May 31, 2006

Yet Another Ad Venue

I never thought there would be ads in movie theaters. Lots of people proposed ads there, but - to me - that was something that should and would never happen.

Of course, I was wrong.

And it absolutely never occured to me that there would be ads in legitimate theaters. But, here I am, wrong again.

An tourist organization called Visit London is staging commercials in a few theaters in New York. The actors perform both in the audience and on stage.

I also notice in New York that there are billboard ads way up in the sky. That is, when you're in a tall office building - say, on the 30th or 40th floor - and you look out the window, you're very likely to see (at your eye level) an ad placed on a nearby skyscraper.

Every space is for rent!

Issue One: The Environment

More and more, I think we're going to see the issue of the environment (and natural resources) dominate communications...whether it's political dialogue, entertainment, news, or just plain marketing.

Companies that are "green" are going to have a powerful selling point, and they should certainly be smart enough to promote it aggressively. Those that are not should look for ways to change and get attention for that change.

Same for communities. I heard on the radio today that some community in South Carolina (I can't remember which one) is converting its trucks to bio diesel. Any community that takes initiatives like that is bound to benefit.

I know that it's always fashionable to knock Al Gore. But the documetary about his speech on global warming is supposed to be incredibly compelling. One critic wrote that, "I can't think of another movie in which the display of a graph elicited gasps of horror, but when the red lines showing the increasing rates of carbon-dioxide emissions and the corresponding rise in temperatures come on screen, the effect is jolting and chilling."

Smart marketers will encourage their companies to go green and promote the fact...not only for their own survival, but for the planet's.