Climbing in Advertising

I work in advertising (copywriter). So this caught my eye. It's pretty cool from an advertising perspective (I'd love to have it in my portfolio). But... I kinda also dig it as a climber. I'd love to hop up there and send it haha.

adweek.com/adfreak/watch-pe…

If you want the gist without clicking the link, basically the billboard is an actual rock wall. And they had some peeps climbing it. The end.

Climbing as a marketing tool ? I often think the pimps are out and they are going to ruin something else.

beensandbagged wrote:Climbing as a marketing tool ? I often think the pimps are out and they are going to ruin something else.

Dude, climbers are bad ass. Whomever thinks they can't be us thinks we're awesome and want to be us. I can do things with my shredded climber body that a LOT of others can't. We can use our strength of mind and body to pay for life.

Pretty cool! I'd be stoked to be paid to climb a fake wall for a day.

Cool stunt. Giant waste of money though, as most marketing gimmicks are. What are they going to do when they're done with the ad campaign? Tear it down?

120 ft artificial wall is pretty impressive...that's got to be one of the tallest in the US.

Ted Pinson wrote:Cool stunt. Giant waste of money though, as most marketing gimmicks are. What are they going to do when they're done with the ad campaign? Tear it down? 120 ft artificial wall is pretty impressive...that's got to be one of the tallest in the US.

Yes. They will tear it down. It's not going to stay up forever, obviously. But.. I want to climb it!

As far as money goes, Toyota probably already had that billboard space pre-bought and paid for. They most likely approached the ad agency and said, "Hey... we have this billboard space. But we don't know what to put on it. Come up with something cool for the Rav 4." Companies like Toyota (market leaders) didn't get to be where they are by playing it safe and listening to naysayers. ;)

Highest in the country? I don't know. I think there's a climbing wall on the outside of some hotel in Reno?

FourT6and2 wrote:I work in advertising (copywriter). So this caught my eye. It's pretty cool from an advertising perspective (I'd love to have it in my portfolio). But... I kinda also dig it as a climber. I'd love to hop up there and send it haha. adweek.com/adfreak/watch-pe… If you want the gist without clicking the link, basically the billboard is an actual rock wall. And they had some peeps climbing it. The end.

No thanks. America has a huge problem with excess advertising spam, and it's annoying. Just look at your own photo, there so many damn ads you cant even see the buildings. It would be nice if Google could invent Google Glasses that block ads in real life, like on the Internet. That's something I would pay for.

I can dig it. I grew up in a family that never would have considered rock climbing. My first knowledge of climbing was through advertising and, as someone who was terrified of heights, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Fast forward 15 years and I've climbed all over the US and shared my love for the sport as an instructor and guide. The amount of good that has come into my life due to climbing is amazing. That the original spark of inspiration came from some cheesy 90's advertisement always makes me chuckle.

I imagine that this wall in the middle of the city has the power to open up someone else's mind to new possibilities as well. If it takes Toyota's money to do that, fair enough.

If this billboard actually has 120 feet of climbable wall, then it's a contender for not just the tallest in NYC, or the USA, but one of the tallest in the world. I believe Excaliber (Netherlands) is the second tallest in the world (121 feet), and the Basecamp Climbing facility in Reno, NV is the tallest at 164 feet.

Yeah, it's a billboard. But hell... it's wicked cool either way.

FourT6and2 wrote: but one of the tallest in the world.

Not even close. The tallest artificial route in the world is 540' tall.

20 kN wrote: Not even close. The tallest artificial route in the world is 540' tall.

Oh yeah, I've seen that one but forgot about it. So you got 4 in the world. That's still a pretty solid number. I said "one of the tallest." Not "THE" tallest.

That dam
Hotel in Reno
Excalibur
Billboard

20 kN wrote: Not even close. The tallest artificial route in the world is 540' tall.

Man this make my hand sweat, this is sick,, love it, where is it?

20 kN wrote: Not even close. The tallest artificial route in the world is 540' tall.

Man you have to make a new post about this one , I mean yesterday...

20 kN wrote: No thanks. America has a huge problem with excess advertising spam, and it's annoying. Just look at your own photo, there so many damn ads you cant even see the buildings. It would be nice if Google could invent Google Glasses that block ads in real life, like on the Internet. That's something I would pay for.

That is exactly why they did a "stunt" like this. To rise above the noise, if at least for a day.

Right...but everybody knows what Toyota is and that they sell a RAV4. Most people buy cars based upon previous experience and brand loyalty, not some stupid ad campaign. The ultimate irony in business is that marketing directors don't have to actually convince consumers to buy the product, they just have to convince their bosses that their ads worked. Sales and promotions are one thing, but running an ad just to remind people you exist? Pointless.

Ted Pinson wrote:Right...but everybody knows what Toyota is and that they sell a RAV4. Most people buy cars based upon previous experience and brand loyalty, not some stupid ad campaign. The ultimate irony in business is that marketing directors don't have to actually convince consumers to buy the product, they just have to convince their bosses that their ads worked. Sales and promotions are one thing, but running an ad just to remind people you exist? Pointless.

Yes, companies spend a lot of "Demand Creation" (marketing) dollars just to look cool in the eyes of the consumer. Not quite pointless if it maintains your market position.

Ted Pinson wrote:Right...but everybody knows what Toyota is and that they sell a RAV4. Most people buy cars based upon previous experience and brand loyalty, not some stupid ad campaign. The ultimate irony in business is that marketing directors don't have to actually convince consumers to buy the product, they just have to convince their bosses that their ads worked. Sales and promotions are one thing, but running an ad just to remind people you exist? Pointless.

The companies wouldn't keep paying their marketing department if they couldn't prove that ad campaigns help sales. Every time they run a commercial for their new model or pricing, sales go up. Advertising isn't pointless. Obtrusive and often annoying? Absolutely. But does it work? You bet it does.

Quinn Baker wrote: The companies wouldn't keep paying their marketing department if they couldn't prove that ad campaigns help sales. Every time they run a commercial for their new model or pricing, sales go up. Advertising isn't pointless. Obtrusive and often annoying? Absolutely. But does it work? You bet it does.

+1

Goes back to the last time I was in Vegas for work I really wanted to climb their mini Eiffel Tower thing... maybe I need to go market it for them and get a chance to do it.

Quinn Baker wrote: The companies wouldn't keep paying their marketing department if they couldn't prove that ad campaigns help sales.

Fallacy. You assume that they are acting rationally, when the opposite is more often the case. The Emperor has new clothes.

"Every time they run a commercial for their new model or pricing, sales go up. Advertising isn't pointless. Obtrusive and often annoying? Absolutely. But does it work? You bet it does."

Correlation does not imply causation. There are a multitude of factors that affect something as large as a consumer economy, and assuming that you can attribute things like increased sales to a single factor is fallacious. Very few rigorous, scientific studies have actually been conducted on the effect of advertising, and almost all evidence that is put forth is anecdotal at best, more often faith-based. In the 70s, everyone was freaking out because they believed that subliminal advertising could subtly affect peoples' decision making without them knowing it. Then, somebody decided to actually study it...and discovered that it was bullshit.

People assume that advertising works because large companies are successful and they advertise....but this is illogical, and proves nothing. Show me that marketing works without resorting to anecdotal, circular evidence or circular fallacies.

The Matterhorn at Disneyland is climbed by park "mountaineers" during the summer. It is 147 feet tall.