Anyone who's been following our work knows we have a lot of time for Marshall McLuhan, and his core notion that "the medium is the message."
A lesson that seems to have been lost on two recent "new" media initiatives, one of which, happily has been abandoned before getting off the ground:
--Banner advertising across the toll plaza of New York's George Washington Bridge. Geico was the mulit-million dollar sponsor; the program was killed by civic activitsts, on the basis of "visual blight"
--Ads placed in the trays used to pass carry-on luggage, coats, computers, etc., at airport security.

What do these two examples have to learn from McLuhan? Simply this: both toll plaza traffic tie ups (often running upwards of an hour in New York rush hours) and airport security are probably two of the most unpleasant, stress-producing experiences one can imagine.  Not sure I'm feeling particularly receptive to brands in these environments, nor am I likely to generate favorable impressions of the brands that become part of those experiences? 
Just a thought

 

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