LA Times is using 10 billboards scattered around LA to play 8-seconds news spots for vehicles struck in traffic.  This is cool, yet scary at the same time.  Cool in that it’s a great way for the LA Times to remind potential customers of their existence and great for customers because in an emergency, important news can be relayed to them (although, this purpose is not stated in the article.  It seems their initial intent is to broasdcast human interest stories).  It’s scary because it distracts drivers from their primary task of driving.  I wonder whether these signs are timed to only broadcast during times of heavy traffic so as to avoid being the cause of traffic.  It could be doubly cool and scary if they integrate a small radio transmitter into the sign so you can hear sound from the billboard too.  They already have a still sign like this near LAX.  It broadcasts on an AM frequency.

I wonder who is providing the service for Clear Channel, or whether this is technology that was developed within Clear Channel.  Regardless, providing the infrastructure for this could be a good business.  I imagine the ultimate intent of who ever own this technology/business is to selling ads across their network of signs.  What about this on a smaller level?  Like providing digital signage for fast food restaurants?  or stores?  It would be nice to be able to quickly update menus, prices, and sale signage without having to print something new.  It would be nice to own the infrastructure behind it …  opportunity maybe?  I’ve seen a few small companies trying to do this.

As for the billboards themselves, I’m not sure if I would like this in my neck of the woods.  Fortunately, in SD, billboards are tightly controlled, so there aren’t very many of them around the county.  I personally like the regulation because I find billboards distracting and tacky.

L.A. Times Posts News to Digital Billboards

Daily to Target Commuters to Increase Awareness of Local News Content

By Andrew Hampp

Published: March 05, 2008

Here’s an interesting article from Ad Age that summarizes the bewilderment of advertisers as digital media rises.  Most of the frustration seems to come from how to quantify the effectiveness of an advertising campaign because the traditional methods of measure no longer apply to digital mediums.  And if they can’t figure out how to measure the effectivenss of advertising, then how can the service of advertising be valued (in other words, who gets the money and how much money do they get?).  It’s a tough problem and this smells of “revolution” to me.  Just what things will become, though, is unclear because the Internet and digital methods of distribution and consumption are vast and fragmented.  Well, um, good luck with that guys  …  May I suggest letting go of the past and immersing yourselves in the digital trends as a first step?

Here’s a link to the article

4A’s Media: How Do We Measure Up?

Annual Confab Raised Questions About Digital That Many Media Owners and Agencies Are Far From Answering

By Brian Steinberg and Megan McIlroy

Published: March 10, 2008

I really like this!  A small company Cellfire is working with grocer, Kroger, to start offering coupons via cellphones.  This implementation sounds a little clunky, though, because searching and typing on cellphones is quite cumbersome.  Regardless, when this is implemented correctly, this will save paper while being very convenient.

Package-Goods Giants Roll Out Mobile Coupons

P&G, Clorox, Del Monte, K-C, General Mills Team With Kroger to Try to Make Promotions Relevant to Younger Consumers

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By Alice Z. Cuneo

Published: March 10, 2008

The last thing I want is for some company ad team to show up at a script writing session to figure out how to write some product or products into a TV show or movie.  If that happens, then that content should be free and totally supported by the advertisers.  It should also be make clear that the advertisers are producers as well as part of the cast and writing staff.

Geez … I’ve seen what happens in anime when companies insert themselves into the actual show.  Suddenly, the city consists of Pizza Hut stores with Pizza Hut delivery scooters in every scene.  This is the tragedy that befell the excellent anime series “Darker than Black.”  It was so blatant at times that it took away from the story (geez, “Goong” and Mercedes Benz too) .  This is also that case with movies — James Bond and HP come to mind … go Christmas Jones and her PDA of Wonder (well it must have been really effective if I still remember.  The same with Pizza Hut and Mercedes.)

When thinking about this potential combination of advertisers and content,  I like to think about it in terms of the often used analogy of mixing ice cream and poo.  In the end both are ruined.   I have, though, seen successful integration of product placement within content.  The article below mentions Ray Ban and “Men in Black,” which I think was good.  My feeling is if the advertiser is trying too hard, that will come through and the viewers will not be able to suspend reality.  But if it’s a matter of branding an existing story element, then it may come off more authentic and not so obtrusive so the illusion is maintained.  I forget, though, that subtlety is not what advertising is about …

Anyhow, read the article and be amazed.

Here’s a link to the article.

Ogilvy’s Scott: Brands Should Own Entertainment

Branded Content Has a Longer Shelf Life Than a 30-Second Spot

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By Andrew Hampp

Published: March 18, 2008

This is interesting and scary at the same time if this study is, indeed, a proper study.  The latest I’ve heard about subliminal advertising was that it is an urban myth.  However, this to me doesn’t sound like the advertising was done subliminally, rather as the article suggests our perception of a brand is like that of a person.  And just like people we know, we approach a brand with deep level of connection crafted from years of interaction.

This Brand Makes You More Creative

A Subliminal-Messaging Study From Duke Claims It’s Possible