Ambient Advertising

            Ambient advertising is any type of advertising that is meant to be unexpected. It is put in places where ads aren’t usually seen in to interrupt your daily routines and activities to catch your eye. The creators of these types of ambient ads do this so you will stop and actually pay attention to the ad and possibly invest in what they are trying to tell you or sell to you. Most ambient ads have a certain meaning behind them that is more important than just a perfume ad in a magazine. The difference of ambient ads than normal ads is the attention grabber. When you see an ad in a magazine, on a billboard, or on TV, you flip past it, fast forward through it, or simply just ignore it because you expect it to be there and it is nothing new to you, but if you see a random statue or huge object where it isn’t supposed to be you can’t help but stop to see what it is or what it is about. Then it is stuck in your head, and it might even make you want to get involved with what it selling or go out and buy it.

            I think ambient advertising would be very effective with Otterbein students because I think college students are a more open minded audience when it comes to taking the time to pay attention to their surroundings and getting involved in current issues. A good ambient ad is simple and cheap, which is perfect for a college student who is creating one.  A good ambient ad has to be flexible, creative and practical, which is also good for a college campus. There are many creative options on where to put an ambient ad on Otterbein’s campus, and you would always have students stopping and staring at the ad. Students always seem to be more open with speaking their opinions.

            The first ad I chose was the Tropicana: Billboard powered by oranges from ibelieveinadv.com. DDB created a billboard created all out of oranges that generated electricity.  The oranges were powering a neon sign that says natural energy and a Tropicana sign.  The ad was to advertise Tropicana and to promote natural energy. It took them 3 months of testing, tons of wiring, and shocks of copper and zinc to be able to make this billboard. It was placed outside in the street. This ad is targeting natural energy and everyone to use more of it. I chose this ad because I think it is amazing how they made the neon sign light up just by using oranges.  This ad is effective because it proves to people that you really can use natural objects to generate electricity and energy.

            The second ad I chose was also from ibelieveinadv.com. It was the Big Bloom Bubble Gum: Big Bloom ad.  Big Bloom wanted to show people that kids could blow the biggest bubbles with their gum. So in order to do so, they took a pink large balloon that is used at car dealerships or grocery stores, painted Big Bloom on it, attached a life size kid mannequin on the end, and set the balloon off into the sky. The idea of this was supposed to look like a kid blew such a big bubble with his Big Bloom bubble gum that he floated up in the sky. The audience was geared towards kids. Big Bloom wanted kids to think that they too could blow this big of bubbles.  I chose this ad because of all the creativity and thought that went in it. I wish I could have been there to see it. I think it is a really good idea to sell any type of gum. Their ad is so effective because they went through all of these measures to make it look so realistic and do something that no one has done before to sell their gum. People couldn’t help but stop and stare at a huge balloon with a kid hanging from it soaring through the sky because it isn’t something you see every day.