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Surely, you’ve seen this by now, but I need to point it out here.  Sometimes, ads can be great PR.  Benetton and P.E.T.A. have been both provocative and effective with their use of advertisements to generate media attention.  Now Weatherproof has done it with their billboard depicting President Obama at the Great Wall of China wearing one of their jackets.  The White House lawyers got into the act, but not before the media had spread the story and image all over the world.  The New York Times, the Huffington Post, and Fox News are just a sampling of the thousands of media mentions this ad received.

Great job Weatherproof!  Now if I can just get a snap of the President reading my book.
 


Comments

Jennifer Miller

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:04:35

All I can say is that it worked for my client. The ads that ran on their behalf became news, and created the foundation for the entire public relations campaign.

 

Gaetan

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:58:50

Agreed. Well done!

 

Todd Heft

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:58:39

As a broadcasting sales executive, sometimes I'll tell a client: "the thing I'm really selling is our audience. What you choose to put in that sixty second spot is up to you". So yes indeed, used correctly, one can absolutely generate media mentions with commercials, especially if the concept is ground breaking, radical, or in the case of Weatherproof, a happy accident (which may or may not have been an accident).

 



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