Advertising through non-traditional media.

Blog # 4 6.15.10

It has been difficult to find non-traditional media around Berlin that I have not seen in the United States. Maybe if I had come from another country, I would have found advertising messages more original to my eyes, however, America is usually a pioneer when it comes to that. I have seen it all; from traditional highway billboards, to moving Puerto Rican Holidays parties inside a truck advertising American Airlines flights. I have also see people as advertisement themselves and the latest, mobile advertising.
Therefore, although I have been looking around, the most “non-traditional” advertising message that I saw until a couple of days ago was the one from Oakley on the stairs. Now, I am not sure if it falls within the non-traditional category because there is no subway in Miami, therefore, I have nothing to compare it to. In fact, a friend of mine commented that in New York and Chicago advertisement on the stairs’ steps is also being used.
On the other had, I did see something quite original and interesting while walking through streets of Berlin last week. The store name was “Loft” and because it was already closed, I was not able to get into it and investigate a little more about the brand and the prices. As you can see in the picture, the name of the brand is printed on the first four white eggs on the front; there are a total of twenty eggs, the rest of them without the brand name. The box of eggs is placed on a simple wood table that is hanging with metal chains from the ceiling. They are place in the window, willing to caught the walker’s attention.
The eggs are definitively non-traditional media. It is a very original and unique way to advertise and it is obviously an attention-grabber. This message gets out of what people is used to see on a clothing store‘s window, therefore, it makes the consumer turn to see message. Now, getting attention does not always mean that the message was successfully received and that it was able to persuade. For instance, from my point of view was a consumer, I actually liked the egg idea, but I found no connection with my interests in buying cloth. It might have been that I was not able to get enough information about the brand, or it might have just been that the advertisers thought out of the box a little bit too much. My eyes are still open looking for original non-traditional media around Berlin. I will not be surprise the next time I see a piece of cheese advertising a nail polish product.
Key Points:
- Non-traditional media is not easy to find abroad when coming from the US
- Non-traditional media needs to be original and unique and needs to get attention.
- Like all advertising messages, non-traditional media must convey a message connected to the brand.