How do you get your message across to the consumer This is the question that every company wants their ad agency to answer for them. What is the best way What is the most tasteful way You don't want your product advertised the wrong way because not only will you turn off consumers, you may actually interest the law. A good example would be the Joe Camel ads for cigarettes. Many people felt that the ads were targeting kids to smoke because the ads featured a cartoon character. The most important thing in advertising is to get your message across without offending your target audience while at the same time being precise and informative.
The biggest change in outdoor advertising in the last year has been "alternative media". A new kind of advertising has started to take place. It's no longer in the air, hanging off the tail of an airplane or a blimp, or on land. It's in the sea.
The new gimmick is to advertise using boats. This trend has shown up in Florida, where it started, as well as Boston and San Francisco. This method hasn't yet been embraced by corporate America, but is used by local restaurants and tourist attractions to beef up sales. The ads are placed on the boats using metal structures. The advantage of this in a marine environment is the mobility of these boats as they circle the bridges and beaches. The boats don't cost as much as billboards or even small airplanes and they are more effective in these areas. People crossing the bridges each day in their car going to work and back see the ads. It helps boost the local businesses.
But many advertising agencies are warning about the danger of this kind of advertising being labeled as visual pollution. Most of the ads come from the owners of the businesses who may not be that savvy and end up putting up jargon that a lot of commuters have to swallow each day. But a lot of people are hoping, especially the boat owners with advertising on their boats, that this gimmick catches on and makes them money.
