Eat this first! Then read on…

The attention span of an average human being today is similar to that of a humming bird. Flap, Flap, Flap, turn head, turn head, ohhh flower! With massive saturated clutter of Advertisements, billboards, television, digital networks and smart phones, businesses have a split SECOND to grab your attention to say “Look at me! This is Awesome!!”  What does it take to engage the individual? Welcome the age of AD-vertaining! Where advertising meets entertainment!

Ad-vertaining, coined by the Monster Master, John Payne

President of Monster Media

Monday Night Football or… Digital Streetball?  

ESPN wants fans to join in!

ESPN was looking for a new campaign that would get fans off their couches and into the game! Monster Media teamed up with Wieden + Kennedy and MacDonald Media to engage passers-by in a full-body responsive, real-time, street-level interactive ad where users can really get 'in the zone' and challenge a quarterback from the upcoming game. Through touch screen and sensor technology, people would ‘literally’ have a chance at playing virtual catch – on the street – with a billboard – in the middle of the day! The incredible part is that players can see their scores match up against players in other cities. A perfect concept that helps consumers remember brands and engage the conversation virally, a concept growing larger everyday in Social Media. These structural billboards were strategically placed in highly-trafficked locations in NYC, Boston and Chicago with incredible ROI – online and off. Want more? Here ya go…

What would you like to do before you die? 

In promotion of MTV’s ‘Buried Life’

MTV partnered with Maude to create an impactful NYC storefront advertisement promoting 'The Buried Life'. The masterpiece was constructed outside the MTV building with full interactive touch screen capabilities, enabling the user to list what they want to do before they die. Monster Media took it a step further and programmed Social Networking capabilities and users lists were posted to Facebook walls. We just took Ad-vertaining from live engagement into the digital sphere. Imagine actually FEELING advertisements! Imagine PLAYING with advertisements! Now imagine TAKING advertisements and transferring it from out of home into the digital sphere! That JUST happened! John Payne says “Ad-vertaining is the cherry on the Sunday,“ but it is imperative to keep traditional marketing and advertising within your budget and overall strategic plan. Major markets across the globe are adopting new technology that has immediate impact on the consumer, but magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc. still have essential impact to all markets. Let’s face it, bad creative is bad creative whether it’s large scale moveable billboards or a full page add in Rolling Stone magazine. As a business, it’s a matter of expanding ideas, collaborating with others and  finding ways to engage your target audience to experience your brand!

I leave you with this…

In all honesty, I was scared for a while! New technology, digital growth and the interweb have rapidly engrained into our sociology almost TOO fast. Kids are playing ultra sophisticated video games instead of playing hide and go seek or street hockey. Access to thousands and thousands of digital applications are literally at your fingertips and I was starting to feel our culture began to get lazy and complacent. It’s company’s like Monster Media that provide a new creative outlet to pull the user off the couch and experience a unique sensation. Even with the Nintendo Wii, we can get up, move and still play (had to throw this in, love the social implications of the Wii)! As the concept of Ad-vertaining begins to grow, it seems full integration possibilities with Social Media platforms are inevitable, but more so, John Payne thinks the integration of cell phones with television advertisements is something to begin accepting. You tell me….

@JaredGolberg / Interact, Engage & Inspire

Link with me via Twitter, Facebook & Wordpress