I only just had the opportunity to watch the movie Children of Men, out on DVD since last week in Belgium.

I’d been totally oblivious to all the fuss around the movie but dropping me in cold had a rather sobering effect on me. Prior to this my idea of future advertising ran along the lines of Mission Impossible, here is a slightly different take: Children of Men

I was just able to grab a few shots of the new Google Earth billboards (see below) before the site went down. I think this has BIG POTENTIAL written all over it. However it could be nice to see someone doing something creative then just plain billboard space (yawn)

Google Billboard in Google Earth

Microsoft Billboards

Microsoft Billboards

Mini has a aquired quite a reputation as one of the favourite innovative advertisers out there. This new campaign which launched in major US cities this week ny their US advertising agency Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners  is yet another where they prove their ability to wow consumers using innovation and creativity.

“MINI of BMW is using advanced technology to communicate directly with drivers through talking billboards called MINI Motorby. Instead of seeing billboards with the same mind-numbing casino ad, these boards feature a changing array of unique, personal and unexpected messages which are triggered by the MINI owner utilizing Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID)—the same kind used in passports and credit cards. The billboards generate customized content to owners carrying active RFID tags in real-time, using information provided by the owners. Messages will be spelled out in lights on billboards in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami locations.” Coolhunting.com

According to an article in the New York Times the prolifieration of various forms of Urban Spam causes could cause irritation with consumers.

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Still, I think marketers are playing with fire by ambushing people at every turn. The more varied the places in which their ads appear, the more diverse the human situations in which they’ll be received. A result may turn out to be anger, not a sale. Any male computer owner these days who doesn’t associate reading his morning e-mail with nagging concerns about erectile dysfunction has a better spam filter than I do. I resent being woken up this way each day. Oddly, however, the target of my resentment isn’t the folks who push Viagra and its numerous herbal substitutes, but the big online portals like AOL that let these hucksters’ e-mail through their systems. I hear that AOL is sagging now, and frankly I’m fine with it. I think it’s fitting. AOL has been letting me know for years that I may be sagging a bit myself. It’s their turn.”

Source: New York Times

Catchyoo.com, a Japanese company is giving creatives a very cool new way of interaction between advertiser and consumer. This form of interactive advertising allows you to design visual, sounds, narrative and copy and promote them on floors, walls, ceilings anywhere on a clean white background.  The beauty of this soultion lies in the incredibly clear and crisp imagery and sound.

“Based on sensors installed in the projection system, people can physically interact with the ad by waving their hands or walking on the ad. Catchyoo has become the new trend to promote hi-tech products e.g. iPhone because it is immediate, colorful, playful, stylish and effective and it draws attention from a crowd. ”

I recommend you actually watch several of the videos which demonstrate this new product, it will inspire you!