Advertising Research

I have been very busy investigating my chosen field of research which is primarily advertising. I have been focusing my concentration mainly in online and TV advertising but my research has lead me to some interesting forms of advertising which are a good example of advertising agencies thinking outside the box.

Below are some clever forms of Guerrilla advertising that I have found along the way.

"The concept of guerrilla marketing was invented as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive and consumers are targeted in unexpected places. The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral" Wikipedia.

Spiderman 2

While they risk being dismissed as mere publicity stunts, guerrilla tactics are often less expensive than TV time or print space, and generate invaluable street buzz—delivering a return on investment that's hard to argue with. And with consumers' growing use of camera phones and online sharing sites such as Flickr and YouTube, companies using guerrilla ad strategies are poised to benefit from ongoing free, digital distribution of spectacular campaigns.


Cool Car - Volkswagen Polo Twist

In 2004, a ghostly car was parked on London's Belvedere Road — a full-sized Volkswagen Polo Twist, rendered in ice. Sculptors had spent 350 hours chiselling a nine-ton block of frozen water to create the VW. Conceived by the DDB London ad agency, the ice car melted away in just 12 hours. But it generated four weeks' worth of press in Britain, and invaluable buzz among Londoners.


The Day After Tomorrow

To promote the 2004 global-warming disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow to Indian audiences more likely to buy tickets for the latest Bollywood extravaganza, Indian ad agency Contract created a dramatic outdoor campaign for the Mumbai theatre Fame Adlabs. They planted a billboard in the sea not far from Mumbai, so that it appeared submerged under water. In addition, the firm placed what looked like the tip of the Empire State Building further out to sea. The idea was to mimic the effect of Manhattan being overwhelmed by a giant wave in the movie—albeit off the Indian coast.


CSI

To get Asian audiences to pay attention to American TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Sony Entertainment Television's action-themed AXN network enlisted Saatchi & Saatchi to develop a show-stopping campaign. The agency staged what looked like gruesome murder scenes (like this one) around Singapore. The yellow police tape was printed with CSI viewing schedules.