A Great Answer to Ad Blindness

Advertisers spend a great deal of time and resources developing campaigns – only to become victims of ad blindness. Ad blindness pertains to a consumer’s unconscious ability to look past, over and around advertisements. Many websites attempt to combat ad blindness by shaking up their page layout just as consumers are getting used to it. DVRs have all but sealed the fate of television commercials.

So, battling ad blindness requires a bit of cleverness and I recently came across a great example from the Coca-Cola Company. Take a look at how they forced people to look at their bus stop posters.

Looks like it worked to me! People were actually leaning on the posters without giving a moment’s notice to the message. The Velcro attached to their clothing (and hair!) and achieved a guaranteed look at the posters.
Notes:

• When I first came across this example, it was presented as a new technique. But this was actually utilized in France in 2009. You be the judge as to whether or not the video was staged.
• The creator of the posters was smart not to use very strong Velcro. Can you imagine the PR nightmare if people were unable to separate their hair from the posters?!?
• This post must acknowledge the true Velcro pioneer, David Letterman, for the use of this space-age material in his hi-jinks.

Letterman has always been a "clingy" guy.