New Media? That’s so last week!
25/06/2010

Print and TV are fast becoming poor relations to new media these days, and there’s a bewildering variety of it – viral, social, guerrilla and augmented reality – for clients wishing to bolster their street credibility.

You probably can’t get more ‘street’ than the new media phenomena about to be launched in California: digital car number plates which switch to scrolling advertisements when vehicles are stuck in traffic. It’s basically a ruse for the State to raise money to tackle its $19 billion budget deficit – Chancellor George Osborne please note! – But you can see the potential.

Excruciating headlines like ‘Success on a plate’, ‘We’ve got your number’ and ‘Follow me to …’ come to mind, but perhaps its greatest potential in the UK would be for clients like
British Rail and Virgin Trains, with slogans like ‘Gridlocked? Next time take the train!’

Thinking on this makes me wonder why other public service communications have not yet capitalised on their advertising potential. Imagine, for example, a platform announcement at your local rail station: ‘The 7.15 for Liverpool Street has been delayed by five minutes due to a technical fault – so there’s just time to grab a Caffé Nero from the station buffet’.

Or imagine your local airport departure board twinkling to life with the announcement: ‘Flight delayed? Spend your holiday cash in our duty free shops!’

But perhaps the greatest untapped new medium is the sat nav. Instead of those long pregnant pauses followed by startling interruptions (‘At the next junction turn left – LEFT! – You numbskull!) you could be plugged into a shopping channel with reference to special offers in the malls you happen to be passing.

Now there’s an advertisers dream. With any luck your customers will never reach their destination!