Is it Possible to Make a Location Iconic Overnight? You'd be Surprised!

While there are obviously inherently iconic locations like the aforementioned focal points of New York City and Paris which are frequently photographed attract tourists used as reference points for directions etc there are also ways believe it or not to make an area iconic by adding to itamp160 And it can happen overnightThere are a number of recent examples that come to mindamp160 The original icon of downtown Manhattan39s Wall Street Charging Bull was upstaged earlier this year by the Fearless Girl statue a defiant installation by asset manager State Street which drew international attention for highlighting the struggle for female executives to reach leadership positionsamp160 All of this buzz including social media TV radio and print news coverage resulted in 74 million in free publicity for State Street according to Bloombergamp160 While there was definitely an existing draw for people to see the iconic Bull I39d venture to say that the new Girl statue made that area of Wall Street the most relevant it39s been since the Bull landed 28 years agoAnother iconic overnight success story was when the mysterious street artist Banksy held a New York City residency in 2013 called Better Out Than In which featured 31 days of new art installationsamp160 Banksy leveraged his already massive following to unveil his new work and announce its location online every dayamp160 It brought people to the far reaches of NYC39s five boroughs to view his iconic work which included quotelaborate graffiti large scale street sculpture video installation and substandard performance artquotamp160 Leave it to Banksy to generate tourism and make seemingly ordinary locations like the banks of Flushing Creek in Queens or a random street corner in East New York relevant and iconicamp160amp160But the fact of the matter is this you don39t need to be a street artist with 17 million followers on Instagram or a publicly traded financial services company to make your own iconic splash turning a location into something that becomes synonymous with your brandamp160 It just takes a little creativityThis is why I love the world of outofhome OOH advertisingamp160 I love the opportunity to understand and help grow our clients39 brandsamp160 Because outdoor advertising has that ability to just be quotvisually loudquot we39re not only able to help brands like Snapchat take over Times Square but also can give a local diner in Kansas an iconic presence in the city it calls homeI also love the challengesamp160 Every client is different they each have their unique stories specific target audiences varying goals and missions and there39s no silver bullet in advertising which makes tackling each campaign feel so newamp160 It39s more than just understanding the client it39s also understanding broader themes like what makes people tick what gets them out of bed and pumped for the day etcBreaking through all the clutter of desperate wants and hopes and identifying that one need is difficult but when you39re able to provide a simple message or visual and blow it up in a way that39s truly unforgettable that39s where the fun beginsamp160 There are so many ways to do it simply by the nature of the OOH medium and any thought you have in that realm of quotwhat ifquot has some way of becoming realityWhat if we had a 10foot tall light bulb that could turn on and off see photo at topamp160 Or how about an 8foot monster that hangs upside downWhat if we could have a 30foot shark quotswimquot off of a billboard or as ridiculous as it sounds a 50foot long rack of ribs hang high in the skyamp160 These quotwhat ifsquot have already become realitiesNow imagine seeing a huge 3D shark looking as if it is swimming off a billboardamp160 It39s something you39ve never seen before which demands a reaction and engagement on some levelamp160 Ideally it starts a conversationamp160 And just like that this one visceral billboard now has become the talk of the town and has helped elevate the associated brand39s awareness for everyone who passes by the adamp160 Because we love to take and share pictures in today39s digital age this huge shark starts appearing on social media channels and so onBy elevating the creative to new heights this business has taken what was once a simple billboard location and made it iconic seemingly overnightamp160 The advertisement becomes part of the daily lives of the community and people around itamp160 The brand has gained a new relevance in the perception of its consumersIn Kansas City the World39s Largest BBQ drew major buzz this year with the aforementioned 3D 50foot long inflatable rack of ribsamp160 Whether people loved the sight of delicious smothered ribs or hated the giant slab of meat it sparked nearly 8 million impressionsWhen you ignite a social storm of Instagram posts Tweets and news coverage over one ad with a 3D inflatable prop that is iconicamp160 Considering the pricing for these props are a fraction of what traditional 3D props were just a few years ago today any business local regional or national could potentially have an iconic presence in their marketDon39t get me wrong just slapping up a cool 3D inflatable prop isn39t going to guarantee instant buzzamp160 We still have to mine our craft There still is that need of understanding the core root of a business39 purposeamp160 If we can nail that down the heart of a brand can be represented in an adamp160 We can design a message that connects with the people that see and hear about itamp160 We can create that iconic 3D inflatable billboard that becomes legendary overnightClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Is it Possible to Make a Location Iconic Overnight? You'd be Surprised!

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Eddy Herty

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

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Is it Possible to Make a Location Iconic Overnight? You'd be Surprised!

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