References

Some references which I could use in my essay:

(Mark Paterson, 2005. Consumption and Everyday Life (The New Sociology). 1 New Edition. Routledge)

'As consumers we are aware of the effects of multinational corporations and their globalised trade networks, and can see on our local high street and in our out-of-town shopping centres and alls that the front line is everywhere. 

The history of consumption has tend to see mass consumption as a response to 'false needs' created by the mass culture industry. With increasing amounts of trade, advertising and marketing at the global level, the effects on the local are often held to be negative, as homogenising, flattening our laical differences and identities in favour of bold, brash and predominately American values and products'  p.59

'Spectacles are rich, complex visual images and environments which convey cultural meanings that are then integrated into consumers' understandings of reality' p.121

'The spectacle is the domination of everyday life by images' p.122


(Max Sutherland, 2009. Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why. Allen & Unwin)

'Like graffiti, advertising has moved a long way from simply imparting direct information messages. Advertising and graffiti often have succinct, clever messages that are not direct statements of information.' p.55  

Case Study Idea - H&M

I've been thinking long and hard of a suitable brand which utilities outdoor advertising as a marketing and promotional tool, the first brand which came to my mind were the of likes of McDonalds, Virgin and Nike. However, I feel researching these brands wouldn't add anything new to the research which has been carried out before. Therefore I considered recent billboards I could which occupy public space in cities, taking over entire buildings, selling a product. This lead me to think about H&M a leading, international, fashion retailer. H&M has a strong brand presence outdoors and has adapted campaigns over the years. There are many aspects of the brands use of billboards which I will analyse in detail, such as the placement, the use of celebrity endorsement and the interactivity. The brand was recently accredited with a 'Best use of Continuity in Outdoor' by Clear channel:

There is also the opportunity to discuss subversion against the brands outdoor advertisements:

The Guardian - Related Articles

A few links to articles I read recently on the Guardian:

'Ban outdoor advertising' Neal Lawson (2012)

We can choose the magazines we look at. But we've no freedom to walk down the street without facing the advertisers' assault                                    
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/20/ban-outdoor-advertising 
Opinionated, subjective, bias, but some interesting points   

'Britain's most Wanted' Jennifer Whitehead (2007)

They are icons in their own right and can't be missed by anyone nearby - so they offer what advertisers most want. Here's a selection of the UK's top outdoor sites. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jun/25/advertising10 

'Advertising billboards use facial recognition to target shoppers' Michael Fitzpatrick (2010) 

In Japan, sci-fi prophecy is now becoming reality, with the first digital billboards tailored to passing shoppers tried out in malls. http://www.theguardian.com/media/pda/2010/sep/27/advertising-billboards-facial-recognition-japan

'Virgin Territory' Mark Sweney (2011)

Interactive poster, by ad agency Elvis, breaks new ground for Virgin Trains  
http://www.theguardian.com/best-awards-2011/maa-virgin-territory
Interesting advertising campaign, live, updated, personal  

Outdoor Possibilities

This article: 'Anything and everything is possible' for outdoor' (2009) contains answers, to questions regarding current Outdoor Advertising, by leading staff members, from the companies Clear Channel and JCDecaux. There are many interesting and relevant points raised which discuss how advertiser's are trying to engage with customers using technology and innovation. The article describes why outdoor advertising is a 'cutting-edge media' and states that with the advances in technology, advertising can be updated and adapted almost instantly.  

Sam Bird (head of innovation, JCDecaux) expresses that 'consumers minds are changing' in regards to interacting with advertising. Bird continues and expresses how there are now mass participant outdoor advertising events' including 'sing along digital bus shelters, highlighting the publics increased appetite for engaging outdoor experiences.' This point argues that the public want engaging outdoor experience. I can see the appeal of making a space such as a bus shelter interesting, however I also feel that it is very intrusive, we do not expect to wait for a bus surrounded by digital screens and 'sing along' interactions. 

I also found this article relevant which discusses the 'Digital Outdoor,' written in 2010 this text provides a useful insight in to the growth of the use of digital outdoor advertising, however I will need to consider that these figures are not up-to-date and will have changed since this was written. It provide examples of some of the leading outdoor advertising agencies and examples of companies campaigns, such as Nike using digital billboards to update England's football score.    

Baudrillard - Cultural Displays

p.312

p.317

'In postmodernity, we are hard-pressed to find any space or any object that isn't communication or advertising something beyond itself.'

Extract from: The End of Everything: Jean Baudrillard - Sage Publications 

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/36029_14.pdf

Advertiser's are constantly trying to find news ways of marketing their products, the latest technologies are used in new and exciting ways to attract consumers attention. Baudrillard describes how 'in order to make an impression, cultural displays must be more and more spectacular' this applies to my research regarding outdoor advertising. Billboards, for example, are becoming increasingly less static, using screens, motion and interactive media advertising in outdoor spaces is becoming arguably harder to ignore. 

Below I decided to find examples of innovative outdoor advertising which support the point that 'cultural displays must be more and more spectacular' 

Ralph Lauren 4D projections on the store front on London's Bond Street

Tesco''s virtual shopping boards, people can scan items to buy using their phones

McDonald's interactive  billboard game

Virgin's live interactive billboard uses a copywriter to personalise references about individuals stood under the arrow 

Watch this Space!

(David Bernstein, 2004. Advertising Outdoors: Watch This Space! Phaidon Press)

'Encounters [of advertising] may be distant and fleeting (though advertisers hope the message is neither). They are always moving - you pass it, it passes you, the two of you move together' p.09

'Outdoor advertising is a means of extending a national TV or press campaign to a locality. Location is one of the medium's main strengths. The advertisier knows where the consumer is at the moment of impact.' p.63

'For those advertisers needing to be seen to be international, outdoor ads provide immediate evidence. They say 'we're here, we're important, 'we're part of the local scene, we offer the same values worldwide' p.207

This book discusses outdoor advertising as where advertising began, it discuss in depth the history of outdoor advertising specifically through looking at the progression of the poster and billboard. The book provide countless examples of successful outdoor marketing and explores the industries progression and innovations. In the section of the book which discusses the 'Future of outdoor' and 'Beyond the Billboard' it becomes how far technology has come since this book was published in 2004. Bernstein mentions the introductions of digital billboards which are now commonplace in cities around the world, it's clear with the development of smart phones, and social media that advertising has become much more interactive.   

'Clearing the Air'

(Vincent, I 2007, 'Clearing the air of 'visual pollution'', Maclean's, 120, 44, p. 41, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 October 2013)

This is a short article which I found related to the 'visual pollution' of advertising in cities, it talks specifically about Brazil. The text describes how in Rio large Billboards have been banned to 'clean up' the cities and enhance the cities landscape. An interesting point is about the 'balance' of advertising being used in urban environments in order not to 'obscure' landscapes. 

I found some more information on São Paulo, the city which said no to invasive advertising, on Adbusters website: https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/73/Sao_Paulo_A_City_Without_Ads.html  

The reception towards the ban of outdoor advertising in the city could be said to be generally positive with the '70 percent approval' result from surveys of the cities residents. However an interesting point is when considering the argument against the ban people have commented that the city has actually lost vibrancy from the removal of bright, contrasting advertisements.  

Earlier this year (March 2013) an online petition named 'Bristol: the city that said no to advertising' targeted Bristol City council regarding banning billboards/advertising in public spaces. The petition was only signed by 831 people but it's interesting that there is an interest/action against excessive billboards in cities. 

 (http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1815)