Big In Print
Media Idea of the Week
Adidas Sky Comic
Adidas wanted to find an attention-grabbing way to support the Japan National Football Team on its way to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Its answer: a giant Manga-style comic strip that the team could view from the plane as they departed to South Africa.
A Tree Gets Its Talking Points
A real, live tree in Brussels fitted with equipment like a CO2 meter is posting reflections on the web as part of a global warming-themed campaign from a science magazine. Sample comment: "This ozone concentration makes it difficult to do my job."
A New Way to Market Music on Spotify
For a more in-depth look at this Idea of the Week and for other examples of media, marketing and business innovations, visit Ad Age and Cream's inspiration site.
MTV Smoke Screen Turns Personal Challenge Social
In a bid to relate with smokers rather than alienate them, MTV's Smoke Screen campaign arranged for 10 smokers from across Europe to embark on personal but public quests to give up the habit of a lifetime over one month. Each was given his or her own quitting method -- from hypnotherapy to acupuncture to quitting cold-turkey -- and charged with blogging about their experience.
Ice Cream Goes to the Dogs
Time Warner's U.K. children's TV channel Boomerang wanted to bring the pet-loving brand to life with a party in a London park for its adoring viewers and found the answer in a doggy ice cream van.
'Alan Wake' Online Video Prequel Series
"Alan Wake" couldn't afford a major TV campaign, so the game created a prequel video series on the web that led up to the first moments of the game.
Smirnoff Paints the Town
Smirnoff tried to make the expression "paint the town" a reality: Club kids in white boiler suits and goggles dance while paint cannons fire a variety of luminous paints into the crowd.
Turning an Urban Square Into a Vegetable Garden
One of the last things urban Londoners can normally expect to experience is a rural style "pick your own" field in the heart of the city -- but that's exactly what Heinz created for two days this month in London's fashionable Soho Square.
Cabbie-oke
While popular with older consumers, the Australian telecom company Telstra was keen to attract a younger generation of customer. It decided to add to the party spirit with "Cabbie-oke," essentially a mobile karaoke booth in the back of a Telstra branded taxicab that drove around the city center allowing groups of friends to sing along to the chart hits of their choice. Participants, of course, were captured on film.
Honda Crowdsources a Movie
It takes a brave brand to crowdsource an entire movie, but that's exactly what Honda did with its "Live Every Litre" campaign to promote the new CR-Z hybrid car.
Is Facepark Any More Ridiculous Than Facebook?
As part of its "Be Stupid" campaign, Diesel wanted to highlight the ridiculousness of wasting so much time on social networks. So it decided to get people to waste time in parks instead. This led to "Facepark," described as "A stupid idea that might save the world. But probably won't."
Petal Advertising
To promote Alexander Amosu's "world's most expensive BlackBerry," advertising was printed on rose blooms.
'Write the Future' Writ Large
Nike is advancing its "Write the Future" campaign with a huge interactive billboard affixed to the Life Centre, one of the most prominent buildings in Johannesburg.
Jumbo Jet Jewelry
A campaign encouraging people to reduce carbon emissions made 150,000 pendants from aluminum scraps of old airplanes.
Message on a Bottle
To raise funds for children's education in Latin America, the Altius Foundation teamed up with Leo Burnett Iberia to sell a reusable water bottle labeled with messages from children in countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador. Each bottle had a unique note from a Latin American child and the message: "We have written down our dream. Can you help us achieve it?"
Using Chatroulette as a Marketing Channel
Online condom store Condomerie has created an HIV awareness campaign using Chatroulette as a media channel.
The 'Host Beer,' but Not the Official Beer, at the World Cup
Anheuser-Busch InBev's Budweiser may be the official beer sponsor of the World Cup, but SABMiller's Castle Lager wasn't about to be left out, not when its home country of South Africa was hosting the event. So Castle Lager decided to try to play the role of "host beer" with a Bula Boot campaign.
Sell Our Cell Service
Mobile operator Giffgaff's name comes from an ancient Scottish word that roughly translates as "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," or, more eloquently, "mutual giving." Giffgaff users receive rewards such as free calls and texts each time they recruit another user or help another user with a question or technical difficulty.
Singing Fish That Hook Consumers
How do you show that your brand is committed to responsibly sourced fish? In the case of Findus, a major player in the frozen seafood market, you create a bizarre choir from mechanical fish and then install them in a busy Parisian thoroughfare.
