Westpac Stadium Wows With Direct Mail

When my boss handed this to me he said "You'll like this, it's marketing gone mad". And he was so right. This direct mailer for Westpac Stadium's membership renewal drive is seriously impressive!

Big Day Out - Marketing to music festival masses

Last week Big Day Out returned after a year off in 2013 and found a new home at Auckland's Western Springs. The festival headliners Pearl Jam and Snoop Dogg along with countless other world class bands drew back around 41,000 fans. 

Amongst the tiny jean cut-offs and flower head bands were plenty of brands vying for attention. Here's a couple that caught my eye (click read more below):

Presents for the advertising geek in your life

With Christmas closing in quickly here's a few gift ideas for the advertising person in your life. Given that several of my family members are subscribed to this blog I must also add a caveat - this is not a xmas hint list! I'm lucky enough to have been given a few of these items already this year. 

1. Extra battery life

Advertising people tend to be addicted to social media and inseparable from their smartphone. Make sure they never have to endure a moment without checking the latest status update or what's being shared about their brand with a Mophie Juice Pack. It's a slim phone case that is also an extra battery. 

More ideas after the jump! 

Mother Earth Uses Taxi Sampling For Product Launch

Overseas it is commonplace for cabs to have small TVs installed to play advertising on a loop. However in New Zealand taxi advertising hasn't reached that level... yet. Cabs frequently have advertising signage on the outside but this was the first example I had seen inside the car. 

The signage caught my eye poorly due to it's novelty factor. What was really clever was that the cab the driver also offered me a product sample. Having just jumped off an early morning flight and having skipped breakfast I was actually pretty pleased to accept it. If I hadn't seen the advertising my reaction may have differed. Accepting food from strangers isn't something I make a habit of. What's even better was the sample tasted great and I'm planning to purchase as a result. Honestly, I wouldn't have looked twice at the product on the supermarket shelf. 

The targeting of time poor business travellers during the morning was spot on. Well done Mother Earth! 

Auckland Airport Through Ad Geek Eyes

For most people an airport consists of check in, security, gates and planes. However, this is a couple of snaps of a recent trip through Auckland Airport. The opportunity to market to higher income business people seems to inspire more creative advertising. Advertising is often the only part of an airport that changes regularly so brands can make an impact by interrupting the familiar landscape of frequent travellers. 

The following brands have done a great job by ulitising unconventional spaces for their advertising messages. Auckland Airport is doing a great job of working with brands and maximising the possibilities for advertising space to be sold. 

Do you have any unusual places you find advertising inspiration? I would love to hear them! 

BMW - X5 4WD  

This image is from BMW New Zealand's Facebook page as it's far better than the distance shot I took

Click read more for other photos.

Digital Billboard Interacts with Passing Planes

Installed in London's Piccadilly Circus this digital billboard by British Airways interacts with passing planes. According to British Airways it is designed to remind us how magical flying is from the perspective of children.  

According to The Drum the billboard uses "custom-built surveillance technology" to track incoming BA aircraft, prompting the screen to display a child pointing directly at the plane as it passes overhead. The text reveals the flight number and origin/destination, along with a custom message, such as the lowest fare for that route or the current weather where that plane is headed. 

“This is a first, not just for British Airways but for UK advertising. We all know from conversations with friends and family that we wonder where the planes are going and dream of an amazing holiday or warm destination. The clever technology allows this advert to engage people there and then and answer that question for them. 

We hope it will create a real ‘wow’ and people will be reminded how amazing flying is and how accessible the world can be.” 

~ Abigail Comber, British Airways’ Head of Marketing

It's a clever combination of technology and advertising that creates a sense of amazement and wonder. 

Do you think this is the future of billboard advertising or a one off success? 

Should movies and advertising really mix?

We've become familiar with brands slipping product placements into movies, mixing brand names into our favourite characters lives. When done in a subtle and logical way we're usually accepting of this practice. Lately I'ved a new trend that leaves me wondering how close should entertainment and advertising mix. Both Anchorman 2 and Super Returns have partnered with brands to release advertising campaign which also act as movie trailers. 

Essentially these are ads for movies inside ads for products. I'm assuming it allows movie promoters to push their new releases at a reduced cost - but could this negatively affect a movie release? Do you risk your audience tiring of your lead character before the movie even hits cinemas? And does your opinion of that character change when they become associated with a brand?

How the movie name or characters are used will determine the resulting impact. While I think the following adverts work well, the approach should be used sparely by promoters. It won't always work. And it may just alienate your audience.  

Take a look at these examples and then leave a comment letting me know if you are more or less likely to watch these movies? 

1. Ron Burgundy Sells Cars 




See more Ron Sells Cars Ads on the Dodge Youtube channel.

2. Superman Returns for Carls Jr  



Thankfully Carl Jr choose to have Superman as a background character rather than actually holding a burger! Maybe the promoters knew that would be a step too far.

How did these ads affect your desire to see Anchorman 2 and Superman Returns?