Menori

I had some travelling to do over the weekend and decided to take some good reading material with me on the train. I’m still reading Chuck Norris’ autobiography (that in itself should be made into a film, the entire planet would cry) at the moment. I also took Guanxi which is about Microsoft’s foray into China.

However neither of them actually made it out of my bag as at the station I bought a copy of Fast Company magazine. I’ve read Fast Company in the past, and even had a subscription to Business 2.0, but I’ve never been bowled over by it’s content. This latest issues, which I pretty much read cover to cover, did have some interesting articles in.

From the article highlighting the lovely and talented Ambra Medda and her design shows in New York City, to the one about how ‘cool’ has stayed constant for the past 50 years but ‘wicked’ only saw out the 80’s and early 90’s. This issue of Fast Company made me think about the small article about advertising.

Seems there are plenty of companies out there, Google and Microsoft included, that are prepared to offer advertising space on every square inch of screen real estate they’ve got. But this was not about online advertising, nor it’s 30% year on year growth, this was about ye olde physical advertising. It was about adverts in urinals (called a ‘Wizmark’), adverts on parking stripes and adverts on plug sockets in airport lounges. These are actual schemes in place, designed to trigger some sort of “unexpected connection to memorable, real-world experiences in ways that brings brands to life”.

But how long before people selling the Big Issue are wearing jackets emblazoned with corporate logos and say ‘I’m Loving It’ as you pass, ignoring the magazine that they’re peddling? Adverts on the side of cooling towers (yes it’s been thought of), adverts on toilet paper, adverts on the side of people’s homes. Where does it end? Who knows….?