Follow me on
Twitter

Services
Bio
Contact
What Works Now
NEW Expanded Edition
PRESS RELEASES FROM HELL and How to Fix Them
The Traditional Press Release Is Dead! The Made-for-the-Internet Release is News Now.
Buy this Report.
REALITY PR STRATEGY: Everything You Need to Know to Get Free (or Really Cheap) Publicity Now. Before you spend another dime on PR, Buy this Report.


Yecch! Folger's Coffee Made From Sewer Water

folgers.jpg
Yecch! Blecch! Ewwwww!

Folgers has placed photos of cups of coffee on vinyl covers on top of steaming manholes in New York City. Copy around the coffee cups says "Hey, City That Never Sleeps. Wake Up."

sewer.jpgManhole covers keep people from falling into sewers and other smelly, and not infrequently, gross things under the streets.

Frankly, the idea of sewer steam rising from a cup of coffee makes me want to switch to tea.

via adrants


BL Ochman | Apr 21 06 12:10 | TrackBack (1)

Comments

While at it, switch all the way to green tea, that's a lot healthier :-)

Posted by: Zoli Erdos at April 21, 2006 2:51 PM

LOL - that's hilarious.

At first I thought this was a clever way to harness an existing, every-day visual as a new advertising medium (of sorts)...

But I agree you're quite correct that very smelly vapours often waft out of sewer grates. And since smell is probably the most powerful memory triggers we have, it makes sense (no pun intended) that people may connect Folgers coffee with the smell of sewer gas.

However I still think it's a very effective ad for viewers at a distance or in an enclosed passing vehicle (ie. bus riders), etc and at least Folgers is thinking a little out of the box, which I'm always happy to see. :)

Great catch!

-Steve the bobblehead guy

Posted by: Steve Gill at April 21, 2006 3:13 PM

Adrants also featured a trash can that looks like a coffee cup. Another coffee ad campaign connected to garbage. Hmmm, a trend?
http://tinyurl.com/of48f

Posted by: Kevin Dugan at April 23, 2006 10:24 PM

Ya know what, BL?

I have to take issue with your call on this one. (And, I'm a tea drinker!)

It's a brilliant concept. It would work for most any product that is hot and served round. What an income producer.

Frankly, I don't think consumers are on your level of dissecting the message. They are just seeing the visual. This one works for me.

Here's the deal: For the past several years major market supermarkets (not the small isle ones in New York, but the 30,000+ sq foot models) have had lay-down adhesive sales units on their floors. They promote everything from produce to meat to theatre tickets.

While I don't walk across an ad for a head of lettuce and run to the produce counter, I sure see a lot of shoppers who do. Odd, but it must work on a grand scale for the programs to continue month after month.

On the ICKY front... nobody has to touch this visual. Just think of how many folks in NYC actually put their hands on a newspaper rack or a subway turnstyle or a office door. Now, that's an issue far worse than seeing an image in the middle of the road.

OK, just my 2-cents worth. Sorry for the late post on this, but I've been out of town.

Now when are you coming to Baltimore? Perhaps we can brand a crab or something!!! ;->

Posted by: Stephen Brockelman at April 24, 2006 3:45 PM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)






Email this story to a friend







TrackBacks

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.whatsnextonline.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/3121

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Yecch! Folger's Coffee Made From Sewer Water:

Tombini bollenti! from Spotanatomy.info
Bella questa pubblicità della Folgers (uno dei marchi di caffè più importanti negli States). L'effetto è così realistico perchè non ci sono trucchi! In varie città degli USA, infatti, il fumo dai tombini è un fenomeno abbastanza comune. Anche a Napol... [Read More]

Tracked on April 21, 2006 1:29 PM

Search


Join the What's Next Blog mailing list
Email:

Contact: BL (at) whatsnextonline (dot) com
212.369.8312



blog advertising


About BL Ochman
BL Ochman
Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations


Poll ID 0 does not exist.


top 25 marketing blog

B.L.'s flickr photos








    Categories
    Ad targeting
    Advertainment
    Advertisement
    Advertising Campaigns
    Alternative Marketing
    Awards
    B.L. Ochman
    Benny Bix
    Best Practices
    Blog Advertising
    Blog Bashing
    Blog ethics
    Blog Legal Issues
    Blog Post From Hell
    Blog Software
    Blogging and Moblogging
    Bloomberg for President
    Books
    Business Communications
    Business Ethics
    Buzz
    Case Studies
    Clueless ad agencies
    Commentary
    Conferences
    Corporate_Blogging
    Cross Media
    Customer Service Issues
    Dead Tree Journalism
    Design Train Manifesto
    Digital Journalism
    Don't Believe the Hype
    E-Commerce
    Email Marketing
    Entertainment
    Ethics Crisis
    Events
    Fatblogging
    Folksonomy
    Fun
    Global Business
    Heard on the street
    Hurricane Katrina
    Internet
    Internet PR
    Internet strategy
    Interviews
    Leaders
    Marketing Strategy
    Media Relations
    Memes
    Mike Bloomberg for President
    Multi-Media Advertising
    Must-Read Articles
    Needs a Blog
    New Products
    News
    Nikon D80 Blogger Program
    Nikon D80 Blogger Program
    Nonsense and Parodies
    Peer to peer
    Peer-to-peer
    People to Watch
    Pet Food News
    Podcasting
    Politics
    PR Cluelessness
    Press Release From Hell
    Product Placements
    Promotions
    Public Relations
    Publishing
    Reality Marketing
    Reports
    Resources
    RSS
    Satire
    Search Engine Marketing
    Second Life
    Shameless Self Promotion
    Social Media
    Social Media Marketing
    Studies
    Surveys
    Technology
    Thought Leaders
    Top Bloggers Essential Research Tools
    Trends
    Up and Comers
    Up Your Budget Treasure Hunt
    User Generated Content
    Venture Capital
    Video Contests
    Viral Marketing
    Virtual Marketing
    Vlogs
    Word of Mouth
    Worst Practices

    Powered by
    Movable Type 3.31