Product Placement: FedEx Kinkos, Life-sized Office Supplies

Office supplies may not be the most exciting products to market, unless you're bringing them to the streets. The idea behind BBDO’s marketing campaign for FedEx Kinko’s was to incorporate everyday office needs into everyday street images. If their whiteout can withstand a bustling New York sidewalk, it is sure to blot out your early morning mistakes.

Viral Video: Coca-Cola "Happiness Machine"

Coca-Cola launched its first ever global viral video exclusively for the web earlier this month. Three weeks later it has surpassed 1 million views on YouTube, and the numbers continue to climb.

Commercial: Cadbury - 'A man will never be as good as a whole Cadbury'

Shhh!


The Check


You're Right




Kraft's recent acquisition of Cadbury reminded me of the hilarious commercials they aired in Argentina in '09. A very clever, hip and amusing advertisement from the 200 year old British company Saatchi & Saatchi.

Street Marketing: Air Canada's Construction Cones

Construction cones remind people to be aware of their surroundings, whether just around the corner or thousands of miles up in the air. To draw attention to the abundance of flights from New York to Montreal, Air Canada placed construction cones around the city prompting viewers to look up to the sky, and then look flights up online. The creative marketing campaign was carried out by Marketel, a division of McCann Worldwide.

Guerrilla Marketing: Burger King, Free Wallets

We love the King for his burgers, we fear the king for his stealth and random appearances in our bedrooms and now we can thank him for some free cash. Burger King utilized a creative and fun way to gain brand loyalty and customer flow to its Chicago and Orlando locations. The fast food chain randomly dispersed wallets in popular spots through out the cities filled with the Kings driver license, cash, BK gift cards, a map with BK locations and a note letting you know that the wallets and its contents are yours to keep.

Street Art: Water Is Life

Corporations are not the only ones utilizing street art to convey a message to the public. Regardless of the hand behind the brush and the brain behind the message, street art is an effective way to communicate an idea or a feeling. The goal of artist Henk Hofsra in the Dutch city Drachten was to draw attention to the impact and importance of water. An aerial view of the half-mile stretch of this blue street reveals the phrase “Water is life”. The subsequent project stage turned this former canal back into a waterway to truly demonstrate the significance of its phrase.

Fitness Marketing: Roland Semprie Personal Trainer

The objective of a personal trainer is clear: make you sweat in a short amount of time. Incisive and astute, this ad makes us want to go out and run a marathon. I would not be surprised if this type of ad gets recycled with a bigger company. Effective simplicity always impressive.

Online Marketing: IKEA: Facebook tag contest

This short video shows how inexpensive a marketing campaign can really be. Ikea, Scandinavian home furnishings store, used the vast realm of Facebook in a clever way to promote the grand opening of a new location. They created a contest for users to win free Ikea products, which in turn, created a massive word-of-mouth movement throughout the Facebook community. The power of social media and free stuff can be quite the influential combination.

Street Marketing: Chicagonow.com - No Parking

Chicagonow.com, a Chicago blog aggregate, found a way to attract traffic to its site by placing branded cars on top of each other as protest to the city's lack of parking. Cars were placed outside of Wrigley Field during baseball games, causing thousands of passerbys to take notice of the stunt and advertised website. Hmm, a shortage of parking in a major city? Strange... But, when stacked like this, impossible to ignore.

Commuter Marketing: Volkswagen BlueMotion: Piano Stairs

Using the subway on a regular basis gets old fast, which is why the people at VW found a way to brighten Stockholm commuters' morning routines with a fun take on an everyday activity. This installation illustrates how easily a metro station can become a playground with a well-executed idea like this interactive staircase piano. Way to go Sweden.