'Hypocritical' pavement ads annoy Mayor On street advertising, Auckland City Council has one rule for itself and another for everyone else. Photo / Herald on Sunday 4:00AM Sunday Jan 18, 2009 By Anna Rushworth They invade almost every moment of our waking lives, and now not even the pavements outside our front doors are safe from adverts. At least one company is making money from stencilling promotional messages on to inner-city Auckland pavements, despite a city council bylaw making it illegal. But that hasn't stopped the council employing the same company to get its own messages across, much to the annoyance of Mayor John Banks. Dominion Breweries, sponsors of the Heineken Open men's tennis tournament, is the latest company to use Ambient Advertising, after fast-food company KFC and the people behind the Hollywood movie Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg. The stencils, on Ponsonby and Jervois Rds were reported to the council by a member of the public. DB was given 24 hours to wash them off. Now two council campaigns are in the firing line, with Banks acknowledging the organisation could be accused of hypocrisy. One message is sprayed outside bars reminding patrons not to drink and drive and the other promotes pedestrian safety. "It was always going to be a silly idea and everyone knew it would lead to this situation," said Banks. "I don't think that the council can have rules for itself and other sets of rules for other individuals." While he thought the intention was good, Banks said "every man and his dog" would soon be spraying their ads all over the footpaths. Although the fine for breaching the council bylaw is just $100 plus the cost of the clean-up, Banks said he didn't want to get heavy-handed yet. Council street amenity services manager Kevin Marriot defended the council campaigns, saying they were a short-term, non-profit bid to promote safe behaviour and a good use of ratepayers' money. However, he confirmed that the council turned down all of the many external applications it received for footpath advertising. Ambient Advertising director Chris Monaghan said about 30 ads for the Heineken Open were washed off this week, although his company tried to negotiate an extension to the council's 24-hour deadline. Monaghan said such campaigns were cost-effective, short-term and among an array of "guerilla" advertising techniques. "It gets to street level and has that cool, sexy factor. I guess we're going to see this sort of media pop up again and again." Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Simon Payne said the council was harsh to order the removal of the tennis stencils because it was one of Auckland's top summer events. However, he thought the KFC and Max Payne ads were "blatant advertising and visual pollution." Research suggests the average American is exposed to up to 3000 ads a day. Reverse graffiti From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007) A window under a construction site featuring reverse graffiti A car featuring reverse graffiti Reverse graffiti also known as clean tagging, dust tagging or grime writing, is a method of creating graffiti on walls or other surfaces by removing dirt from a surface. It is usually done by removing dirt/dust with the fingertip(s) from windows or other dirty surfaces. Reverse graffiti on windows/glass can be highly visible due to the reflection of sunlight. Due to the lack of paint it is often considered legal and used for Advertising,with companies such as Microsoft and Smirnoff, have had their products advertised this way. [1] In this context, marketers use the term 'streetbranding'. The UK pressure group Keep Britain Tidy opposes reverse graffiti.[citation needed]. In 2005 Reverse graffiti appeared on the Wills Memorial Building, Bristol; in order to remove the graffiti the whole building had to be cleaned at a cost of �750,000[2]. [edit] Methods and artists Reverse graffiti can be created by using many different methods, the most well known and probably the most common form would be words or simple drawing written into the dirt of cars that have not been kept clean. A more advanced and difficult method is done by cleaning the graffiti onto dirt in the street, this dirt is difficult to clean off and the graffiti is often created by scrubbing, aided with the help of a detergent. Madmedia Limited were the first media agency in the world to commercialise reverse graffiti under the tag reface not deface and have executed campaigns of this kind for many blue chip brands and charities across Europe. Street Advertising Services are one of the most experienced providers of Reverse Graffiti in Europe, they have carried out campaigns for Puma, ING Bank, Sony and even a Police Force in the UK. Springwise.com October 24, 2007 Guerrilla marketing techniques have been around for years, but they've also acquired a bad rep for sometimes defacing public property; city officials tend not to look too kindly on adverts scrawled in spray paint on city pavement, for example. Now Street Advertising Services is offering a less antagonizing-and more legal-solution by creating images out of water. The British company's Street Art service uses high-pressure cleaning machines to wash brands, logos and adverts onto dirty pavements. First, clients provide their design, and SAS turns it into a giant stencil. Then, working at night, the SAS team blasts the stencil with water and steam on dirty walls, roads, pavements or even road signs. The result is a sparkling clean image in the shape of the company's logo or message. Nothing but water and steam are used, and it's all perfectly environmentally friendly and legal, SAS stresses. Pricing for a street art campaign with 15 to 20 adverts throughout a city begins at GBP 1,000 per city plus initial setup costs. Clients so far have ranged from newly opened businesses to global brands. The idea for the service, which launched last year, came to founder Kristian Jeffrey out of sheer frustration. Jeffrey explains: "I run several small online businesses, and was searching for cost-effective advertising to attract consumers to my sites. My potential customers were walking around me every day, and it was when I was walking through the dirty streets of London that the idea came to me: why not take advertising literally to the street? Having experimented with several different methods, we wanted to apply a technique that was not just eye-catching and effective but also friendly to the environment. What could be more natural than water?" SAS has operated primarily in the UK so far, but it's open to projects anywhere in the world (as long as there's dirty pavement!). The company is also keen to explore reciprocal arrangements with other entrepreneurial enterprises, Jeffrey says. One to get in on while it's still early? So much dirty pavement, so little time.... Website: www.streetadvertisingservices.com Contact: mail@streetadvertisingservices.com Crisis to roll out graffiti marketing campaign by Alex Donohue Brand Republic 16-Jan-08, 13:55 LONDON - Homeless charity Crisis is using graffiti messages in London in a campaign devised by WWAV Rapp Collins to highlight the plight of the 'hidden homeless' living in temporary housing. Crisis said the messages, which it dubbed reverse graffiti, "clean up" a dirty section of wall with words that form the image of a huddled homeless person. The copy reads "Most homeless people have moved on but their problems haven't gone away" and includes the Crisis website address. Fifteen outdoor locations around London have been marked with the image. Crisis said that despite fewer people now living on the streets, there was still a sizeable hidden homeless population of thousands "living invisible lives" in hostels and other temporary accommodation. The charity said the campaign would aim to help people find a route out of homelessness and rebuild their lives by finding them affordable housing, training and grants to begin a career. The campaign is the latest WWAV Rapp Collins London has done for Crisis, and follows the agency's national press inserts work and digital marketing through MySpace, Facebook and the charity's See The Potential microsite. Andrew Page, director of fundraising at Crisis, said: "This campaign seeks to highlight that, while there are less visible signs of homelessness, the problem remains a major one and it's imperative we get public backing that will allow us to continue to offer the help and support that can literally lead to many men and women rebuilding their lives." � 03 June 2002 Financial Times: Creative Business Is it street art - or plain graffiti? Brand-building is a tricky business, and with many audiences feeling increasingly alienated by traditional forms of mass communication, the temptation to turn to more ambient means of connecting with them is strong. As a result, recent years have seen a dramatic increase in so-called guerrilla marketing - a broad term which includes any kind of promotional activity which is remotely subversive, unorthodox or even technically illegal. Examples range from a fake funeral procession through central London to staged murder scenes, complete with police tape. However, the vast bulk of guerrilla marketing activity comprises a combination of flyposting, stickering and marketing-related graffiti. For many years, this type of guerrilla marketing has been seen as the sole providence of dodgy businessmen, obscure record stores and independent nightclubs. But the times they are a-changing. Now accepted as an important element in the brand-building toolkit, guerrilla marketing has been rapidly adopted by mainstream brands such as Diesel, Microsoft, BMW and Royal & Sun Alliance. Brand-building is partly about connecting with customers and partly about awareness-raising. But while guerrilla marketing provides a cheap means of achieving the latter, it is perhaps better understood in terms of connecting with consumers. As guerrilla marketing agent Simon Henderson says: "Major corporations have latched on to this form of marketing, but not only for cost reasons. Guerrilla marketing also provides products with a much sought-after 'cool' or 'street' image." The Observer, for example, often flags up new supplements or free offers using fly poster campaigns - something it's difficult to imagine The Sunday Telegraph doing. Trevor Robinson, MD of ad agency Quiet Storm, which works with a number of youth brands, says that some younger audiences can feel that conventional poster advertising talks down to them: "Almost by definition, billboard advertising is seen as a 'corporate' medium." By contrast, he says, flypostering and stickering have a very different feel, and can involve certain groups of consumers by adapting to their environment. Henderson goes further, arguing that guerrilla marketing is best seen as a commercial extension of graffiti art. "For years, graffiti artists have made use of unused inner-city spaces. Moving in the same circles were independent record labels, night clubs and clothing labels - it was a natural progression that these businesses would start capitalising on these public spaces as well." Next came mobile phones, computer games and, well, just about anything with an urban youthful slant on it. However, while guerrilla marketing may be successful, it is controversial. Many metropolitan councils struggle with stickers and posters which they deem to be breaking the law. Camden Council spends over �100,000 a year removing marketing materials and often prosecutes those responsible. Westminster Council takes a similar line, and last year formed a special anti-graffiti and flyposting unit to counter what it describes as "an explosion in street advertising". Wayne Stephenson, head of the unit, says that "while guerrilla marketing may count as ambient media in the eyes of its beneficiaries, the overall effect of a build-up of stickers and posters can be one of neglect and disrepair". He also points to a strong perceptual link between a tidy environment and a crime-free one. However, Royal & Sun Alliance thinks it may have a solution, as demonstrated with its "Where's Lucky?" campaign which launched its "More Th>an" insurance brand last year. "We take social responsibility very seriously," says Jon Sellors, PR manager for the brand. "We had removed all the posters within days of the brand's unveilling." But Royal & Sun's approach still caused a few raised eyebrows in council offices. Says Kenny Wilks, head of Camden's environmental services: "It's very frustrating when pillar businesses of society become involved in this, even when they know it is an illegal activity." Illegal it may be, but a debate is clearly hotting up about the best way forward for all parties. Despite the controversy about the existing rules; about which sites are suitable for flyposting and which should be off-limits; and whether the law is liberalised or not, one thing seems clear. In the struggle to keep brands relevant to young consumers, guerrilla marketing is here to stay. Article from BBC.co.uk Eyes down for 'vandaltising' NB. Other brands of g-string are available By Ryan Dilley BBC News Online When walking city streets you can at least escape the barrage of poster ads and corporate logos by looking at the pavement, right? Well, not anymore. "1939 Returning" is the ominous warning scrawled in spray paint on walls across London. Fortunately, the graffiti reference to 1939 - not a good year for many people - is not a neo-Nazi threat, but a bit of "guerrilla advertising" for a rock band, The Crocketts. 1939... still here Though the band's single came and went in late 2000, some of the graffiti has stubbornly survived so as to still annoy, confuse or menace passers-by. Record labels eager to court rebellious youth are not the only ones branching out from more traditional methods of street advertising - some major companies are now dabbling in "vandaltising", and giving it a new twist. Graffiting walls is old hat it seems, so vandaltisers are instead daubing the very pavements on which we walk. In the US last year, computer giant IBM used "biodegradable chalk" to leave mysterious symbols on the streets of New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. Think different, IBM IBM then launched a poster campaign letting city dwellers know that the strange drawings were part of its attempt to promote a new PC. The stunt backfired when street cleaners in San Francisco said the chalk "tags" were far from biodegradable and in fact took 200 hours to scrub off the paving slabs. One man was arrested in Chicago for drawing the IBM logos and the corporation eventually coughed up more than �100,000 to placate enraged city officials across the US. Lingerie firm Gossard has now launched a similar exercise in "guerrilla marketing" in the UK - stencilling adverts for a new line of knickers outside radio stations, newspaper offices and publishing houses in London. "They're done in completely washable chalk, we've been very careful about that," says Camilla Foster of marketing firm Yellow Door, who masterminded the campaign. "Upsetting the authorities with graffiti might give you publicity, but not of the best type. The rain will wash away our chalk. "People are swamped with billboards. This was a more subtle way of introducing the brand. And a lot cheaper. Firms which once feared getting into trouble, now find guerrilla tactics more acceptable." Urban blight Andrew Pelling, who chairs the graffiti committee of the London Assembly, is unimpressed by Gossard's tactics - fearing they won't help his effort to cut London's 100m annual graffiti clean-up bill. "Though using chalk may be environmentally less damaging than spray paint, it's still not very helpful that a company should encourage the idea of defacing street furniture," he says. It washes off, honest Indeed, a recent London Assembly report on graffiti said companies "must conduct their advertising campaigns responsibly considering the wider environmental and social implications" and went on to recommend that the authorities "exert pressure on businesses on behalf of Londoners to observe these responsibilities". While Mr Pelling is not pleased with companies which graffiti - even by showing it in TV commercials or borrowing graffiti-type logos for posters - he reserves a special distaste for advertisers who pick up spray cans themselves. "We often complain that young graffiti writers don't know the costs involved in clearing up after them, but companies should understand that expense," he says. High risk Veteran advertising executive Graham Singleton says he is "amazed" large firms with huge marketing budgets would risk using such guerrilla techniques. "It can backfire. Most responsible firms wouldn't do it, but for some small companies trying to break onto the scene with a rebellious, fresh image it can pay back in spades. A recent report by a UK marketing firm caused consternation by advising leading manufacturers to make their products more appealing to young people by giving them "criminal kudos" - partly through guerrilla marketing. Own goal for Derby "That can work as long as it fits the image of the company," says Mr Singleton. "If you're marketing to groups such as the over-60s graffiti would only turn your audience off." Though seemingly "outlawish", UK advertisers using graffiti may not actually end up in trouble with the authorities. The London Assembly grimly admitted in May it is the "generally held opinion that the courts and law enforcement agencies do not regard graffiti as a serious offence". Indeed, some councils are not above a little vandaltising themselves. Derby city officials fighting illegal graffiti were left red-faced last month after an entertainment venue they run spray-painted ads on local pavements. However, Roger Edwards, the Assembly Rooms general manager responsible for the ads was unrepentant. "It is a little bit of the guerrilla marketing to catch people's attention. To some degree it is graffiti, but it is done very stylishly." Stylish or not, council workers were set to work scrubbing the streets clean 5 Highly Effective Advertising Ideas For Small businesses By Kristian Jeffrey If you own a Small Business or want to start up a new business understanding advertising will be critical to your success. When I set up my own first business back in 1999, I didn't have a clue about advertising and marketing. Back then the biggest and first point of call for a start up business was the yellow pages directory followed by classified adverts in local papers. Over ten years on, the opportunities to advertise cheaply have grown a hundred fold. More importantly the opportunities for small businesses to advertise effectively have also increased significantly. In this article I am going to point out the basics of what you need to know about advertising and which methods are effective for small businesses. When I talk about a small business, I could be referring to a one man Window Cleaner or an I.T Reseller. It doesn't matter what line of business you are in, the principles of advertising are still the same and my points and ideas are relevant to everyone. By the way, this article is written from a neutral point of view. I run two advertising companies and both are mentioned in this article along with others who I don't have a vested interest in but I do have experience of using their products. If I recommend a product or media it's because it's worked for me and my companies and not because I'm being paid to mention it. What is Effective Advertising? Effective Advertising is a tool to increase your sales AND profits. If the advertising you are currently using does not increase your sales and profits, STOP using it immediately! 'But it increases brand awareness' and 'my competitors all advertise in this way', are two rubbish excuses for wasting money on advertising that does not work. Don't be lazy, don't burn money by using ineffective advertising. So how do you know if the advertising is effective? Firstly measure the results and secondly when you begin to trial a new way of advertising always commit for the minimum amount of time possible. Do not be swayed by Advertising Executives trying to convince you to commit to longer for a discount. Trial first and then commit if it increases your sales and profits. Points to memorise before advertising: Can I measure the results from this campaign? (If you can't do not advertise) Does my Advert have a really strong call to action? ( Free offer, Discount or Guarantee's are strong calls to action) Can I trial the advertising media or product first? How many sales do I need to make to make a profit from this advertising? (Is the answer realistic) OK, that's enough preaching, lets present the ideas to you: Highly Effective Advertising Ideas for Small Businesses: Learn from the Experts Advertising is the same as any industry, if you want to learn about it and become an expert in it (Anything that costs you money but also has the potential to make you lots of money in, you should learn to be an expert!), then learn from the experts. My advice is go and order a copy of 'Your Marketing Sucks' by Mark Stevens from Amazon. Mark's book will tell you everything you need to know about advertising before you start to spend money. The second piece of advice is check out cardellmedia on Google. The site is run by a small business expert called Chris Cardell. He is a no nonsense business growth expert. He runs a number of courses and publications about advertising and marketing for small businesses. Listen to what he has to say, he is trying to help you. Google Adwords If you only take one piece of advice from this article then make sure it's this: Open a Google Adwords Account and start a Pay Per Click Campaign. You may have heard about PPC or Pay Per Click campaigns. When people mention them they are normally talking about running a Google Campaign. As Google run 90% of Search requests on the internet then you must advertise with them. You create a campaign where if someone enters a keyword or key phrase into Google, when they hit enter, your company advert comes up on the screen. Google Adwords is an essential piece of marketing and advertising for any small business no matter how small their business is. It's highly effective, cost effective and measurable, in short, excellent. SEO SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a highly cost effective way of advertising, in fact it's free. SEO is a way of creating content for your website that makes your website easily found by the people looking for it. It sounds complex and there are lots of companies who make money from trying to optimise your website. BEWARE, most of these companies are either shysters or they are charging you for something you can do yourself. Go and buy 'Search Engine Optimization- an hour a day' by Jennifer Grappone. She will advise you and teach you the knowledge required to create a very effective website. Remember- The better your website is working, the less money you will need to spend trying to attract people to it. Be Outrageous, Be Yourself Muhammed Ali said that. What I think he meant was do not follow the crowd and be the same as everyone else, if you do, then your message will be lost completely along with everyone elses. You spend money on advertising to stand out from the crowd so don't be boring! Use wild and Creative ways of getting people's attention: StreetAdvertisingServices are a UK based Company who create innovative and unique outdoor advertising campaigns. Everything from advertising on dirty pavements using water to 3d chalk advertising are all methods they offer to clients to help increase their sales and profits. Facebook One of my clients is a dentist. When he first came to see me, his business was struggling and the only customers he could find were NHS patients. He, like most small businesses wanted to increase his sales and profits. I advised him to advertise on Facebook. Within three months he had to start turning customers away and his profits have increased by 600%! Create a Facebook page for your business and then create an advertising campaign. It's cheaper than Google but also very effective for local businesses.