Emotionally Intelligent Signage

Big blue monsters holding stop signs are the new wave of traffic signage? In an intriguing new campaign to urge drivers to slow down, a few municipalities are trying a different tactic—traffic signs designed by children.

The signs are intended to emotionally reach drivers to remind them that their speed affects child safety and to break up the monotony of the signs drivers typically see. The idea is to encourage empathy on the part of the viewer, make them feel a little uneasy about going fast and hopefully get them to slow down and drive safer.

The idea was pioneered in Newton, Massachusetts back in 2008, where it was a hit, and has now expanded into Bayside, Wisconsin. It's an interesting approach and much better than the other 'slow down' campaign we blogged about last year. We'll have to see how well it works.

 

Does This Guerilla Marketing Campaign Help or Hurt?

Guerilla marketing is a tricky, but coveted thing in the world of advertising. It can be a highly effective tool, but it in this particular case I'm not so sure. In the grand tradition of shock value PSAs in foreign countries, Canada has this latest one attempting to keep people from speeding.



I first saw this via a friend's facebook post asking a similar question, and if you go by the comments on the Boing Boing post, most people think this campaign will actually have the opposite effect. Speculation ranged from The Boy Who Cried Wolf to possible accidents occurring from someone trying to avoid the girl in the street.

What do you think? Would it cause you to slow down?

**UPDATE: Apparently the decal was removed after one week**

Steer Clear of Guerilla Marketing at the World Cup

Unless you're an official sponsor, guerilla marketing tactics are not welcome at the World Cup. Take note of Dutch beer maker, Bavaria, and their run-ins with FIFA over "ambush marketing" tactics at the World Cup. The crime? 36 women at the Dutch-Netherlands match wearing orange mini dresses. No logos, just a color (see how important color is for a brand?). They apparently got in trouble 4 years ago at the Germany-hosted World Cup as well, when a group of men in orange lederhosen with the name Bavaria on them, were forced to remove the costumes and watch the game in their underwear.

Apparently Bavaria claims it was not a marketing stunt they were trying to pull, though they are legally and financially backing the two orange mini dress clad women who were arrested for the stunt.

It's a little sad that fun guerilla marketing can't happen at the World Cup, though when you realize that each half has no advertising, it makes sense that FIFA would be so protective of their sponsors. Does anyone know if this has ever been an issue at the Olympics?

The Real Cost of Drinking and Driving

Ogilvy Brazil has a great new PSA guerilla campaign reminding bar goers of the real cost of drinking and driving by adding those costs to their bar tab. They actually did this in a bar in Brazil. Check out the video below:



(via Direct Daily)

Volkswagen's Fun Theory Competition

Volkswagen has a fantastic new initiative in Sweden called the Fun Theory Awards. Their blog hosts a few hidden camera type commercials that aim at getting people to do things that are better for themselves or the environment by making the activities fun. The theory itself rests on the idea that making things fun is the easiest way to change behavior for the better.

The Fun Theory Competition wants your ideas on new ways to change behavior through fun and Volkswagen is offering €2,500 for the winning idea. As far as I can tell, the contest is open in anyone, you don't have to be Swedish, so get thinking! The contest ends December 15th.

Check out the videos below, which are also on the Fun Theory Blog, to see what Volkswagen has already done to get the fun started!







(Thanks to the Truth Against the World blog for the heads up on this awesome initiative.)

Ride, Don't Drive For Our Polar Bears

Anyone even remotely paying attention to global warming knows that the melting of the polar ice cap is seriously threatening the world's polar bears. It's been one of the most publicized and earliest effects of global warming. Who doesn't love a polar bear?

The Environmental Defense Fund ran a guerilla marketing effort in New York encouraging riding the subway over driving to help stop the effects of global warming. It's a simple, but brilliant execution.



Check out Creativity for the credits.

(via ProductionQueen)

Guerilla Marketing Of The Future?