ICM - Leeds Design Agency

After Christmas there are plenty of empty boxes kicking about. So incorporating this in a guerrilla marketing campaign is a great idea.

Recently Dutch creative agency Ubachswisbrun JWT created enormous cardboard boxes with Mini Coopers printed on them and bits of gift-wrapping coming out of the top, then leaving said boxes out by the rubbish. It created a lot of interest as this video shows.

It’s not a totally new concept though, in 2004 Paris’ City Transit Authority, the RATP, ran a series ads proclaiming “One New Bus Per Day” and showing a Photoshopped image of an enormous cardboard box with a bus on the side.

I’m hoping West Yorkshire gets a few deliveries as our public transport definitely needs it.

According to the adverts on television, now is the perfect time to book a holiday, give up smoking, buy some new carpet, and a new car, go on a diet, stock up on creme eggs, get some laminate flooring, and go to that discount sofa warehouse before that never-ending sale actually ends.

Has the New Year’s Resolution become a bit of a thing of the past? A resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day. Some examples include resolutions to donate to charity, to become more assertive, or to become more environmentally responsible.

There are religious parallels to this tradition. People may act similarly during the Christian fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than of responsibility. During Judaism’s New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one’s wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. The concept, regardless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.

My resolution? Well, apart from removing the 6lbs gained over the festive period, is to ride my bike more, take more photographs, get away more at weekends and spend time with friends and family. Also to think more and be more positive and proactive – maybe it’s a New Year’s Revolution?

What’s yours?

Some of the most recognisable adverts from the past year.

Compare the Meerkat

First launched in January 2009 and created by agency VCCP Aleksandr now has an army of friends and followers on facebook and twitter

T-Mobile – Life’s for Sharing