Advertising Is Good For You

Traffic-building Christian-style Part III

See other interesting church signs here  and here.

Sources: hexod.us, flamk, marlana, Alanna@VanIsle  and jon rubin

Building Consumer Traffic Christian Style, Part II

Click here to see Building Consumer Traffic Christian Style, Part I

Building consumer traffic Christian style

See 27 more church signs.

Incredible art show poster

Created by Design Commission, Seattle
 

Source: Swiss Miss

Great poster advertising Halloween Party/fundraiser

Source: Boston Scholars

If this wasn't a direct response mailing, it should have been.

This was a direct mailing created for Raid by FCB, Johannesburg. Each mailing included an official-looking eviction notice addressed to a common household pest: ants, cockroaches, spiders and mosquitoes. The business-size envelope in the photo is there just for scale.

I hope this mailing also included some sort of coupon or reply card. Because direct mail is too expensive to be used for branding purposes alone.

That's why most direct mail is also direct response advertising; that is, it includes a measurable call to action that results in direct sales, increased traffic, sales leads or valuable information for a marketer's database. The call to action typically involves a dedicated toll-free number or dedicated landing page, coupon or business reply card.

Source: ads of the world

 

Free Iced Coffee at Dunkin' Donuts Today

All day today, until midnight, Dunkin' Donuts all over the U.S. will be giving away free 16-oz. cups of their "premium iced coffee."

Of course Dunkin' Donuts had to add the legal weasel: Available only at participating stores.

Who are the cheap franchisees who never want to participate in product giveaways? They must be that ilk of businessperson who basically dislikes people and thinks all his/her customers are out to cheat him/her.

Source: Consumerist

World Usability Day: It sounds too much like a joke.

These ads are promoting World Usability Day...
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I initially loved these ads.

But as I began composing this post, I started listening to the nagging voice inside my head -- the one that kept saying an internationally recognized day that "promotes usability" sounds like the basis of a Christopher Guest movie. 

I've come to think these ads oversimplify the idea behind World Usability Day to the point that one wonders why there's a day devoted to making the obviously correct choice.

Source: Ad Punch

Jack in the Box is Giving Away Free Snowmen With Frozen Treats

If fast food companies give anything away for free, it's usually kid's meal toys or free food. So you have to be impressed with Jack in the Box's ingenuity this holiday season: to celebrate the holidays and promote its Pumpkin Pie Shake and Egg Nog Shake, Jack in the Box is giving away a snowman antenna ball free with purchase.

This promotion should do very nicely for Jack in the Box -- provided consumers don't look for the nutritional facts on the shakes. Here they are, courtesy of Fast Food News:

Yikes!

McDonald's is Going More Upscale

When my stepchildren were little, McDonald's Playland was a lifesaver. If we were away from home and the kids needed to burn off some little-kid energy, we could always find a McDonald's where, for the price of a round of soft drinks, the kids could go nuts on the play gym while my husband and I relaxed on a bench watching.

McDonald's Playland was a brilliant marketing strategy for attracting baby boomers and their kids.

McDonald's is now adding more grown-up amenities.

According to ABC News, all 13,000 McDonald's restaurants in the US will be redone and refined. By the end of this calendar year alone, half of all McDonald's will include plasma-screen TVs, soft couches, coffee tables and wireless Internet access. There are even plans for mood lighting and fireplaces.

Add the renovations to the recent menu additions of salads and fruit, and it's clear McDonald's is now targeting adults.

Considering shifting demographics and the trend toward healthier eating (or at least creating that perception), I think McDonald's is once again being very smart.

By the way, have you noticed a change in Ronald McDonald?

If Ronald McDonald looks leaner and more athletic to you these days, it's not your imagination. McDonald's  has recently slimmed down its spokesclown.