BBDO NY knows how to think BIG!

When scheming for your next marketing ploy, do you think as big as BBDO NY does? …You should.

MOVE OVER TV GUIDE… I GET MY PROGRAM LISTINGS FROM EGGS. (WHAT!?)
What Are They Feeding Chickens Nowadays?

File this one under… “What will they think of next?”

CBS is about to roll out a campaign using marketer’s favorite advertising medium… Eggs. I’m speechless… I seriously can’t find a way to analyze this… Wow.

CBS broke every rule in the book on this one. You can expect to be cooking with “Amazing Race” eggs beginning this fall.

The lesson that must be learned here is not to try and figure out how you can best utilize your city’s sewers for your next marketing campaign – You simply must recognize that it takes POWERFUL IDEAS to create POWERFUL CONSUMER INTEREST. So please don’t ever allow yourself to put out a half-ass marketing campaign. Everyone is creative enough to develop a strategy that’s as good as the ones you just saw. Afterall… You’re a bizMAVERICK… You can accomplish ANYTHING.

Wishing you continued success…

…bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

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Trillian Messenger

I love the Parking Stripe example! I saw an advertiser in Kansas City using the parking stripe idea for image advertising. I wonder how well this would work for direct response.

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isulong seoph

great edit.. ilike it

Brad Williamson

Dave... You are 100% correct.

These ads are admirable for their entertainment value - But the true test for these marketers is how they capitalize on the initial buzz from these advertisements and turn the campaign into a consistent driver of actual sales.

Advertisements can be fun for consumers... but if they don't buy anything as a result of the promotion we, as marketers, have failed.

Thanks for your insight... You really know your stuff.

...bizMAVERICK...
Brad Williamson

Dave Free

Brad, nice post. I agree these ads are definitely more creative and pleasing to the eye--not to mention more memorable. They've also created buzz, afterall, here we are talking about them. So they are great, certainly better than the run of the mill billboard or sign on a bus and I believe there is a place and a purpose for them. Having said that, I think there is even a better place to focus the creative marketing juices. Once the "shock" or "surprise" of these ads has worn off what is the company left with? The challange of coming up with something even more bizarre to create more buzz. And what are people talking about when they talk about these ads? How good Folgers tastes, how smooth the white-out flows? No, we're talking about the gimmick. How much more powerful would it be to focus on the quality of the service or product so that it becomes remarkable and our customers feel compelled to talk about our product or service rather than our ads? Then it becomes "self-perpetuatiing" marketing and we focus on continually improving our service and products, not coming up with the next gimmick. Here is a on self perpetuating marketing.