{"id":2895,"date":"2010-01-19T10:50:05","date_gmt":"2010-01-19T08:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tokao.com\/?p=2895"},"modified":"2010-01-19T10:50:05","modified_gmt":"2010-01-19T08:50:05","slug":"more-than-fit-to-sit-15-clever-bench-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/2010\/01\/19\/more-than-fit-to-sit-15-clever-bench-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Fit to Sit: 15 Clever Bench Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ By\u00a0Steph<\/a> in\u00a0Guerilla Marketing & Ads<\/a>,\u00a0Subvertising & Counter-Ads<\/a>,\u00a0Urban Images<\/a>. ]<\/p>\n

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A bench is a bench \u2013 except when it\u2019s also a platform for a surprising, thought-provoking, memorable advertisement that sometimes even functions as\u00a0urban art<\/a>. The best bench ads turn ubiquitous public furniture into interactive displays that entreat the public to get fit, go on vacation, try a new product and even conserve resources.<\/p>\n

District 9 Bench: For Humans Only<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0aharvey2k<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Before anyone heard of a little film called District 9, signs barring non-humans from using benches and restrooms could be seen in major cities such as Los Angeles. With a phone number and a warning that \u201cnon-human secretions may corrode metal\u201d, these advertisements blurred the line between reality and the fictional world created by the filmmakers in typical guerilla fashion.<\/p>\n

Fed-Ex Bubble Wrap Bench<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0advertolog<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Fed-Ex can ship practically anything \u2013 including benches, as \u2018demonstrated\u2019 by this bubble-wrapped bench. The ad series, conceived by BBDO New York, was created to announce the opening of FedEx Kinko\u2019s locations in fairly remote locations.<\/p>\n

Instant Ski Vacation<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0adsneeze<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Can you picture yourself on an adventurous ski trip, heading up the slope on a lift that provides stunning views of the surrounding landscape? If not, Alberta\u00a0Travel<\/a> is happy to help with this creative bench ad that even emulates skis on your feet and snow down below.<\/p>\n

Use Only What You Need<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0advertolog<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Ads promoting water conservation might be easily overlooked by a public that has begun to tune out conventional modes of promotion. But, it\u2019s hard to pass by this bench, created by Sukle Advertising & Design advertising agency for Denver Water, without taking a second look and absorbing the message: use only what you need.<\/p>\n

Skinny Bench for Skinny People<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0scaryideas<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

A similarly skinny bench communicates something different altogether: if you can\u2019t sit here, perhaps you need to lose some weight. Slim Fast helpfully points people in the right direction with a plaque that reads \u201cDonated by Slim Fast\u201d.<\/p>\n

Collapsing Bench for Special K<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0coloribus<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Similarly, one cereal brand hopes that consumers will be enticed to try their product after finding that a public bench caves in beneath their weight. This bench in Germany was made with a flexible material to shock people into thinking about how heavy they are, and convince them that 99.9% fat-free Special K was the way to fix the problem.<\/p>\n

A Weighty Matter<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0businessweek<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Of course, if undersized or collapsing seating areas don\u2019t work, there\u2019s always a more potent way to shame the overweight public: a bus shelter bench with a built-in scale that broadcasts their weight to the world at large. This one in Amsterdam was created by the world\u2019s third-largest gym chain, Fitness First.<\/p>\n

No Choice But to Get Closer<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0directdaily<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Just try sitting on this slanted bench with somebody else without sliding right into each other. It literally forces people to \u201cGet Closer\u201d, which happens to be the ad slogan for a Czech liquor called Becherovka.<\/p>\n

A Stroller Fit for a Baby Giraffe<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0ads of the world<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

This extra-tall stroller \u2013 or pram, if you\u2019re not American \u2013 certainly catches the attention of anyone who happens to sit on the bench beside it. The unusual ad by Calgary Zoo uses an embroidered blanket to tell the public that \u201cthe baby giraffe is here\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nivea Says Goodbye to Cellulite<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0directdaily<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Sitting on cellulite isn\u2019t pretty \u2013 unless it\u2019s in the form of a dimpled blue bench. This ad by Nivea promoting its Goodbye-Cellulite lotion manages to convey the message that smooth skin is superior to cellulite without anything too disturbingly skin-like.<\/p>\n

Homey IKEA Bench Makeover<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0culture-buzz<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

IKEA proves that even the ugliest, most worn-out bench you can find in an urban environment can be instantly transformed into a homey, welcoming space to relax with some inexpensive Swedish fabric and accessories.<\/p>\n

Kit-Kat Bench<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0Noah Dylan Goldblatt<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Seeing the brown slats of a bench partially enveloped in a Kit-Kat wrapper begs the question: why didn\u2019t they think of this earlier? It\u2019s a perfect fit that undoubtedly had many an onlooker suddenly craving chocolate-covered wafers.<\/p>\n

Istanbul\u2019s Book Benches<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0adrants<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

Istanbul is an open book \u2013 18 of them, in fact, all written by Turkish poets. This ad campaign not only promotes reading and publicizes the work of native writers, but turns boring public furniture into functional works of art.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International \u2018Electric Bench\u2019<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0funforever<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

We might let important social issues slip our minds while going about our daily lives, but Amnesty International is here to remind us that \u201cMore than 4000 condemned until death are waiting for their execution. No to Capital punishment\u201d. Accompanying these words at a Barcelona bus shelter was a bench designed to look like a pair of electric chairs.<\/p>\n

\u2018Extra Safe\u2019 Credit Union Ad<\/h4>\n

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(image via:\u00a0thefinancialbrand<\/a>)<\/h6>\n

If this ad and others in the same series were put out by an insurance agency, one would have to wonder whether the \u201cextra safe\u201d message really implies that consumers are buying way more coverage than they need. But the ads were actually created by FirstOntario Credit Union to assure the public that their short-term investments are secure as can be, even in this shaky economic climate \u2013 so it works.<\/p>\n

(from weburbanist<\/a>)<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[ By\u00a0Steph in\u00a0Guerilla Marketing & Ads,\u00a0Subvertising & Counter-Ads,\u00a0Urban Images. ] A bench is a bench \u2013 except when it\u2019s also a platform for a surprising, thought-provoking, memorable advertisement that sometimes even functions as\u00a0urban art. The best bench ads turn ubiquitous public furniture into interactive displays that entreat the public to get fit, go on vacation, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-2895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photo","tag-weburbanist"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}