The Force is getting stronger.
Can you feel it? I can. I felt it while standing in line at Target a few days ago. Not only did I feel The Force, I also felt the blend of traditional advertising merging with creative new ways to break through advertising clutter. Consumers get bombarded with messaging and marketers are challenged to create advertising that connects rather than interrupts.
Target found a unique medium to break through the clutter: the check out line conveyor belt. It’s usually just the black rolling pad you place your purchases on. Now it’s become a creative way to grow the power of The Force from a marketing standpoint. The metaphor is fantastic. The scrolling conveyor belt matches the scrolling opening Star Wars screen we have come to know and love. The image connects immediately. One goes from banner blindness to belt awareness.
A few advertising thoughts:
- Is there a “right in front of your eyes” medium your missing or not thinking of?
- Find some older, creative, common tools fit for content and run an ad.
- From the side of trucks to bathroom stalls, names on Coke cans, there are still new ways to advertise. Even Bud is now branding your favorite NFL team on their beer cans. Should we call that football fan pull marketing?
- Brainstorm for the hidden and uncommon “billboards” for marketing. The conveyor belt is brilliant. I wish I’d thought of it.
Sometimes the best marketing mediums are right before our eyes but the dark side of The Force blinds us. Let’s open our eyes.
By Stuart Atkins
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