Andrei Petrik

Have you ever come across an ad washed onto a sidewalk, or saw an ad on a shopping bag, or even on an egg?  Did it seem out of place? Did it make you curious?  Did it grab your attention?  Of course it did (initially, at least).  Our environment is over saturated with ads.  We are constantly bombarded with ads for new types of gum, toothpaste, new cars, TV shows, and so on.  However, as an evolving human species we’ve learned to tune most of it out of our sensory. Thus it is increasingly difficult for advertisers to stand out using traditional advertising methods.  Recently it has become more prevalent for advertisers to explore creative ways, mediums and various methods of placing ads in order to grab your attention and sell you their products and services.

“the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc., esp. by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc.” is what dictionary.com defines as advertising.  But there are new terms and buzz-words beginning to pop up that are associated with the new methods of advertising.  These are:

• Washvertising/Cleanvertising
• Mythvertising
• Tryvertising
• Smellvertising
• Mapvertising
• Bagvertising
• Artvertising
• Invertising
• Eggvertising
• Podvertising

So what do these terms mean?

Washvertising or Cleanvertising is the method of using a stencil, typically made of sheet metal, and is powerwashed on a dirty surface like a sidewalk.  For more information visit Washvertising.com I have seen ads for new album releases and new laundry detergents that utilized this form of advertising.  Follow this link for more examples: Washvertising - Pictures and Videos

Mythvertising is simply a way of using brand power of myths, mythical creatures, paranormal activities and entities, and/or urban legends for personal or commercial gain, or even as a publicity stunt to draw attention to one’s cause or the product or service one is trying to promote.  Lockness Monster spotting is often used to draw crowds, mainly tourists to a specific location(s).  A most recent example of mythvertising was the discovery of Chupacabra and Bigfoot.  You can read more about it at Trendhunter.com The publicity stunt was short lived because it was revealed that it was all fake and a hoax that started out as a joke.  Unfortunately, no one achieved anything with this lame mythvertising attempt.  However, a properly executed mythvertising campaign can gain national attention and brand awareness.

Tryvertising is relevant product placement in the real world, where consumers can experience and try the new product or service.  As Trendwatching.com describes it: “so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.” It can take a form of simple product samples like gum or pop drink to more complex collaborations like including a luxury vehicle while you stay at a high-end hotel.  Trendwatching.com has great example of this form of advertising.

Smellvertising is when an advertiser intentionally uses scents and smells of their products or services to attract and grab attention of their target.  This practice is commonly deployed by perfume manufacturers at retail locations or inside flaps of magazines.  Movie theatres and fast food restaurants such as KFC direct the flow of smell from their cooked, popped or fried foods to entice customers.  As SFgate reported in the following article Ad Firm With A First, advertisers have also placed smellvertising ads in the places you would least expect, like the bus shelters.

Mapvertising involves placing logos and ads on online maps.  This concept can be stretched even further by placing large ads on top of buildings or open physical spaces for satellite photo opportunities.

Bagvertising is advertising on bags.  This is most effective when the ad is contextual and is relevant to the surrounding environment.  The advertisers need to identify how people hold and use various types of bags and place a relevant ad design.

Artvertising is when an advertiser makes a direct reference to a popular or a famous piece of art.  At first glance an ad may look like an artwork you have seen before and is familiar to you.  However, upon closer inspection it becomes evident that the art is only used as an inspiration for the ad design, as seen in the example below.

Invertising is a short form term for “invitational advertising” or “invitational marketing”.  It is providing product or service information when a customer requests it or when he or she permits the advertisers to provide relevant ads.  Invertising is commonly used when signing up for new user accounts on online shopping sites, online communities, and many other interactive online entities.  This method of advertising can be very effective because the consumer actually seeks a certain type of information and allows the advertisers to communicate with him or her.

Eggvertising is placing ads on eggs hoping to grab target’s attention and scramble their expectations (pun intended) when they open the egg packaging for the first time.  In addition to the element of surprise, the advertiser also hopes for repetition in ad exposure with each and every time the customer opens the packaging to get and egg.

Podvertising is when an advertiser inserts ads and/or promotional messages into a podcast.  Podcasts are media files (are usually radio style audio shows) that are distributed and syndicated on the web.  Podcasts can also be played back on portable audio/video players like iPods. Podcasts is another medium where ads can be inserted to reach a very targeted and niche audiences.