No Quarter Pounder

(images via: Neil Duckett and InventorSpot)

McDonald’s is one of the world’s most recognized brands, yet this enviable position isn’t completely to the liking of the powers at McD Japan. How else to explain the opening of two Quarter Pounder stores in Tokyo? Decked out in upscale black & red decor and without a clown in sight, customers wondering what the “big secret” was were offered a mere two menu choices: a Quarter Pounder or a Double Quarter Pounder, both with cheese. Even the packaging is as generic as possible.

(image via: Core77)

So, just who’s fooling who here? Who smiles inwardly, McDonald’s execs or Quarter Pounder customers? It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.

No Brand, No Problem

(image via: PopSop)

Is anti-branding subversive? Yes and yes – product pushers are, in effect, trying to put one over on consumers who, by buying no-brand items, think they’re doing their part in a wider campaign that embraces an anti-corporate methodology. Everybody’s happy and in the end, more product gets sold. Customers may even find themselves attracted to a product that instead of trying to lure them into buying, does just the opposite – like the prototype anti-brand cigarette boxes above, designed by Pentagram as a response to possible plain black-and-white cigarette packs that may soon me mandated by the federal government.

(images via: We Made This and Alistair Hall)

Pentagram’s designs add Goth appeal while (mainly) staying within the proposed guidelines. The set above distills the text and graphic ad copy down to a bare minimum yet even these packs will likely do little to dissuade smokers from lighting up.

P.B.R.: Busch League No Longer

(images via: Mastergrape and Adlicious)

Pabst Blue Ribbon… the King Of Beers, it ain’t. With sales down 90 percent since 1975 it was a dying breed – rumors began to spread that Pabst was about to kick the beer bucket. Brand image? It barely had one as marketing budgets were scraping the bottom of the barrel. In short, Pabst was a sitting duck for unorganized hipster hijackers who saw the brand’s negatives as positives. The underdog low-brow brew took on a new life as “P.B.R.” and sales rose faster than foam on draft poured into a dirty mug. Pabst, the subversive beer with no brand… which is ironic in a way, as Pabst no longer brews its own beer. It’s all sourced from Miller.

No Logo Too Low

(images via: TAGG.org and McSpotlight)

Naomi Klein’s 2000 best-seller No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies was arguably the first stab at distilling the essence of anti-branding and its roots in modern corporate/consumer culture. With sections titled No Space, No Choice, No Jobs and finally No Logo, the book explores themes ranging from the birth of the anti-globalization movement to the phenomenon of McJobs. Klein’s exploration of consumerism’s soft underbelly has been trumpeted by some and trashed by others, the latter most memorably by Warren Ellis who, as Doktor Sleepless, stated “Even No Logo had a fucking logo on it”.

No Hijack Too High

(images via: LangLang, Kinokuniya and AUCTION/Korea)

Following up on No Logo several years later in 2005 was Brand Hijack: Marketing Without Marketing by Alex Wipperfürth. Brand Hijack cleaves more closely to the traditional business guru tome while proposing a most un-traditional strategy for marketers: “Let go of the fallacy that your brand belongs to you. It belongs to the market.” At the same time, Wipperfürth addresses control issues that give corporate execs and product planners night chills by reminding us all that, as he puts it, “consumers fine-tune products, not create them.”

The Bucks Stops Here

(images via: JoshC and BeerBeer)

Looking for a cuppa java but put off by those cookie cutter coffee kiosks foisting faux ambiance at a premium price? You betcha! Turning up your nose at yet another Starbucks, you decide to try the neighborly named 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. Sorry, you’ve been fooled again. Meet the new haus, same as the old haus… with one noteworthy exception: 15th Avenue stores will sell beer and wine along with selected Starbucks coffees and teas.

“No Brand, Good Product”

(images via: Ecolect and 7inch)

McDonald’s and Starbucks have dallied with unbranding but everyone gets the joke – and many are not amused. Perhaps the purest way to go no logo is to start off that way, and let the products speak for themselves without crafting a brand image. It works; Muji has established itself as a good quality, great value retailer without the use of overt branding. If you’re wondering what “Muji” means, it’s short for Mujirushi Ryohin which translates to “no brand, good product.”

(image via: Useful and Agreeable)

True, Muji’s products share a certain basic, simplistic style that extends from the smallest kitchen utensils to actual houses and cars, but everything is subsumed in a common, form-follows-function design ethos. Muji has expanded from its Japanese base by opening stores in Europe and the USA, proving an appealing concept knows no boundaries.

Blackspot, The Anti-Brand Brand

(image via: The Discerning Brute)

The Classic Blackspot Sneaker and v2.0: The Unswoosher shoes make a statement with sole. Conceived by anti-branding bible Adbusters, Blackspot is a brand that seeks to beat corporate bully-boy Nike at their own game; by playing fair. No outsourcing, no sweatshop labor, no environmentally unfriendly manufacturing is what Blackspot preaches and practices.

(images via: Bizzia and CultCase)

Sez Adbusters, “the Blackspot, from it’s red toe-tip and hand-drawn anti-logo to its renegade billboards and TV ads, is designed to do only one thing: kick megacorporate ass. We’re going to cut into Nike’s market share, unswoosh that tired old swoosh and give birth to a new kind of cool in the sneaker industry.”

Unbranding For Dummies

(image via: Keri Smith)

Well, that’s a little harsh – how about Unbranding @ Home, though the “For Dummies” was in reference to anyone being able to unbrand on their own no matter how brand-washed they might be. Keri Smith is a champion of DIY unbranding and she takes the concept to where we live. Why be blasted by Kelloggs hype every morning when one of Smith’s home-made cereal box skins can educate, illuminate and uplift your life just as your day is beginning? Even a pack of gum can serve an alternate purpose… as a subway map.

The Unbranded Home

(images via: Trendhunter and Apartment Therapy)

Modern society offers few refuges from the constant drone of branded advertising – even our homes aren’t safe… or are they? One way to rid personal living space of brand clutter is to use generic home products displayed in plain containers with de-branded labels, and at least one company, DeBranded Home Labels, offers an easy way to do just that. Sure it’s a pain to transfer liquid soap and so on from branded to non-branded bottles; the solution is to buy bulk generics and fill up the smaller containers as needed. Bonus: DeBranded Home Labels don’t even have “Debranded Home Labels” logos on their stickers.

Though recession economics have forced many to cut back on big buck brands in favor of generic, unbranded alternatives, the power of The Brand was arguably into a slump of its own. Is society wising up to Madison Avenue manipulation or are we just making better individual lifestyle choices? You decide.

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You’re crammed into a tiny space with several other people, spending an average of thirty seconds staring at either the floor or the wall. That’s what makes elevator advertisements and art so brilliant – people have little choice but to look. Marketers and artists have taken advantage of this very captive audience in some brilliant ways, from creating optical illusions with stickers to transforming the space into an apartment or even a disco club.

Elevator Skydive

(image via: Cool Hunter)

Anyone who’s afraid of heights might think twice about riding in this elevator, which seems to reveal a shocking view of a city far below the riders’ feet. But this is no glass elevator located at a dizzying distance above the ground – it’s just a large sticker affixed to the floor. The ad was created for a Swiss skydiving school, giving people a taste of what you experience when leaping from an airplane.

Disco Elevator

(image via: YouTube)

A girl waiting for an elevator got quite a surprise when the door opened to reveal a lively miniature disco club, complete with afros, polyester suits and a shimmering, spinning disco ball. It’s all the work of prankster Rémi Gaillard, who has been called “the French equivalent to Johnny Knoxville.”

Cleverly Painted Elevator Floor Illusion

(image via: Oddee)

Would you even step foot into this elevator if it appeared to have no floor, especially considering that a sign at the entrance cautions users that the elevator is still under construction? If you were brave enough to walk inside you’d find that it’s actually a cleverly designed paint job that gives the illusion of a bottomless elevator shaft underfoot.

Elevator Ad Shows Man’s Insides

(image via: AdvertNews)

Another form of elevator advertising uses an image displayed on the outer doors that reveals something new when the doors are opened, as in this example where a man’s chest is opened to reveal his insides. This ad was made for the Body Worlds 2 Exhibit, a traveling exhibition of preserved human bodies and body parts.

Living Life in a Lift for One Day

(image via: Dornob)

Could you live in a space this small? A Dutch art student transformed an elevator into a living space complete with table, coffee maker, lights, books, shelves and a clock. She spent an entire day there, eating, relaxing, reading and working. Anyone who called for the elevator throughout the day was surprised to find the cozy ‘apartment’ and its nonchalant occupant.

Wake Up!

(image via: Advertolog)

Design firm Ogilvy Beijing of China created this ad for Maxwell House as a ’shot of adrenaline’ – when the doors opened, sleepy people in an office building were shocked awake, providing an effect that the designers figured mimics the effects of drinking a cup of coffee. The ad reportedly caused a commotion on the morning of its launch as surprised office workers crowded the lobby. It drew a crowd from people in neighboring buildings for the next week.

Oreo Elevator

(image via: Ads of the World)

Oreo has branded itself as ‘milk’s favorite cookie’, and this ad plays up that tagline to a T, pairing a sticker of a glass on the outside of a glass elevator enclosure with a cookie sticker on the elevator itself. Watching one of the sugary confections slowly descend into a gigantic glass of milk as the elevator reached the ground undoubtedly had onlookers salivating.

Can’t Fit Through the Door? Time to Hit the Gym.

(image via: Starling Fitness)

It’s a nightmare scenario for anyone who’s self-conscious about their weight: a door that’s too small to fit through. The Fitness Company, based in Germany, created this ad in the hopes that it would nudge people into joining their gyms to get slimmer.

Gold’s Gym Bodybuilder Elevator Ad

(image via: Ads of the World)

If gyms are successful at goading people into getting fit, eventually they’ll be strong enough to pry open elevator doors with nothing but the amazingly powerful muscles in their arms. At least, that’s what this ad by Gold’s Gym seems to promise with its leathery, barrel-thighed bodybuilder.

Art Installation in an Elevator Shaft

(image via: John Davis Gallery)

Painted paper lanterns by artist Yura Adams are perfectly displayed in an empty elevator shaft in this art installation at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson, New York.

Elevator as Aquarium

(image via: Ads of the World)

Jelly Tots Sweets made elevator rides a lot more fun for kids and adults alike with this ‘experiential elevator’ ad, which transformed the entire elevator into an aquarium – including the outside doors.

A Trippy Elevator to Your Dreams

(image via: Cool Design Ideas)

next floor from dotdotdot on Vimeo.

Elevators are just a quick way to get from point A to point B, which are usually just a few floors apart. An art installation at the Design/Art Fair in Verona, Italy challenged that notion, transforming the elevator into the mode of transport for an interactive dream journey, going from one fantastical world to the next.

Going Down? You’ll Have to Share Her Bed

(images via: SSW)

Do you want to skip the stairs badly enough to invade a girl’s privacy by stepping or sitting on her bed while she sleeps? This installation by Ruth Pringle forced users to make that decision, placing a double bed in an elevator along with bedding and a girl in pajamas. The project aimed to remind people of voyeurism, vulnerability and “the power within everyone to harm others”.

Random Lift Button

(image via: Guerrilla Innovation)

Sometimes, you’ve just got to give in to chaos and randomness. That’s the idea behind the ‘random lift button’, installed by artist Chris Speed in two elevators in Portland Square at the University of Plymouth in England. When you press the button, you end up on a random floor where you can meet people and experience things that you wouldn’t otherwise have experienced had you skipped that floor and simply gone to your original destination.

Interactive Displays at Ars Electronica

(image via: Muonics)

The Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria is a center for electronic arts often referred to as the ‘Museum of the Future’. Fascinating technology is incorporated into every aspect of the building, including the elevators, where screens on the floor and/or walls provide an interactive experience. The floor screen simulates a virtual space underneath the elevator inhabited by ’sonic particles’ that multiply as the elevator rises. The wall screen shows the progression of evolution moving forward as the elevator rises and backward as it goes down.

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The Case Of The Traveling Speedcuber

(images via: Oobject, Aquadreams and Speedcuber)

This custom case holds everything a dedicated speedcuber needs when heading out to yet another speedcubing competition: assorted Rubik’s Cubes, cube maintenance tools, spare parts and that all-important can of lubricant. The case pictured above belongs to a Swedish speedcuber who was given the case by his wife’s brother. In related news, a Swedish speedcuber has a wife.

Enjoy Your Fright

(images via: Dornob)

Call it the Anti-Suitcase, and don’t expect to find any one of them at your local Samsonite dealer anytime soon. If anything, these artistic suitcases available for custom order by a French self-described “hippie girl” named PinkWolf may be the ideal choice for those who are afraid of flying – and won’t mind being yanked out of the boarding line by a pair of husky TSA agents.

Hey Meatbag!

(images via: Design Usability)

Bender’s disdainful term for humans must have struck a chord in somebody who actually created meatbags… and a cheese purse for good measure. No one will care what you’ve got stashed away inside, as they’ll be too distracted by the outside. Who needs stealth when you’ve got a bacon briefcase?

A Movable Feast

(images via: Slanted)

Prefer your meat on the INSIDE of your briefcase? We’ve got you covered… at least, the Wurstkoffer does. This neatly packed sampler of sausages, smoked hocks and other assorted fleisch will keep you from going hungry as you traverse the concrete jungle. The Wurstkoffer may be a mini meat locker of sorts but it doesn’t appear to be refrigerated – if you lose track of it on the subway at least you’ll have no problem finding it at the Lost & Found.

Looking For A Grill Like You

(images via: Better Health Cookware)

Those who live for the grills of summer make sure the meat’s on the heat and the tools are close at hand – in their own cool carrying case. Chefmaster makes a number of traveling barbeque sets packed in a dedicated case. If it makes you look like something out of MIB, so be it – each case carries enough tools to roast a steer or deliver an alien birth.

A Case Of Race

(images via: Autoblog and Pro-Idee)

Briefcase full of blues? Not this one – just the opposite in fact because inside this serious-looking aluminum case is a 6ft long go-kart track, two cars and a pair of wheel-shaped controllers. If George Costanza knew about this he’d have gone to a lot more job interviews. This autobahn-to-go comes from Pro-Idee of Germany, who are now officially forgiven for the Wurstkoffer.

Take The Train

(images via: The Letter and Paul Smith)

Imagine you’re at a boring meeting where everyone including yourself are desperately stifling yawns. Suddenly you whip out your snazzy aluminum briefcase, fling open the lid and… the miniature locomotive inside begins chugging around a landscaped track! That’s exactly what UK businessman Paul Smith used to do when the situation demanded and instead of being offended, his Japanese clients were pleasantly surprised and impressed with Smith’s “personality”. Today Smith offers the Blumenau model train set and all-aluminum Railbag case for just £1,000.00 at his website. Making first impressions doesn’t come cheap, it would seem.

The Ultimate Porta-Potty

(images via: InventorSpot, Rodd Miller)

Working a crappy job and taking your work home with you? You’ll need one of these amazing toilet cases then. The first is a design concept that doesn’t leave out any of the bells and whistles – it may even HAVE bells and whistles.

(images via: Ferno)

The PETT Dry Toilet proves that the concept of a toilet in a case isn’t just a scatological fantasy. To hikers and wilderness trekkers, “waste disposal” is a serious issue and fully-stocked bathrooms just don’t drop from the sky like in those TENA commercials.

Man In A Suitcase

(images via: Design Boom)

The Police once asked “Why must I be, a man in a suitcase?” Pawel Althamer provided an answer of sorts. Althamer is an artist and sculptor known for his thoughtful yet disturbing self portraits, one of which features himself inside a tiny still-life of a room fitted into a small suitcase. Ideal for all your creepy travel destinations, especially those that entail a night’s stay at the Bates Motel.

Testing! Testing!

(images via: Oobject and Air Analysis)

Make friends and influence people with the handy dandy state-of-the-art air sampling kit in a case! Just think of it: crack open this baby on a street corner and go through the air sampling procedure – oh yeah, folks are gonna notice. It’s hard to say which number will be higher after an hour, the Ozone reading or how many female phone numbers you’ve jotted down… to notify in case of an air quality emergency, of course.

Groovy Baby

(images via: Nouveau Retro and Press-Enterprise)

For some odd reason, portable record players were quite popular in the decades prior to the introduction of the CD and the Walkman. From heavy top-end turntables down to flimsy Close’N'Plays, one still had to lug along actual records and find a convenient power outlet – not an easy chore if you’re planning a day at the beach.

Packing Heat

(images via: Unica Home and Design Mind)

Above is the Travelmate portable fireplace by Conmoto but don’t be fooled by the “Travelmate” moniker… no airline is going to load this into the cargo hold, with the possible exception of pre-1991 Aeroflot. For non-flyers though, the 20″ by 28″ by 8″ device has the potential to turn a humdrum fast food meal into a romantic soiree – champagne and bearskin rug optional.

Auction Action Satisfaction

(images via: Mouse Notebook)

Ever bought an abandoned, unopened suitcase at an auction? Like Forrest Gumps apocryphal box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. A young lady vacationing in Norfolk, England experienced the thrill of discovery while attending an auction at Burnham Market. She ended up with a battered leather suitcase once belonging to a certain Colonel Hallet. What could the mysterious Colonel have secreted inside the equally mysterious satchel? The forbidden fruits of a jewel heist gone wrong? Bound bricks of Pounds Sterling destined for a double-crossed foreign agent? Turns out the contents were assorted spices in antique storage cans… which just goes to show that sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination.

The Case Of The Suitcase Nukes

(images via: Silkwood, CNS and Nat’l Terror Alert)

Rumor has it, the Soviet KGB crafted over 100 so-called “suitcase nukes“, each packing a 10-kiloton punch – roughly the size of the Hiroshima bomb. Some say that dozens of these weapons were stolen and sold to America’s enemies following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s. Supposedly, the question isn’t “Does Osama bin Laden have nuclear weapons?”, but “When and where will he decide to use them?” In this case, let’s hope the rumors are just that!

Making Human Trafficking Transparent

(images via: Daylife and Guerillascoop)

“Stop Human Trafficking! 60 Years of Human Rights,” read the stickers on this most shocking of suitcases. Created by Amnesty International to emphasize the ongoing scourge of human trafficking, this suitcase stunt commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights voted by 58 member nations of the UN in 1948. These photos were taken on a baggage carousel at Munich Airport in Germany, December 11, 2008.

The final entry in this showcase of cases may be somewhat sombre but it reminds us how ubiquitous suitcases, briefcases and other travel cases are in our fast-paced, jet set lifestyles. Those who seek to grab our attention succeed by turning common to uncommon. Case closed!

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Beyond Imagery, Almost Imaginary

(images via: Oogle Tutorials, PSD TUTS+ and LunchoverIP)

Many works of photoshop art pump up the details in a source image to the point of sensory overload – and that’s a good thing. The selection above applies a little ’shop shock & awe, just enough to nudge the subject into that odd area just beyond reality.

How Swede It Is

(images via: Allt Eller Inget)

The cool thing about photoshopping, or digitally modifying photographs if we want to be technical about it, is that our brains naturally want to believe what our eyes are seeing. The content may be wrong but the look is right. Sweden’s Erik Johansson is a master of this technique, as the above montage and his other works clearly illustrate.

Little ‘Shop of Horrors

(images via: Session Magazine)

Like Erik Johannsson, Pierre Betielle is another expert photoshopper who feels he’s his own best subject. The French photo finagler takes the visual medium and forces it into extra-large territory, with we viewers along for the wild ride.

It’s Just A Paper Cut

(images via: Web Designer Depot, Instructables and WetCanvas!)

Incongruity in imagery – the above samples say it all. As scary as some of these images are, what’s more frightening is wondering who thought up the concepts, and why? The above set focuses on our hands, so sensitive to the slightest touch or the merest paper cut. Regarding the latter, welcome to what must be a New Order of pain… how does it feel?

2-for-1 Fail Combo

(images via: Osmoothie and The New York Times News Blog)

You can’t appreciate the good until you’ve seen the bad… An entire nation doesn’t put its foot in its mouth too often but the Islamic Republic of Iran isn’t just any nation – they’ve done it twice, thanks to a couple of ambitious yet amateurish photoshopped images that have received wide dissemination. The first, above, supposedly depicts 4 missiles launched in unison and many reputable news organizations rushed it to press. Not so fast, newsies – according to AFP, “The fourth missile (the one second from the right) has apparently been added in digital retouch to cover a grounded missile that may have failed during the test.” A missile fail and a photoshop fail, that’s today’s 2-for-1 special.

Rally? Not Really

(images via: Daily KOS and UPI)

Oops, they did it again. Iran’s serial president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is wildly popular in his home country: 62 percent of the voters can’t be wrong, right? Such a political rock star should have no trouble whatsoever in leading huge rallies, yet there’s trouble in Persepolis… not enough warm bodies in the background. Call in the Revolutionary Photoshop Brigade!

(images via: Daily KOS and UPI)

Unfortunately the powers that be must have grabbed some Mystery Shoppers instead of the expert ’shoppers they were looking for. The result just adds further fuel to the fire that’s swiftly burning away any residual legitimacy in those who pull the strings, er, hold the reins of power in Tehran.

Ve Vill Photoshop You!

(images via: Vogue)

The Persians have no monopoly on photoshop disasters. Slipshod ’shopping is so common, in fact, that someone put up a website – called Photoshop Disasters, if you must ask. Take the prime example above: “As a Russian,” says Natalia Vodianova, “I love drama.” Not to mention comedy, it would seem.

Pictures Worth 1000 Words

(images via: Worth 1000)

Now back to the good stuff. Best known for its popular photoshop contests, Worth 1000 has been amazing and amusing appreciators of fine photo manipulation since 2002. The site, founded by Avi Muchnick and Israel Derdik, runs a number of discussion forums that offer both experienced ’shoppers and newbies a valuable resource for tips and techniques. Unlike some other, more freewheeling forums, those at Worth 1000 are actively moderated and filtered providing a high degree of troll control.

RGGUARKUP… Gesundheit

(images via: Abduzeedo)

Portuguese digital artist Roberto Gamito, who goes under the nom de ’shoppe “rgquarkup”, is a rising star on the photoshop scene. Gamito’s compositions evoke an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere that some may find romantic, others disturbing, and Goths a combination of both – in other words, perfection.

That’ll Be One Starbuck

(images via: Slashfilm)

How does one pay for a Vente Frappuccino at the cantina, anyway? With a Starbuck, of course! Mark Brooks whipped up this tasty bill, er, Darth, for the 2007 Star Wars Fan Days event. By the way, Mark, what do you think Lord Vader would do if he caught you counterfeiting Empire currency, hmm?

Hauser Goin’, Eh?

(images via: Damncoolpics)

Koen Hauser has racked up a significant body of work – with the emphasis on “body”. Hauser’s compositions resemble Motor Trend car cutaways, without the cars. What’s perhaps most odd is that his subjects look so calm and collected – while the rest of us are freaking out!

(images via: Damncoolpics)

Above are some other works by Hauser; no anatomical cutaways this time but certainly disturbing in their own right. Or wrong, as the case may be.

Tricks Of The Trade

(images via: Abduzeedo)

Wondering just how the masters of manipulation work their mojo? The above montage gives an inkling, care of Joan Charmant. A software engineer by day, Charmant twists reality by night: “I started photo montage in 2004, when I stumbled upon UFO pictures and wanted to see how hard it would have been to fake.” Not all that hard, if you’ve got the right software and an active imagination!

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Here we have 13 more great examples of Guerrilla Marketing that people couldn’t help but notice.  Guerrilla ads continue to surpass traditional ads by leaps and bounds in their effectiveness, and they’re showing that the genre has the staying power to keep catching eyes for years if not decades to come.

Its Got a Sense of Humor

(images via trendhunter, Aaron Bergeson, adrants, myselectedads, thumbshots)

Guerrilla Marketing happens in the most usual places, which is to say that you can happen across a guerrilla-ad right in front of your house, down the street, or in an airport.  It has no ideal or worst location.  Dulcolax used the all-too-familiar posting pillar, present in nearly every city-center, to showcase their name in a comedic way.  Humor is probably the most often used shtick when exercising guerrilla marketing tactics; FHM put the Mini Cooper’s curvy, feminine body-styling to use in such a way with great results.  Volkswagen may be known as one of the most successful large car companies in this game, often showcasing the dependability of their product in new and always-surprising ways.

Creative and Spontaneous

(images via computerarts, businessweek, onthegroundlookingup, thumbshots)

The line that divides guerrilla marketing from viral marketing can seem thin to non-existent sometimes.  While a full-scale viral campaign was underway for The Dark Knight, cleverly placed Bat-Signals could be spotted from time to time as a guerrilla side-project to get noticed.  Volkswagen, showing their commitment yet again, left a Polo, carved out of ice, sitting on a London street for the local denizens to find in the morning.  It may have melted hours later, but the effect was immediate.  In Mumbai, the strategy was used to get a point across; by placing a child’s toy in a sidewalk drainage grate, Aseema drives home the thought of children living on the streets.

Limitless Potential

(images via stylemag-online, woostercollective, businessweek, stuff4restaurants)

The endless uses for guerrilla marketing cannot be stressed enough.  One street may have an ad touting humanitarian-awareness, like Amnesty International’s example, while a rural road near a bridge could have a public-service warning about bungee-jumping.  CSI, being a huge show on cable-networks around the world, used fake crime-scenes in bathrooms and odd areas throughout Singapore.  Instead of police tape, showtimes and network-branding was printed on the yellow tape.  Marketing goes both ways, too; in New York City, local street-artists banded together for a raid on corporate ads that used public space without license.  When New Yorkers awoke that morning, they found that the usual commercial ads had been replaced with clever guerrilla protestations against the assumed injustice.  This all goes to show, with nearly unlimited uses, guerrilla marketing can be expected to give us many years more of actually enjoyable advertising in a world saturated with bland corporate ads.

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