Archive for May 28, 2009
MIT’s Futuristic Bus Stop Design Makes Digital Out-of-Home Drool
Those whom know me well out there know quite well how much of a sucker for technology I am and like to think as a futurist in many things including media. This is a site based on OOH and DOOH, but when a glimpse into the future comes along (whether it be a concept or not); it is very exciting.
It wasn’t long ago (last week actually), when I was discussing and suggesting similar technologies and visions with a certain someone working on a very relevant / similar environment. He is also a futurist in my eyes, and dubbes himself a geek at times (probably why we got along right off the bat). He shared the vision I had, but being more experienced than I, stated that the concept I suggested was too expensive to execute. Ah.. budgets.. But it always great to get confirmation that you are conceptualizing the right way, and by MIT, no less.
And well: Here it is! A vision of a DOOH future! A bus stop with projection, network, and interactive capabilities! The mother of all public transportation stops with perfect information distribution capabilities. Public transportation is likely to be around in the future, and as are the “eyes” outside the home, so this all bodes well for this particular environment. Special thanks to @saaze & @JohnRyanGlobal for bringing this to my attention! For further details on the project, go here: EyeStop. Enough talk; pictures speak a million words.
Just OOH Does the Hamptons: The Axe Lounge
The summer is upon us, and Memorial weekend tends to kick start the season for many of us. I was fortunate enough to be out in the Eastern Long Island region that is the oh so fancy Hamptons last weekend.
The place I was staying at was a 10 minute drive to what the Hamptons veterans call “Dune;” one of the more well-known and visited night clubs in South Hampton. I actually first heard of this campaign from my father, who is 70, and then from some of my friends, so the word was already out on Axe’s sponsorship of the club for the summer. Word of mouth.
Then a friend of mine and I went there last Saturday night, as it is one of our usual “pit stops.” When we parked the car; the ticket had “Axe” on it, as soon as we walked up the stairs, an entire wall by the entry was branded “Axe,” and the DJ booth, which was actually difficult to see with the crowd surrounding it, was also indeed branded “Axe.” Altogether, hard to miss; and simple Out-of-Home media tactics.
Then we ran into a very old friend of ours Mike Heller. He’s the CEO of Talent Resources, and a veteran in the “scene.” You want Paris or Lindsey to show up to your event, I suppose he is your man. He didn’t mention anything about he’s involvement in this particular campaign, just that he had to be there because he brought someone famous (I forget who now, because of adult beverage reasons & celebrity appearance/media?); we actually all left after a few minutes to go to another place. But as I found out today from Axe Body Products Puts Its Brand on the Hamptons Club Scene, he was the mind behind it. In this NY Times article, a business strategy consultant states that the audience is not right for the Axe brand, but I beg to differ. The place was crowded with youngsters to the point that we (Very early 30s) felt somewhat old. I also know exactly who Axe targets, as I worked on a Monster RFP for them just last year, and the targeting and environment seemed to perfectly fit the bill in terms of what Axe is seeking.
Anyway, kudos to an old friend (who I sent a what the hell? email to today:) ) for what will seem to be a great campaign with a mix of Out-of-Home, event, and celebrity marketing; and you simply got to write a post when an old friend makes it on the New York Times.
