Fake Advertising
Innovation or reverse innovation. Philly.com in my opinion has reached a new low for measuring their advertising results and developing a new media plan. They have added fake advertising to their site. If you scroll down to the bottom of one their fake ads this is what it reads:
“The Derrie-Air campaign is a fictitious advertising campaign created by Philadelphia Media Holdings to test the results of advertising in our print and online products and to stimulate discussion on a timely environmental topic of interest to all citizens. All names, identities, characters, persons, whether living or dead, companies, situations, offers, products, services, and other information appearing in this campaign and the associated website are fictitious. Any resemblance to real or fictitious names, identities, characters, persons, whether living or dead, companies, situations, offers, products, services, or other information, is purely coincidental and unintentional. In other words, smile, we’re pulling your leg.”
It is definitely something new, but how can you test the likliness of someone clicking on an add, if you you’re not even bring truthful to your cusomters. Something might be eye catching if it’s totally off the cuff versus if it is for say, orbitz.com or something of that nature.
With advertisers struggling to meet their sales quotas they need to think outside the box, but perhaps using design thinking principles and utlizing their readers to help design their products they would have more success.