Advertising on Rooftops

There's an idea I've had ever since I was in college and Google Earth came out, and I'm surprised it hasn't become more prevalent. That idea is advertising on rooftops. With the advent and recent explosion in usage of satellite maps (Google Maps, etc.), there's a huge new medium for advertising, and it's very cheap.

There are 2 ways you could put this idea in motion. First, if you're a big company with big buildings, throw your logo on your roof. Especially if you're in a major city or area that would have a lot of map searches. If you're in the middle of nowhere, not sure it would be as valuable, but Target obviously thinks it is worth it, as shown in the picture above. It would only cost the amount of money it would take to get someone up there to paint the logo. That's it. Then anytime someone searches that area using a satellite map, there it is.

Second way to put this idea in motion is to sell your rooftop as ad space. Similar to how businesses sell space on the walls of their buildings, why not sell the space on the top of the building? You have a huge roof, but you're some generic manufacturing plant and it would do you no good to have your logo on there. Sell it. Make some extra money, and you will never see it, people who drive by won't see it, only online satellite search traffic.

Now, a few pitfalls. I'm not sure what the sign laws say about rooftop advertising (nor am I interested in looking it up) but that could limit this option in certain cities / states. Also, you wouldn't capture the eyeballs you have in front of the store, only those looking at a computer screen, but that's why you have signs on the side of your building already, and that's why you should probably throw your website on the roof. Also, there are many buildings that aren't actually owned by the companies in them. But in that case, those companies should sell that space to those companies. But this is inexpensive enough, especially if you own the building (like most Wal-Marts and Targets, etc. do), that it just makes sense.

I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes more and more prevalent in the near future. I would be surprised, as a former marketing student, if it does not.

Not the right AdSense

What part about this article says "I want to buy a forklift, but I don't want to pay too much."?

Hilarious video, and AMAZING political tool

What a great idea:

Great Woot Ad

Check out this great ad Woot! runs with Google AdSense. It's in the sidebar.



Talk about perfect for the times. Woot! really knows how to reach out to its customer base...

[courtesy sandossu on flikr]

The NRA Loves Obama

So bad it's... well, terrible.

A Gorilla, Phil Collins, and a Drum Machine

Great drum work, albeit a pointless commercial.

I Wish I Was Like Polski

"He once had a heart attack, woke up, and sold the paramedics 12 dozen steak knives. That was Polski!"



(Bill Brasky quotes anyone?)

Quick Look at Two-Face

SPOILER ALERT! This video shows a quick look at Two-Face from The Dark Knight. If you want to go into the theater and be surprised, don't watch it. While it doesn't show much, it's still revealing.

Check it out:



I can't wait! July 18!

UPDATE: I'm #1 on Google!

I just searched again today, and I'm back at #1 baby! I even have the screencap to prove it:

Badvertising: Heineken "Share the Good"

I was just watching the Pistons - Celtics Game 4, and caught a Heineken commercial that I just didn't understand. It's not that I didn't get it, it was the logic behind it. It was the "Share the Good" commercial with that quirky "It's Love" song behind it where people go around giving people bottles of Heineken Premium Light.

The first guy gives his 2 beers to 2 people in a hot tub or something. The girl then gives hers away to some other girl, who gives it to a mountain man, etc. It's all about people giving their beer away. It's like nobody wants it, so they all pawn it off on someone else. What kind of message is that? Our beer sucks? Because that's what I got out of it.

See for yourself and let me know:



(It still looks to me like they don't want it and are just trying to give it to the next person)

ItsOnTap.com is Up and Running!

It's On Tap, the new blog my roommates and I started is now officially up and running. It's all about booze, with a specific emphasis on beer. So go to http://itsontap.com and check it out. Check it often, maybe bookmark it, link to it on your pages, comment a lot, give us suggestions and experiences, anything and everything. We have some solid content already up, with much more to come.

Comments about it on this post are welcomed and encouraged. I would love to hear what you think about it, how we can make it better, some of your post ideas, etc. It all helps.

Microsoft Surface, The Reality

This video really makes me want to invest in Microsoft Surface. Would you still be interested after this commercial?

Mike & Mike: Biggest Sellouts Ever

How did these guys get so popular? Why are radio personalities suddenly peddling everything in the whole damn world? Has anyone ever sold out quite as quickly or effectively as these two? I submit that the answer to that question is no.

There is nothing more frustrating than talk radio. Listening to people with bloated self-importance try to stretch four talking points into 3 hours is beyond aggravating. I don't venture to the AM dial much, but if I do, it's either to listen to a game, or listen to ESPN Radio. Now, I love ESPN, but it is guilty of this too. When there is nothing to talk about, talk radio soldiers on, and this is when it reaches its very worst. To illustrate, here's what happened last night:

I was headed to Subway for a delicious $5 footlong (speaking of effective marketing), and I turned on ESPN Radio because, among other things, regular radio is getting really old. As I make the 3 minute drive over there around 10:30pm, I am "fortunate" enough to catch the night guy talking about a kid that wore a Brett Favre jersey everyday for 4 years. Now, that's pretty crazy, if not disgusting, but this guy made it sound like it was some kind of important story. He read from the article that the reason why the kid took it off was because it was getting too short. He was 8 when he got it, and now, 4 years later, it's too small. Not difficult to accept that reasoning. This guy didn't. He gave 2 reasons why the kid took it off: Brett Favre's retirement (which is the dumbest thing I've ever heard) and girls. Alright, whatever the reason, it still doesn't matter. It's NOT a story! See? Frustrating.

So Mike & Mike have been on ESPN Radio for a few years now, and have been successful. They're on for 4 hours, from 6-10am EST. But for the last year or so, they've been on TV also. They have a studio, and tape the show. The radio show. Now, my personal distaste for both of them aside, they're the biggest thing in sports radio right now, so naturally advertisers see potential in this. God knows how many sponsors they've been approached by, but they've accepted almost everything apparently.

Let me give you a little run down of what these guys peddle, aside from their ESPN sponsors (like the RadioShack inbox), either together or individually:

• Domino's - Those annoying voices telling me I've got 30 minutes in the commercials
• NutriSystem - Eat like a lineman without looking like one
• Duel - The ABC show that Greenberg hosts (or hosted? Not sure)
  
• Pizza Hut - Complete with crappy online game
• Dr. Pepper - Goes great with pizza, I guess
  

I'm sure there are others, these are just off the top of my head right now. Let me know what I forgot.

Being a marketing major, I can't blame them or the advertisers. I can't. If they can sell it, which I often have trouble believing, then good for them. But guys, isn't it important to maintain some integrity along the way? I mean, first of all, how do you expect people to take you seriously and accept what you say as honest if it always has some company name in front of it? Also, how can you pitch two products that so obviously contradict each other?

First off, how can you advertise for Pizza Hut and Domino's at the same time? That's a problem, both for the companies, who fucked that up, and for Mike & Mike because that almost screams "we'll do anything for a buck" and because both of those pizzas SUCK!

Furthermore, I submit that it is slightly unethical for Mike Golic to sell both NutriSystem and Domino's pizza. How contradicting is that? Can you make it any more obvious that you're just doing it for the money? Domino's will make you fat. NutriSystem alleges to make you thin. If you do both, you're boned. Oh, and I'm not sure it's part of the NutriSystem plan to compete in a buffalo wing eating contest. That really makes me question their intentions in all this.

Wait, no it doesn't. Mike & Mike are sellouts, they annoy the hell out of me, and they will do anything for money. Regardless of what they bring to the sports world, I don't think I will ever like them, and this is a big reason why.

(As I side note, while I'm making accusations about ESPN, I submit to you that John Clayton is paralyzed, and in a wheelchair. I have never seen his legs move, the legs they never show anyways, and when on camera, his upper body never moves. I have no reason to believe that he is not. Anyone?)

New Dark Knight Trailer: Joker Edition

Apparently there was some marketing event for The Dark Knight recently, and select fans got to go home with a 35mm reel of the trailer. Sounds great, if you have something to play it on. One fan did, and when he started it up, it had been "vandalized" by the Joker.

It's pretty damn cool, especially as a souvenir. Check out the video he posted of the trailer. The sound sucks, but that's not really what's important.



Another fine job by the Dark Knight marketing team. Thanks to Franklin for the heads up.

Monitization Experiment Update

If you've been following this blog for a little while, you know that I've been experimenting with ways of monetizing on the internet. I am a marketing major, graduating this Spring, and am interested in advertising, technology, and how the two interact as the marketing landscape changes. Specifically, I am interested in how the internet is going to be monetized successfully. There is no generally accepted way of doing this yet, and many think, including me, that the current ad supported model is not going to end up the favorite, for many reasons.

Anyway, I have been experimenting with this blog over the past year, determining how different methods work, what might be most effective for different types of situations, and where there is opportunity for growth or expansion.

The latest method has been PayPerPost, which I explained in this post. What I have found is that, since that post, I have earned, and received, $38. I posted two sponsored posts, got them approved, and eventually got paid through PayPal. So, on the blogger side, for a smaller blog like mine, that doesn't get a particularly large amount of hits, but still (in my opinion of course) has decent content, this is more effective than AdSense or some other click-based ad system. It yields more money, yields it faster, and pays out per post. However, for the advertiser, I'm not sure it's as effective. Per dollar, how much are they making off my blog? There's no cost-per-click type structure, or at least not to my knowledge, so it's difficult to measure ROI.

So, I may stick with PPP, as it does offer a few bucks here and there, but I'm still in search of new methods to try out. Let me know if you have any suggestions. And one last thing, this post is NOT sponsored.

New Dark Knight Poster

Sorry I'm a little late with this, but this is a great poster, so I had to post it.



As you all know, I am very excited about this movie. I think a lot of people are going to see it because Batman Begins was really good, and people just love Batman in general. So, it took me a little by surprise when I came across EW's projections for summer box office numbers. Their list has The Dark Knight coming in 6th in total box office revenues with $255 million. That's a great number, but 6th? Honestly? I think it will come in 3rd overall. One problem I really had with their list, too, was that Will Smith's new movie Hancock, which looks like a bag of shit, is in their #4 spot. What?! I must either be really misinformed, or EW sucks.

I vote the latter.

Domino's Unleashes the 444 Deal

Take that Pizza Hut! Domino's just unleashed the 444 Deal; 3 medium, 1-topping pizzas for $4 each. That's $12 for 3 pizzas. You may remember the days when it cost $15 for 3 pizzas, but those days, my friends, are over. You may also have thought that food prices were on the rise. Well, clearly that is not the case. And who says this nation is entering a recession? Pizza will save us!

But seriously, when I first heard about this, 2 things went through my head: 1) Anybody want some pizza? 2) HA! Take that Pizza Hut! You thought you could compete in the "cheap-ass pizza" market with that sorry "Pizza Mia" deal, a clear knock off of the 555 Deal of old? Well now you're boned. Ever heard of game theory? Well, you made the wrong move. Sure, you may have been losing some money when you were selling pizzas for $10 and Domino's was selling them for $5, so you moved. Now, you're STILL losing money, but now people won't even buy your pizzas for $5 because Domino's sells them for $4. So you either lower your prices too, and cut some loses, or you just eat it. You would have been better off holding your price at $10, because then you'd still be selling pizzas, making decent money on them to boot, and Domino's wouldn't have gone any lower.

Anyways, fuck Pizza Hut anyways, I know what I'll be eating this weekend.

Kobe Jumps a Car. An Aston Martin no less. Real?

This video is of Kobe Bryant (apparently) jumping over a car. An Aston Martin at (apparently) 50 mph. Check it out:



Now, is it real or fake? The camera is stationary, Kobe completely clears the car, and he mentions Nike's Hyper Dunks (while wearing Nike apparel). Those signs point to fake. However, Ronny Turiaf is there, who, to my knowledge, is NOT a Nike sponsored athelete, and the shoes Kobe shows off at the beginning are NOT the Zoom Kobe III's (see them here). That points to real. But, the shoes Kobe looks to be wearing in tonight's game are the same one's in the video (I think).

So, what do you think, is this video real or fake?

My Sites: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site, very much like Facebook or Myspace, except it has a professional twist. Facebook and Myspace tend to focus on all the stuff that revolves around one's personal life, and not much on professional life. LinkedIn fills that gap. It's purpose, on the most basic level, is to facilitate the maintenance of professional relationships.

It allows users to enter professional information, including employment experience, both past and present, education details, and a lot of other information. It basically allows you to upload your resume. Then, the social networking portion kicks in. Based on where you worked, where you went to school, etc., it will link you to other professionals in that same position. But that's really only the beginning. Here's a screen cap of my public profile:

To see my entire public profile, go to linkedin.com/in/kregan.

Now, the beauty of this site is that it allows you to connect with business professionals from across the globe. The only requirement is that they have a LinkedIn account. And there are various ways you can find people to connect with. You can upload your email contacts and see if any of them have an account, you can search based on your past positions and workplaces and find colleagues, you can search for classmates that attended the same school when you were there, or you can just search them by name, email address, etc. Personally, I am only linked with 6 people (as you can see above), and while I have a few pending connection invitations, I plan to use this site liberally. By that I mean I'm not going to connect with people I don't know, like I sometimes have done on Facebook. (I don't have a Myspace, and don't even THINK about trying to talk me into it, I HATE Myspace). I plan to use this as a tool, which is how I think it was intended to be used, so having contacts I know and can communicate with will be valuable.

One of the great things about this site is that it's only open to college students and graduates. Hypothetically, you could sign up and falsely attribute yourself to a school or something, even if you didn't attend, but there is no value in that here. This is, and should be treated like, another way, in my opinion an easier way, to keep your business connections in order and potentially make new ones. I don't think this should be used as a tool to base hirings on, because it someone could just as easily lie about going to Harvard Law as they could about graduating with a major in underwater basket weaving from Kettering University. However, I think it is a very valuable personal tool for business professionals, and that is why I am using it.

I encourage all of my friends and others to sign up for this site if you haven't already. I think it can become, and is actually becoming, a very powerful tool. It may be new, but I think it would be foolish not to take advantage of the power of this tool, especially as it grows. If you are a member already, or sign up after reading this, I encourage you to seek me out and add me as a contact. If you're a reader of the Blogarrhea, you're a friend of mine, and I would love to be in contact with you.

My public address is http://www.linkedin.com/in/kregan, but you can also search for Kevin Regan and I believe I'm the first (and only) one that comes up. Hope you enjoyed the post, and I look forward to seeing you all on LinkedIn!

Kanye Travel Ventures

It looks like Kanye West has just started his own travel site called Kanye Travel Ventures. The site looks and feels just like every other travel site out there, except it's got Kanye's name on it with some pictures. It's pretty clunky too, but it was just started March 28 (from its whois lookup), so I imagine there will be improvements. I wonder what moved him to get into this industry? I don't really see the link, but maybe some of you bigger Kanye fans do? (Jerome)

That reminds me, I still have to get tickets for when he comes to Portland. It's on June 3rd I believe, at the Rose Garden, and he's got Lupe Fiasco with him, among others. Definitely a concert I want to see, and tickets are pretty cheap. However, I don't have anyone to go with. Anybody out there care to join me? Let me know.

Anyways, how many of you are going to book your next vacation through Kanye Travel Ventures?