Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Thoughts on "Reality Advertising"

I recently read this article about "Reality Advertising" on Entrepreneur.com.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219562

The idea of this is really interesting to me. I mean, we are in a "reality" age where it seems like the sitcom is long since dead. There are definitely still some good sitcoms on TV, but it seems as though there are so many more reality shows on. On Fox for a whole week (Mon - Fri), 50% of their programming during prime time (8p - 10p) is reality television. So, why wouldn't the smart marketers make their advertising follow this trend?

What is interesting to me is how they are making this "Reality Advertising" work. There are companies that are paying someone to walk around wearing a T-shirt with a company logo on it. I think about cars that have their logo or company information which brings their information out into the public.

I really love this idea. We have become immune to pop up ads, and although it is incredibly disturbing for ads on my Yahoo to mirror what I have been searching for - I have become desensitized to these as well. It brings advertising into a whole new light. These are ideas that are innovative and eye-catching, but all while being non-intrusive. Ingenious.

It is exciting to think about the evolution of this "Social marketing" or "Reality Advertising." What's next? I am sure there are companies out there brewing some bigger ideas and I can't wait to see what those are. It is also interesting to think about how long it will take us to become desensitized to this as well because I am sure it is just a matter of time.