Magnifying glass anyone?

The Picadilly Circus Landmark site has amazing impact - utilized brilliantly by the primary advertisers such as Coca Cola, Samsung, McDonalds, TDK and even Sports Direct.

The evolution from static to dynamic creative executed to great effect within the restrictions applied to the site and location.

But spot the sales banner if you can? A dark static panel above the Boots shop signage advertising this 'UNIQUE BANNER OPPORTUNITY from PICADILLYLIGHTS.COM' for Land Securities... Hardly making the most of such a great site and environment.

Probably why the banner remains unsold since this shot was taken months ago.

Old Fashioned Tactics

Great Sainsbury's tactical directional ads among the throng of people waiting for the torch relay @ St. Paul's this moring

Especially directly outside M&S.................

The Sainsbury's plackard bearers looked pleased as punch with their efforts .... happier than the torch bearer by all accounts!!

Gladvertising – could it really happen??

Over a year ago a report by the Centre for Future Studies predicted an advertising revolution within a year, a new world where emotion recognition software (EFS) can determine your mood and then provide an ad based on how you feel. This new technology was coined ‘Gladvertising’ by the reports authors.

Well it’s been more than a year and it hasn’t happened yet, although with more sophisticated targeting being consistently developed perhaps it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. Although I’m not sure what ad would be served up to the Pure Media office at 9am on a cold, wet Monday morning!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12582477

Creative Synergy - Hit or Miss?

The intention was to get the 6.15am train to London Bridge this morning en route to City Airport.

Unfortunately it wasn't to be as the doors closed before my very eyes on arrival at 6.12am as the timetable had changed - next train c. 25 mins later - ouch!

I was therefore highly unamused to be faced with this in carriage poster for what felt like the longest 32 minute journey on the later train, whilst stressing about getting in to and across London in time to make the flight.

Appreciate it is a direct communication and targeted at commuters who could potentially have time to play poker on their smartphones,tablets etc. for longer sessions than usual as and when (regularly) delayed ... but the negative implications far out weigh the targeting and creative synergy of message in my opionion.

PRAY FOR A DELAY ?..... Pray for a MIRACLE to get there in time more like .... which I did, thankfully.

Bad placement...or 'it makes no difference'?

So, Nurofen are currently running an ad campaign across the Rail and Underground network. This was the ad I saw that makes reference to Holborn and Ealing Broadway.

I found the ad on the Northern Line.

This prompted several questions in my mind:

1) Is this bad planning? The Northern Line does not go through Holborn or Ealing Broadway so could they not have run with 2 station names along this route?

2) Does it really matter? Anyone that works in London will have a fairly good idea as to where both locations are. The fact that it is not on the route where the ad is seen probably wouldn't bother them.

Since seeing this ad, I have seen another making reference to Hanger Lane. It was on a South Eastern train. 

What do you think? Does it actually matter?

If they are spending large sums of budget on an Outdoor campaign, should there not be synergy between the creative and the media?

Muddy Hell!

Are you Tough Enough??

Just 18 days to go until the first Tough Mudder event in the UK. Tough Mudder’s 10-12mile obstacle courses are designed by Special Forces to test fitness, stamina, mental strength and camaraderie.In the ultimate test of team work, participants are challenged mentally and physically as they navigate their way over 12 foot high Berlin Walls, across muddy trenches, through 4 foot flames and into ice cold water.The event is not about finishing times or winning a first past the post medal; simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honour.

Events in the UK kick off in the East Midlands in May, followed by one in Scotland in July and one in Manchester in November. The East Midlands event will be a baptism of fire for competitors, who will have to negotiate pits of stinging nettles, waist high swamps, claustrophobic tunnels, not to mention the 10,000 volts of electroshock therapy they will receive before they drag their weary limbs over the finishing line for a well-deserved pint of beer.

Those who think they are tough enough to meet the challenge can register now at:

Click here for Tough Mudder website

Creative synergy

Great example of creatives developing an ad with the media format and placement in mind ... seems obvious, but it doesn't happen that often.

New Recruit

We have a new recruit to welcome to Pure this week

Ed Lee-Bull has joined the team as a Media Analyst

Another Cover Story

We've been meaning to post this for a while as it's a few weeks out of date, but a timeless comment.

The various guises of a METRO cover wrap..........

PIC 1) Front page of cover wrap on March 19th



PIC 2) 6.15am - A bin at a commuter train station already starting to fill up with the (over inked) cover wraps disembodied from the main paper



PIC 3) 8.00am - A copy spotted on a seat on the DLR where the cover space was clearly used to good effect by a commuter warming up the mind for the day by calculating a variety of algebra formulas!

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?

Aside from the mast head on the front cover ...there appears to be no difference between visual or messaging on the outside back cover of the cover wrap that the Metro carried yesterday.

A missed opportunity to use this paper poster space more effectively surely?


Furthermore, the only difference I could spot with visuals, layout and messaging between the inside front and the inside back cover pages were the programme images placed in the screens.

A luxurious waste of expensive media space in my opinion.

Connecting with core message

This high impact site on the side of a building next to GolfPark station and Otelfingen Golf Club in Switzerland is currently being used to great effect by upc cablecom.


It is part of a high speed connectivity campaign they are running - with the headline reading ..... The Digital Connection with zero handicap.

Great synergy of message directly to a golf audience who are out in their numbers either sharpening their putting skills on the practice greens, refining their swings on the the driving ranges or out playing on the course - where this ad can be seen from most parts - all of them aspiring to achieve a golf handicap of 0.

Barking Mad or Pitch Perfect?

A TV ad for Bakers dog food will air tonight on ITV1 in the ad break of Emmerdale - targeting not only the 7 million human viewers, but more specifically their furry four legged friends.

Special high pitched audio effects have been included in the TVC to attract the attention of canine pets all around the country, alerting their owners to their interest in the Bakers pet food product.

A fantastically innovative creative idea - let's hope it has the desired effect of instigating plenty of wagging tails and pricked up ears.

Full stories as per links below

Yahoo News

Marketing article

We LIKE this, so we are SHARING it...

Winter Golf Just Got Better!

We are currently running a cross media partnership for Urban Golf, encouraging people to visit one of their 3 x re-named London indoor golf venues and experience their new model highly realistic updated AboutGolf simulators.



For your chance to visit The Kensington National, Royal Smithfield Golf Club or SOHO Golf and Country Club, and benefit from this fantastic 80% saving click on the following link –

www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner

Planning Oversight

Not sure how the planners let this happen.
Front page news disaster story and Holiday Promo!!

Another Award for Forex.com

Making its second appearance in the FT/Investors Chronicle Investment Awards in as many years, Forex.com this year walks away with the accolade for best Forex Provider.

The company was rated highly for its tightness of spreads, advanced trading tools and platforms and customer support. Regarded as a leader in forex and contracts for difference trading, FOREX.com offers investors access to the global foreign exchange market with a secure online proposition featuring transparent pricing and quality trade execution.

FOREX.com offers clients access to professional charting, expert market research and daily foreign-exchange commentary by market professionals.

ARRESTING CREATIVE

Saw this ad in the Evening Standard last night and it really made me stop and look.

Initial thought – Why would the Metropolitan Police run an ad like that?

What a waste of a whole page – Met Police logo and strap line across the bottom and then very subtle light grey flock wallpaper effect across the rest of the page?

A quizzical look and a slight turn of the page and all was revealed – with a message appearing on the page through the wallpaper effect – as per ad printed on the reverse side



Clever in so many ways.... One of the best press ads I've seen in years.

FIGURE SKATING SPECTACULAR IN SHEFFIELD

Working together with Chime Group sports marketing agency Fast track and their client NISA (The National Ice Skating Association UK) we are currently running a campaign to promote the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2012.


The Championship is being held at the the 9,000 seater Motorpoint Arena stadium in Sheffield between 23rd & 29th January next year.

An integrated multi media campaign is active across local print, geo-targeted online, outdoor formats including bus streetliners and 48 sheet posters as well as a radio promotion running with Real Radio.

This is the world's 3rd largest figure skating competition - with nearly 200 of Europe's best skaters from 40 countries, including many stars of the Winter Olympics competing in the men's ladies, pairs and dance couples disciplines.

For tickets and further information about the event click on the link - www.europeans2012.co.uk

Another Win for Forex.com

We are very pleased to be able to congratulate our client Forex.com on winning yet another award - the Shares Award for 'Best Educational Provider'.

The Awards ceremony was held at the glittering Grosvenor House Hotel - where a lovely evening was had by all. The celebrations meant that there were a few sore heads on Friday morning, but it was all worthwhile!

Suicide Watch

Aside from the front page story being about a suicide couple in the Metro today, there was also a piece in paper (pg 45) about the increase in tube suicides ... with a particularly inappropriate line reading "King's Cross was hardest HIT by the rise with 18 suicides in the past 10 years".

On the way to a meeting in Victoria today, I had to change at King's Cross for the Victoria Line - and much to my amazement, spotted this 16 sheet crosstrack poster for French Connection with the line - I Am The Jumper.

I'd have thought it was a bit obvious to be edgy, and certainly a bit more than obvious to be a mistake.