| Fresh Baked |

So my friend and I are walking outside of the mall in Potsdamer Platz after eating lunch, and I glance at the floor where I see writing. Written on the sidewalk in chalk is a message about something “fresh baked.” I begin looking around and realize that just up the street is a bakery. The sheer genius of the tactic hit me and I realized how much foot traffic must pass by that very sidewalk daily. As it is not a permanent inscription and does not mention a brand or a company, the message is completely legal and does not violate any city ordinances (as confirmed through my German source). Now there is nothing inventive about placing written messages in public places however, the area this message was placed and the manner in which it dances around the various limitations imposed on advertising is indeed Non-traditional. What I mean is -- I am yet to hear about how much Nike allotted for its sidewalk chalk advertisements in its last few campaigns.
This is just one example of how inventive Advertising can be. In trying to reflect on what is considered traditional and what is nontraditional I find myself in a chicken and egg scenario. What is considered traditional to me may not be for someone in a different country. I have to be honest; I did a little research before writing this assignment and the most common definition of non traditional advertising was any form that was atypical or grasped the viewer’s attention of without them expecting it. (Chalk on a sidewalk passes, would you agree?)

After our site visit to Wall AG, I was wowed by their desire to produce non traditional forms of displaying media. Though I did not get to see the real world application of their most creative inventions, the idea was enough to broaden my understanding of potential possibilities. Without getting too caught up in the technical side of the business, I believe that companies such as Wall AG that invest in urban furniture, public services, and creative media displays will set the bar for targeted (nontraditional) advertising. Even the concept that a public service, a multi media display and advertising can coexist within a single fixture is in itself nontraditional.