When Opportunity Knocks...

Opportunistic Advertising I think can be brilliant for a brand and can help you get ahead of the competition if done well.
Here are a few of my favourites from around the globe.

I never cease to be amazed by Richard Branson and Virgin. When British Airways sponsored the London Eye and had problems erecting the wheel, Virgin put up this blimp above it. Cheeky, and a typically great idea from them.

Now this next one comes from Switzerland advertising Smart Cars, and is, well, smart. They wanted to highlight the practicality and just how small the car is, so when two billboards for Mercedes Benz and Jaguar were placed next to each other they pounced. A really simple and nice idea.

Opportunities can arise from anywhere, and this is a slightly controversial billboard from Australian TV channel ABC. It takes advantage of the Swine Flu outbreak to advertise their new satirical comedy series 'The Chaser's War on Everything'. I'm not sure whether it's a good idea or not. It would have certainly got people talking though... You guys can make your own minds up about it.

This is a response to an Audi billboard from BMW in California and you can't help thinking they really asked for it. It's stupid from Audi, and I don't see how they thought it would work out in their favour. Good thinking by BMW, and it puts them in a great light and makes Audi look arrogant.

Finally, this is a brilliantly executed idea from Canadian hardware retailer, RONA, announcing their used paint recovery program across its stores. They placed a banner underneath an existing outdoor ad for iPod Nano. The tagline when translated from French to English simply reads "We collect leftover paint." I love this idea. It's so simple and is a great example of opportunistic advertising, and it conveys its message exceptionally well.

Good Call

In the Foster's adverts, why is it both daytime in England and daytime in Australia?

Laddered Heights

This is an ad for energy drink V. This is simply mental.
Great music and great image for an energy drink brand.
I've no idea what it tastes like but I want one, and I want one now.

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 2

You see a safe wedged in the ground and the first place you look is up, right? A natural reaction.
Australian Lifebroker Insurance firm used this to create a really excellent piece of ambient advertising.
They've made it appear as though the safe has fallen through the ceiling and written is the tagline 'Death Happens.'
It's an ideal piece of advertising from an insurance firm attempting to make people readjust their outlook on life and consider how safe they really are (pun not only intended but forced to work).
As to how effective it is in making people do this I remain unconvinced. Still, an excellent idea.

This next ad is for the TV series Dexter. If you haven't watched this show before, do so. Do so now. Forget this blog. Go.
For the rest of you, I'm not sure if this was actually a piece of ambient advertising or a mock up. If I was a butcher, the last thing I'd want is the reputation of selling human meat, although the dude behind the counter seems absolutely fine about it. Still, I thought I'd include it because I thought it was a nice idea, if a little dodgy.

This is an ad by Saatchi & Saatchi in Jo'burg for Makita, a power tool manufacturer.
They drilled holes in a side of a building, 20,081 to be precise. These holes were created, you guessed it, with one of their drills.
From a distance this looks amazing, close up this will probably look awful and you won't be able to understand it. But I think it's the publicity and brand awareness gained from doing this more so than actually doing it.
A fantastic idea, and great use of the product and a unique medium.

Now this piece of ambient advertising I really like. Very effective and you can't helped but think about its message.
Released in South Africa once again, this ad is to combat drink driving, and to make you think twice.
The fact that the girl is in the men's toilets and looks awful means it makes a good impact.
However, this ad's target audience is drunk men. And I can't help thinking if I was drunk and I saw this next to me I wouldn't be moved as much as I should be.
Very nice idea still, and I think it would still make an impact.

Lastly for this week, a very simple idea from WeightWatchers.
Bus advertising is very exhausted in this country and because of this it's hard to be innovative, but WeightWatchers achieve this.
No more can be said about this other than it's a very good idea and delivers its message perfectly.

For previous parts:
Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 1

Pedestrian Coffin

This is an amazing ad for Dutch road safety, funnily enough, in Holland.
The devilishly simple image and great copy combine to deliver a powerful message. You can't help but stop and think, and it actually made me feel sad looking at this image. It really is a great ad and it just goes to show the simplest ideas are the best ideas.

And before anyone asks, this is a poster ad, not an ambient ad. Otherwise someone would get run over if they stopped to read this ad. And Alanis Morissette would definitely have something to say about that.

Reads: One out of ten traffic victims is a pedestrian

Branson and Cheese

This makes me angry.
This is a picture of a billboard Virgin have created for their 'Super Speedy Broadband.'
"Why does it make you angry?" I hear you ask.
I shall tell you.

It's made out of cheese.Yes. Cheese.

It took 14 people 8 days to make this. I understand that Speedy Gonzalez is a mouse. And mice like cheese. But that's the nearest link I can make. This is a complete waste of resources from a company who usually delivers right on the money. Unless they're trying to more 'street' by attempting to deliver right on the cheddar instead? (My sincerest apologies).

Hewlett the Sprog out?

This is a new ad from HP showing how you can print from your phone with web-connected printers.
I think this ad comes off quite well, is well crafted, and actually nice to watch.

It demonstrates quite clearly what is being advertised and how it works and I'm left thinking this is a great product.

And of course Babies are always a good thing to have to make people pay attention.

Barking Ticket

This is a superb campaign for the New Zealand Lotto by DDB NZ.

It takes an entirely different angle from other lottery ads, especially those in the UK, with a fairly moving tale of a dog attempting to return a winning lottery ticket to its owner.

It's clearly a big production and was expensive to film but I think it was well worth it.

Milking with Coffee

Now, it's what we've all been waiting for...
It's the first ad milking the Chilean Miner Crisis, and it comes from Chill Iced Coffee.
This ad ran in Australia last week and the reference to the poor miner with the mistress, whilst fairly funny, makes me feel sorry for the guy.
The tagline Man Up does sort of suit the ad, but I'm sure it could have been executed better.
This makes me think that because the brand is called Chill, some wise-ass thought that Chile sounds similar to it so they'd jump on board.

I'll keep my eye out for more ads that are taking advantage of the crisis.

Cheat Legal

This is the new advert from SKINS sportswear and the message they deliver I think is so powerful. The idea of welcoming cheaters to challenge us in sport and the tagline 'Cheat Legal' is great. The execution of this advert makes me sit back and listen every time I see it. It's an entirely different direction from a sportswear brand in encouraging cheating and I think it pays off big time.

A Classic Ruined

The Chicken Crossing the Road gag:

Poultry in motion.

Breaking into your apartment's easier than you think

As soon as I saw this direct marketing from security firm ADT, I was blown away by its simplicity and how great an idea it really is. Basically, a flattened box is rigged with elastic bands and can be slid under apartment doors and then springs into shape suggesting that someone has broken in and placed the box there. Although I'm unconvinced as to whether everyone's door has a big enough gap under it, it is definitely a great conception.

Don't drive whilst Thai'rd

I saw this ad a few weeks ago and thought it was a nice idea. It's to warn against sleepiness whilst driving in Thailand and I think the image is so strong it says everything it needs to.

Creative Spark

A great government ad from the Phillipines. A town is carved into the match and the ad reads A spark is all it takes. A message from Makati City Fire Station. A really nice idea warning about living in wooden homes.
Click the image to enlarge it.

Reminds me a little of this fantastic ad from Jeep a few years a go:

Note to Reader(s): I'm am currently searching t'interweb for this ad.

Turkish Delight

These are print ads for Google that were released in Istanbul. I thought the idea was very good and I'd share it. Although the other two don't quite live up to the first one, there's a lot of potential to do more ads and I think they'd go down really well in the UK. The tagline 'we know what you're searching for even when you don't' is also great.

Got a feel for the Ambience?

I have a real soft spot for ambient ideas.
Here are a few examples of really inspiring uses of ambient advertising that I needed to share and that I'm sure you'll be wowed by just as much as I was.


This ambient ad was in Germany and advertises the fact that 95% of VW Polos can be recycled. A wonderfully simple idea that conveys exactly that.

This next idea is from Copenhagen Zoo, and is quite simply stunning. It makes the bus look as though it's been crushed by the snake; the execution is brilliant.

This next ambient ad (although it could be classed as Outdoor) is from Miele Vacuum Cleaners. There's debate as to whether this ad is Photoshopped, but either way it's the idea that impresses me and I think the execution is wonderful and it looks great.

Finally for now, here's a fairly well-known ambient ad from Axe that makes use of a common sign we see day in day out. This is one of my favourite ever ambient adverts just because it's so simple and everyone will understand it regardless of culture.