A show about advertising’s past spurs talk of its future

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On a recent Delta flight to St. Louis, I couldn’t help but notice John Slattery and Christina Hendricks staring at me. OK, so maybe it was from the cover of a magazine, but either way I was hooked. The “Mad Men” duo was featured on the cover of this month’s Delta SKY Magazine for a story entitled “The Mad, Mad World of Advertising.” I held in my hands 19 pages of pure advertising genius. Obviously, the entire thing was a very creative and well-thought out spread, but it was a small article that ran on the bottom of five pages that caught my eye. This article, “Advertising Goes Ambient,” showcases some of the more creative marketing outlets that are just being tapped into. It’s been said that the average human has an attention span of 15 seconds, and with all the distractions saturating our day, marketers have to work harder than ever to catch (and keep) our attention. Kudos to the following savvy marketers who are proving to be as creative as ever.

B2B Marketing CampaignsGas Station TV
So you’re pumping gas, which means your car and radio are off. If you don’t have enough phone apps to get you through those 3 excruciating minutes, just look up! According to the article, Gas Station TV reaches more than 20 million viewers a month.

LED Boats
We already see advertisements on just about everything that moves: cars, trucks, airplanes, etc. It was only natural that these efforts would eventually move to the water. In Shanghai, boats are becoming the new billboards. Check them out the next time you hop over the Pacific.

Methacrylate Box
Now THIS is cool. To promote new Vodafone products and services, Waskman inserted themselves into the ad by temporarily moving their offices to a cozy methacrylate box, 33 feet above the ground in Bilbao and Madrid.

Segway Ads
This marketing effort kills two birds with one stone. Not only does the Segway give you decent real estate for an ad, you also have a live human who’s ready to interact with customers. KFC used this tactic to promote its Chicken & Biscuit Bowl and to pass out coupons.

Golf Hole Ads
This new marketing outlet will have you sprinting for the beverage cart. Heineken recently bought ad space inside golf holes. GENIUS.

Interactive Ads
In busy areas like malls and airports, ads line every inch of wall space, so what will make people pay attention to yours? If you can’t answer that question, you have bigger problems. But for the time being, invest in interactive advertising. These ads invite passers-by to physically participate in entertainment and games.

For more on how the world of advertising is changing (and how it’s not), check out the July 2010 issue of Delta SKY magazine. And don’t forget to check out the “Mad Men” season premiere this Sunday, July 25, at 10PM ET on AMC.