Big, Bold Search Tactics

A couple of Summers ago, we posted a blog piece based around a huge, blue, phallic object that was flying around London on the side of buses. We saw it emerging from clusters of trees, hurtling round corners and generally tainting innocent streets with its long, un-ignorable and somewhat intimidating presence:

Call it Déjà vu, but a similar creative tactic has been used by Ch4 this month with a large format outdoor campaign to promote its set of three new series running across their portfolio of channels, that launched last night:

But wait…there’s more:

There appears to be no pre-requisite for knowledge or understanding of these ads – they are purposefully sensational, high impact, phallic food objects promoting the latest C4 programmes.

We believe there is a smart and clear approach here is to drive interest, frequency of messaging and – ultimately – engagement through Search activity. They have done this by only giving a minimal amount of information.

There are TV and press ads running as well, which help identify these as two interlinked, cross-channel series (Banana and Cucumber) that focus on LGBT characters, alongside the 4oD offering of Tofu, an online documentary which looks at modern sex in all its forms.

Not suggesting that the proposed search activity would have determined the names of the respective series, but by restricting the likely (and indeed possible) search terms, Channel 4 would be able to run an extremely focused – and most likely cost-effective – set of keywords.

This is an excellent example of how the medium of outdoor - used to help create a broad reach campaign - can use a lack of information to effectively drive a digital response.

Whatever you think, it’s certainly been eye-catching!

#PurePoint.

Big Blue Cactus.

We are wondering how many members of the agency team were holding back giggles in the meeting room after the creative / account director got the go ahead from the client to run the following ad currently running on Bus supersides for Boots 'inhibitif' ... hair removal brand.

The answer? Not nearly as many people as those who have had to double-take at this 'large blue thing' flying around London.

For comedy value and for interesting, phallic use of "shock messaging", we're considering this as a #PureAdOfTheWeek.

#BigBlueCactus.