I really dislike this ad.

The actual opportunity that this is failing to promote is a great one – now that the financial services that our economy is built on are on their knees, so our currency is buggered too.

Which is actually an opportunity, if we get back to actually making and exporting stuff. Now that euros buy more pounds-worth of stuff, we should all take the opportunity to sell more of it. With our newly boosted debts to pay off, you can imagine Westminster would want to wring this opportunity for everything it’s worth.

But how is this ad actually supposed to help that? It is just an abstract shape and a line that doesn’t mean anything. I only know it’s about exporting and currency because I read an article in brand republic. Sure there is a URL there, but that also serves as an example of how not to URL an outdoor ad. Who is going to remember that?

The web destination is crap too of course, not that anyone will ever see it. It’s actually easier to photograph it and blog about it from a mobile than it is to read their intended bumpf.

I spotted this in London today – the first example of “Cleanvertising” I
have personally seen – at the Smithfield Market end of St John’s
Street in Farringdon.

Cleanvertising in London

If you are not familiar with the concept of cleanvertising, I suggest you have a quick read of this post on Springwise, which is where I first heard of it.

Although it looks like someone has spray painted the pavement, it has actually had the graphic cleaned out of the dirt on the floor. So the Bacardi graphic is the clean bit, the contrast is how dirty the floor is.

I love this idea because it allows a brand to go geurilla without upsetting anyone or getting fined. It is free media and if the council doesn’t like it, it provides a nice nudge for them to clean the pavement.

So how could this be relevant to Sainsbury’s?
We are looking for places and ways to remind customers to not forget their reusable bags. Could this be a fun and very PRable of getting the message out there? Opens up a new take on “cleaning up”!