Came across this interesting piece of media innovation for BMW Canada. Vice Magazine ran an ad for BMW 1 Series—visible only in the dark— on the cover of its March issue. According to MediainCanada magazine:
At first glance, it looks like any other cover. But when the lights go out, a glow-in-the-dark ad for the BMW 1 Series appears, with the 1 appearing where the “i” in Vice usually does.
“The media strategy for the 1 Series is all about short, intense experiences,” explains Esme Rottschafer, group account director at The Media Company, adding that Cundari developed the creative for the ad (both Toronto-based). “We knew [this process] would be tough to do, but it was an innovative one-off that fit beautifully with the strategy.”
While typical Vice readers aren’t an ideal match for the 1 Series target (25-34 ambitious “leaders-in-the-making”), they do tend to be influential early adopters who are good at creating buzz.
A great example of a win-win situation for the media, the advertiser and the reader. Reminded of the irritant factor embedded in most such attempts at innovation in India. My irritant No.1 is that damn quarter-page full length vertical ad in the front page of TOI. I simply keep aside that page and get on with the paper.