First Impressions of Berlin Advertising

Upon first, second, and third glance I conclude that Berlin’s advertising is more technologically advanced than advertising in South Florida. All the major crossings and their corresponding subway stations have advertisements on LED Screens, and there are also inter-changing medium sized posters. The main advertisements I’ve seen on the LED screens are what seem to be local advertisements and breaking news. All the inter-changeable posters have been for the iPad and Dolce & Gabbana watches.

Advertising on an LED screen is attention grabbing for the simple fact that the picture is so crisp and clear. I was not able to understand the ads because they were written and produced in German. I did notice that people took notice to the LED screens especially when a broadcast was on. From this observation it can be concluded that advertisements displayed on LED screen may have a higher probability of being seen. Even in the heavily crowded stations packed with advertising the LED screen had a way of breaking up the clutter. I believe that if a campaign was measured that used this method of advertising the results would show that it was very effective.

Another advanced medium used for advertising that I have seen here are what I would call “interchangeable medium sized posters.” They are posters in a stand that have backlighting and every 15 seconds or so the image changes. I have seen these stands throughout central Berlin but have only seen them encompass iPad and D&G ads. I also find this medium to be an attention grabber because the posters images are already very crisp and the backlight definitely makes them pop out even more.

What I find interesting about the interchangeable posters is that both ad campaigns have no call to action. I would say that the purpose of them both is to attract attention and ignite interest. Putting an ad like this atop a backlight is a great tactic it’s like adding another element to “illuminate” the ad.

Both the LED screens and the interchangeable posters would be great for local and global campaigns, as well as new and old brands. As I mentioned both mediums received great attention from consumers so older brands can remain relevant and newer brands would be able to gain an identity. In South Florida with the cluster of all different shapes, sizes, and mediums of advertising campaigns would benefit from using these two strategies. LED screens and interchangeable posters are attractive, innovative, cost effective and are definitely advertising for the 21^st century. The above photo was taken at a train station, you may not be able to make out what’s on the screen but you can tell how effective a campaign might be using this medium.