I grew up in Maine, which has banned billboards since 1977. Car trips through other states were always fascinating to me, not only for the changes in landscapes but also for the giant advertisements that lined the highways. Fast forward a few (ok, more than a few) years. I’m living in New York’s Capital Region and working in marketing. Billboards, of course, are a big part of marketing everything from engagement rings to political agendas, and I can appreciate their value and effectiveness both as a consumer and a marketer.
In urban, retail or industrial areas the worry I grew up with (preserving pristine natural vistas) is less of a sticking point. But what if outdoor advertising could be the best of both worlds? What if advertisements did more than take up (visual) space? What if they made their environments better? That’s the concept of IBM’s Smarter Cities campaign. Its ads double as benches, rain shelters and ramps:
The ads aren’t just cool from a “Hey, isn’t that nifty?” standpoint. It’s hard to get much cooler from the marketing POV, as well: ads for an initiative aimed at making smart use of urban space actually make smart use of urban space? Mind. Blown.
Hat tip to The Think Tank blog where I first read about IBM’s ‘Smarter Cities’ Campaign.