Projecting Gail Porter’s naked rear onto the Houses of Parliament
may have been an easy way of generating publicity - but there’s no
denying its effectiveness.
The stunt for FHM - created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, planned and bought
by Motive and executed by Cunning Stunts - was all over the tabloids
like a rash. It even got a mention on BBC 2’s rock quiz Never Mind the
Buzzcocks, when Mark Lamarr referred to it during his relentless baiting
of the nubile Porter.
Although not all clients go to such lengths as FHM, an increasing number
are looking for creative solutions to ensure that their campaigns rise
above the clutter.
Last week a new player entered the arena, as former More Group sales
controller John Scorah announced the launch of his ambient media sales
house, CPA Scorah. It followed claims by poster buyer Blade that the
ambient sector will be worth pounds 51.2 million this year - an 18.5 per
cent climb on 1998.
’As most of the big poster contractors have consolidated, they no longer
have the set-up or inclination to generate new ideas,’ Scorah
contends.
’Yet there are plenty of agencies that want to make their clients’
products stand out.’
He also wants to ensure that good ideas are properly exploited. ’Some
entrepreneurs have creative ideas, but don’t have the sales or media
background to develop them. Remember advertising on takeaway lids? One
client did it for a year, then it died a death.’
Inevitably, there is some debate about what actually constitutes
’ambient’.
Danielle Hudson, account manager at another new ambient specialist,
Amber, says it can be anything from ’a show-stopping one-off’ to an ad
on the back of a payslip. ’The best definition is probably ’an ad where
you don’t expect to see it’.’
But there are suggestions that the hype surrounding ambient may be just
that. Mike Segrue, managing director of specialist buyer Poster
Publicity International, admits that stunts like the Porter projection
bring added value to ambient in terms of PR. ’But that’s only if they’re
coordinated properly. If you don’t have good PR back-up, the added value
is lost.’
Segrue is unconvinced that the sector is growing as quickly as some
practitioners claim. ’As a medium, it’s difficult to measure. You can
put a poster in a men’s washroom, but there’s no way of determining how
many people see it.’
Hudson admits there is an element of risk. ’But that’s because the best
ideas have never been done before. We’re not asking anybody to drop
their core press or TV activity in favour of ambient, but if it’s used
tactically it can bring additional benefits. For instance, placing ads
in airline ticket wallets. If you’re advertising a travel-related
product in the press, this extra push at the point of sale may be all
that’s needed to persuade the consumer to buy.’
In that respect, as Segrue suggests, ambient media may have been around
for longer than we think. ’What are beer mats if they’re not ambient
media? And they work.’
