Today we’re exploring the controversial world of subliminal advertising with an over of recent me examples in practice across different media in hopes of determining if its effective, ethical and productive.

First a definition from Wikipedia:

“A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another object, designed to pass below the normal limits of perception. These messages are indiscernible to the conscious mind, but are alleged to be perceptible to the subconscious or deeper mind: for example, an image transmitted so briefly that it is only perceived subconsciously, but not otherwise noticed. Subliminal techniques have occasionally been used in advertising and propaganda; the purpose, effectiveness and frequency of such techniques is debated.” (Wikipedia)

So where does it fit in the world of advertising?

Lets move to a well known historical example:

DRINK COKE! - EAT POPCORN

“Perhaps the most widely known claim was made in 1957 by James Vicary, a market researcher. He claimed that over a six-week period, 45,699 patrons at a movie theater in Fort Lee, New Jersey were shown two advertising messages, Eat Popcorn and Drink Coca-Cola, while they watched the film Picnic. According to Vicary, a message was flashed for 3/1000 of a second once every five seconds. The duration of the messages was so short that they were never consciously perceived. Despite the fact that the customers were not aware of perceiving the messages, Vicary claimed that over the six-week period the sales of popcorn rose 57.7% and the sales of Coca-Cola rose 18.1%.”

Vicary’s claims led to a public outcry, and to many conspiracy theories of governments and cults using the technique to their advantage. The practice of subliminal advertising was subsequently banned in the United Kingdom, and Australia, but not formally in the United States (actions were taken by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1958.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes the graffiti placed on adverts adds an incredible laugh! - The kids @ Geek Graffiti have set up these fun and nauseating transparency “blister” adhesives to stick on to your favorite adverts!

Add some fun to your commute!

Print your own @ Geek Graffiti’s Printable Cold Sores

I wonder if Pfizer or another pharma. would dare use these for an alternative advertising campaign for Abrevas’s Cold Sore Medicine

As the site disclaims : “*NOTE: Tagging subway ads is illegal! You can make your point simply by documenting your work, removing your stickers, and submitting an image. I am in no way responsible for your actions, I am merely presenting a theoretical solution to a real-world problem.”

Today we explore some fun and fresh uses of transit spot billboards.

From the Heated Billboard for the summer travel campaign by Opodo:

to the electrifying thought provoking Amnesty International transit hut in Barcelona

to the all time classic Pop It Bubble Wrap bus stop for Sony’s Playstation 2 spotted in Malaysia

Read the rest of this entry »

From South Africa to Japan to the UK - Out of Home Media is Booming Worldwide

In London:

Outdoor ad revenues reached a record £257m in the fourth quarter of 2006, with digital revenues closing in on £10m, according to the latest figures from the Outdoor Advertising Association.

Read more on the UK market out of home media market

In South Africa

For the first time in history, outdoor’s adspend has cracked the R1 billion mark.

Read more on the South African out of home media market

In Japan

With an estimated out of home media market of over 2.5 billion - Japan continues to attract foreign and local out of home media companies to 2nd largest media market worldwide.

Read more about Clear Channels partnership with Mitsui in Japan and the growth of out of home media

In China

“out-of-home advertising is far more effective option in China than the US because of the number of attractive urban markets and attractive out-of-home assets China has and is growing at an annual rate of 23 % per year”

Read more on the Chinese explosion in out of home media

Worldwide expect
Out-of-home advertising market to achieve sales of $78.2 billion in 2009 at a 5.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2005-2009.”

Read more on the out of home media market prognosis worldwide

Alternative Out Door Advertising is also exploding worldwide:

All four broad segments of Alternative Media - entertainment and out-of-home advertising, online advertising, branded entertainment marketing, and mobile and interactive marketing - posted double-digit growth for the year. 

Read more about the growth of alternative out of home media worldwide

“Red Herring confirms what The Wall Street Journal suspected last month: Google has purchased the ad firm, Adscape, for a cool $23 million. The move is expected to pave the internet company’s way into in-game advertising, though sources within the advertising world warn it won’t all be a smooth ride. “There is a whole world of difference between the form of advertising done by Google and Madison Avenue. While everyone appreciates the dollars Google can throw around, when it comes to [in-game ad] experience they just don’t have it.”

Google may not have the experience (yet), but something tells us that an in-game version of the context-sensitive Adsense can’t be far behind. Very soon you’ll be taking a stroll through Raccoon City, only to be reminded of some great online deals for guns, ammo and “restorative herbs.”"

Via Engadget

An interesting out of home media campaign by the Salvation Army in Brasil:

The Salvation Army has launched an interesting outdoor campaign to raise awareness, donations of clothes, and money in Brazil. Using real cardboard, plastic trash bags and old sneeker boxes that were found on the actual streets of Brazil, the “shock adverts” bring references back to the living conditions of the people they help.

Via Digg.

No longer do you have to wait - No longer do you have to worry - Aap!Global’s blog is now available from your cell phone. Check it out anywhere - from the road and more!

Just point your cell phone’s WAP browser to

http://blog.aapglobal.com/mobile.php

or use our friendly QR Code!

Happy mobile surfing!

We love it!

Our research team has drafted a preliminary overview of the market dynamics for the worldwide escalator market with focus on the U.S, Japan, China and Europe - our core centers for Aap!Rails sales and targets.

Escalators in operation by Regions in 2006

In 2006, the escalator market is estimated to have had a total global market size of EUR 3 billion per annum excluding service.

Breakdown of New Escalator Installations Per Region

In terms of units of installed in 2006, half of the present global escalator market is in China, and a growth trend is expected to continue thanks to Beijing Olympic games and Shanghai Expo. Installations in Japan, the Americas and Europe continue as well as their societies age and urbanization continues.

Escalators on average are used more than fifteen years. Maltec, a building maintenance company in Japan, reports that 9,300 out of 23,000 escalators they have maintained are older than fifteen years and are targets of re-installation. The number of escalator re-installations expected for the Japanese market fifteen years will reach 10,000 in five years.

Worldwide Breakdown of Escalators by Maker

Key Locations for Escalators

Airports and public transportation terminals are believed to account for
approximately 50% of the locations.

Typical step widths are 24�, 32�, and 40�. The lengths are really different by every escalator depending on places. Escalator lengths in Japan average at 40�.

World Escalator Handrail Market

EHC and Semperit have the lion’s share of the market for rubber and plastic handrails for escalators.

Conclusions of Interest

Marketing possibilities for China and aging society countries are key targets for Escalator growth.

China

Not only there were 28% of exist escalators in China, but it is also a fact that 54% of new escalators were installed in China in 2006. The installations are expected to last especially thanks to the coming Olympic games in Beijing and Shanghai Expo. In fact, some elevator/escalator companies, such as Hitachi, have great interest in China.

Aging Society

The governments in aging societies promote installations of escalators as aging society grows. For example, there is a law to help elderly people and disabled people transfer smoothly in Japan, and elevators/escalators are flatly but stably installed every year. This tendency is expected to last for a while.

Aap!Rails Targets

With over 400,000 installed escalators worldwide in crowded locations - Aap!Rails is an ideal target to people dense locations worldwide.

Sources available upon request

デコトラ

Forget advertising wrapped buses and the American pimped out ride! Today we’re introducing you to “Decotora” or “デコトラ” - the fun and wacky line of Japanese pimped out of buses and trucks. From estranged Godzillaesque monsters to stylish low riding styles with Samuri themes - from Kansai to Hokkaido - count yourself lucky to see one of the pimped out rides in Japan!

From Wikipedia we learn:

” (デコトラ, dekotora^?), an abbreviation for “Decoration Truck”, is a loudly decorated truck found often in Japan. Dekotora commonly have neon or ultraviolet lights, extravagant paints, and shiny stainless or golden exterior parts. These decorations can be found on both the cab and the trailer, and not only on the exterior but also in the interior. Dekotora may be created by workers out of their work trucks for fun, or they may be designed by hobbyists for special events. They are sometimes also referred to as Art Trucks (アートトラック), Ä?totorakku)^?).”

Suggested Links for the Ultimate Ride!

• “Decotora” - Gallery (English)
• “Decotora” Photo Gallery (Japanese _ Massive and worth Visiting for Video Gamesque sound)
• Cult Playstation 2 Video Game - “Decotora Geijustu Den” - Where you can virtually first drive and pimp out your Decotora ride
• Mini Decotora’s for your desk - Buy yourself a mini Decotora Vehicle
• 真・爆走デコトラä¼?説 オリジナルサウンドトラック - or the essential soundtrack to your “Decotora” Lifestyle!
• タンãƒ?ãƒ? - (Tampopo) - While Goro’s truck is hardly decked out in the Decotora style - we recommend you watch this beautiful and fun “Noodle Western!”

Now what does Aap!Global have to do this ?- well we just wanted to share some of our unusual sources of inspiration! While we haven’t yet pimped out of our delivery truck - we’re pimping out escalators, tunnels and more! What are you pimping out?