New Advertising Methods

Hello again,

I know it has been a really long absence, but since few people have actually stumbled onto my blog, I don’t think it was a major inconvenience to anybody. Having said this, buckle up, because I am about to rock your world with four examples of companies with great advertising strategies. I have covered four different areas of advertising, just in case you wanted to see more than one kind. First off, we are going to start with a real up-and-comer: Interactive Mobile Advertising.

The video link below will show you an example of an interactive advertisement for the USA Network TV series, White Collar. This show is not only fun to watch, but it obviously has an excellent marketing team behind it. Watch the video first, and then read on to hear my take on it.

http://vimeo.com/19033123

If you haven’t seen the show, it centers on a former criminal who was convicted of forgery. He is let out under the condition that he helps the FBI catch criminals in the White Collar crime division. This ad does a great job of linking the show’s premise into an advertisement for people who may have found it. Additionally, the reward for participating is exclusive footage, which will thrill those already loyal to the show, and may be a selling point to those who haven’t committed yet. Whoa! Did anybody else catch that? As long as a participant completes the ad, they will find relevance in the video afterwards. Instead of just showing a schedule, they found a way to make it worthwhile for current viewers to play the game as well.

Maybe you don’t like watching TV. Maybe you like going outside. Ok, I mean you’re reading this blog most likely indoors, but whatever I won’t judge. Maybe you brought your laptop outside. I don’t know. Regardless, Outdoor Interactive Advertisement can be insanely interesting. This link has several great examples.

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680513/the-14-most-arresting-interactive-outdoor-ads-from-vibrating-benches-to-geofencing#1

I specifically like the augmented reality ones offered by Axe and National Geographic. These ads make the experience more of an adventure for the viewer. Who wouldn’t be surprised to see dinosaurs when they were planning on taking the subway to work?

            Ok so I get it. You are inside. Not outside. On your computer. So do me a favor. Go to Google, and search the phrase “zerg rush”.  Just do it. I’ll wait. Did it work?

Of course it did. If you waited, you saw all of the o’s come down and start eating your links. Maybe you even noticed, if you click the o’s enough, they disappear. This is a form of Interactive Internet Advertisement. It was put in place just before Starcraft 2 came out. In the game, you can play as an alien race that just eats everything. So Google came up with a way to be interactive with those who were searching the game.

Alright, so we covered three different kinds of advertising. Anything else cool? Did we cover everything? Well, not exactly. How about Interactive Advertising in Video Games?  Seriously! There is definitely such a thing. Take a look at the below screen shot. 

This is an example of how advertisements can show up in videogames. What could possibly be a better way to show you an ad then by putting it right on the floor of a boxing mat. What are you supposed to do, not punch the other guy out in the ring? No You are going to fight him because it releases video game endorphins, and you will likely be reading the ad repeatedly. Whether you like it or not.

            So. In summary ads are everywhere now. Worried? I’m not. It just means advertisements are getting more creative, and we will see less boring videos. Maybe I’ll return in ten years to see what the new form of advertising is. Until then, enjoy being indoors browsing the web. I will be taking a walk outside. Looking at all the advertisements in the woods.