Post #6: Street Smart Promotions

This post can be thought of as the climax of my three-part series the humanization of brands. No ad, after all, could be more human than the one above.

The nuanced and entertaining practice of street advertising has been a part of the American business environment for over a century. The concept is simple: advertising that speaks and breathes can reach customers directly and in a manner specifically tailored to them.

While print and digital advertising contains messages designed for broad market segments, human street ads can adjust their message instantly as the target customer changes.

For example, the Little Caesar's brand rep above can say "good afternoon, ma'am" to a passing young lady, give a passing group of a high school kids enthusiastic high-fives, and tell a man carrying a Burger King bag that he could have received a better deal, and a better meal, at Little Caesar's.

While these ads do run the risk of being perceived as gimmicky, they work on a small scale. They show that the sponsoring firm is fun and friendly. Well, ok, except for this one for the Amsterdam Torture Museum.

Overall, live street ads help a business embed itself in the community. Consumers form an emotional bond with the goofy brand rep outside and the gooey pizza inside.

For small-market franchising with a tight budget, that news is cheesy and delicious.

Post #5: The Anti-Lovemark

In an earlier post, I talked about the positive impact of giving your brand a human face. In this post, I'd like to examine the way that the "Wasting Water is Weird" campaign has successfully personified its message.

The ad above, and others like it, depicts a sweaty character known as "Rip the Drip" who makes people uncomfortable while they waste water. The campaign resonated with me; I think of this sweaty creep every time I brush my teeth or wash dishes.

By connecting with people on a personal level, the campaign hopes to accomplish what previous campaigns failed to. Reducing wasteful water consumption is about forming good water-usage habits. Previous attempts to dissuade people from wasting water have been bland and easily forgettable. These campaigns were ignored, or at least soon forgotten, by much of the population.

I doubt, however, that anyone will be able to forget my buddy Rip any time soon.