Call it buzz, guerrilla, viral, word-of-mouth, whatever – marketing and advertising stunts and ideas that achieve free attention are working now perhaps better than ever before. Of course, they are much less expensive than TV or print ads so they are a good alternative in this economic climate. And even if the marketer had the money to spend on lavish conventional media campaigns, using guerrilla tactics appears frugal and smart and appeals to an audience that appreciates such attitudes.

If the guerrilla stunt works and gains news media coverage and serious online buzz, then it has also achieved the coveted third-party endorsement and peer-reviews  that are so important to today’s consumers.

We’ve recently highlighted a few simple and clever examples of this in our advertising section. The most recent was the People as Fleas idea.

A similar large-scale floor sticker was used in January by a Swiss skydiving school. Their agency, Wirz/BBDO Switzerland, managed to execute a simple idea that achieved media coverage and is still making the online rounds. The images of the city skyline make it extremely clear what Swiss Skydive.org can do for you. - Tuija Seipell

No more living in denial about the size of your waist line, thanks to this fantastic albeit terrifying guerrilla marketing initiative from the health club chain, Fitness First. Unsuspecting commuters in the Netherlands are faced with viewing their body weight in bright lights - quite literally - when they take a seat at this Rotterdam bus stop. Scary to say the very least, but extraordinarily clever and likely to increase membership numbers at the local Fitness First. The brainchild of Netherlands’ agency N=5, the initiative takes the concept of guerilla marketing to a whole new level. - Lisa Evans

If it’s bubbles you want, Aero offers them up in more ways than one, at least on video. Aero’s maker Nestlé chose Skate Fairy Ty Evans of the Lakai footwear Fully Flared video fame, to create a yummy video that is making the viral rounds. It features the Rio-born Bob Burnquist aka Robert Dean Silva Burnquist having some enviable fun on the bubbles.

Click to watch it - It's awesome

We don't think there's a person left on this earth who isn't thrilled/glad/relieved to see the back of George Bush, America's worst president  - and that includes Republicans. Which is why we laughed out loud when a reader sent in this brilliant ad in the Australian newspaper, The Daily Telegraph today. Supermarket hair removal brand Veet joined in the loud chorus of 'goodbye and good riddens' and sold a few more tubes of hair removal cream at the same time. Brilliant. No more Bush indeed. - Laura Demasi

Created by Eurorscg Australia
Art Director: Patrycja Lukjanow
Copy Writer: John Gault
Creative Director: Rowan Dean

Many of us have a fascination with graffiti art, and we sometimes even look over our shoulders to make sure no one’s watching when we scratch out our initials in a freshly laid slab of cement — or carve them into a wooden desk — or even scribble profanities across the stall door in a public restroom. 

The creative minds working for Sharpie, the ultimate in permanent markers, have discovered a way to satiate our desires to deface public domain.  Interactive e-cast billboards have been scattered around cities, which allow people to experience the rush of creating their own graffiti.  Choose some colours, write a message and Sharpie makes it possible for anyone to leave his permanent mark on the side of the bus stop or the public phone or anywhere else billboard adverting may be experienced. Andrew J Wiener.

It's just days away from one of the most anticipated US federal elections in history and both sides are plowing into spin overdrive. Which is why we love this amazing original advertisement that has succeeded in doing what most politicians don't  - cut through the crap in a single succinct moment.

Created by creative director - Tor Myhren from Grey NYC,  the posters slice through the race issue between candidates - acknowledging that much of this campaign has predictably but stupidly been re-cast as a battle between black and white. Myhren's powerful imagery rightly implies that this is all just distraction, seeking to refocus our attention onto what really matters - the issues.

Even before the results are in, the posters have become collectors items, with New Yorkers unable to help themselves from swiping them off the streets.  - Lisa Evans

 

Thanks to Apple and its superior design, marketing, advertising and, well, anything else to do with creating and selling a product, most other global communications brands have languished in a kind of brand-image purgatory. Sony is fighting back with this great campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, helmed by art director Eron Broughton. The agency took Sony's earphones and literally mapped out the New York subway system, mimicking a traditional subway map. It's a simple idea but powerful in its execution, giving Sony a much-need dose of coolness. At last, other brands are thinking outside of the square. Now all Sony needs to do is apply that principle to its actual products. Innovate or die, guys. - Laura Demasi

 

To promote the exclusive thrillers and horror films on 13th Street, the toilet of a nightclub in Hamburg was specially prepared. Just after entering the room, the light suddenly goes out and the room is bathed in Black light. And now a bloody crime scene becomes visible on the floor and walls: "See what others don't see. 13TH STREET. The Action and Suspense Channel."

Ad Agency - Creative Director: Bernd Kramer

To promote the line of Procter & Gamble's Wella Koleston HairCare Naturals hair colourant, H & C - Leo Burnett Beirut did thiscreative piece of outdoor where the woman's hair, die cut out of the billboard, allows the colour variations of day and night shine through.Brilliant!

Leo Burnett in Sao Paulo created this simple yet clever ad for Arcor bubble gum.

We came across this clever print ad for Vespa scooters. Visually effective and well executed, it is playful, simple and gets the point across fast (no pun intended). Nice work team Vespa. By Brendan McKnight

A print campaign by NSW Police in Australia to raise awareness of the number of teenagers dying as a result of listening to iPods while they cross the road is beginning to reach epidemic proportions. Who knew!

In a world where conservation and efficiency are becoming the standard, a greater number of companies are doing anything and everything they can to continue keeping awareness in the consciousness of the consumer. In this billboard for Philips, a consistent leader in corporate sustainability, the image of their globe is printed in ink that glows in the dark. The energy saving poster eliminates the need for artificial lighting. By Andrew J Wiener

Print Ad for Videocon Washing machines, created by Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai 

Retro video game iconic heroes have been making a come back for some time now. From T-shirts through to shoes, we have seen the likes of Mario, Donkey Kong and dare we say their rival, Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog plastering their  pixelated faces all over some funky wears.

Hot on the heels of this fad, gaming giant Nintendo have promoted their latest baby Wii in Italy with this interesting wall display created by a series of posted notes. Behind each not lies a message inviting the recipient to relive the 80's through some classic games available on Wii. The post it notes make a nice 3D representation of a 2D pixel. Cute. By Andy G

Roadside billboard ads set out in consecutive order to deliver their message are nothing new. However when the message is as poignant as this campaign, drivers sit up and notice.

Using the old flick book art form of animation and motion the individual images create a fast moving clip to a driver speeding by them at high speeds. Quite literally, for a speeding driver life can flash by them in a split second. By Andy G

Isbank in Turkey have created this billboard ad which has passers-by literally stopping in their tracks. From a distance one sees what appears to be a cop car hiding behind a billboard, which automatically makes the passer by slow down enough to read the small text on the board. "Pay your traffic tickets on time without waiting in line - isbank.com.tr". To ad insult to injury, it then becomes apparent that the cop car is a fake cut out. Advertising bastardry at its best. By Andy G

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Baggage claims at airports get more and more interesting for advertisers. The Venice Casino uses the moving ad space to communicate with tourists. Additionally free tickets for the casino get shared to the tourist.
 

Nothing grabs an audience's attention more effectively than a clever optical illusion. Combine that with an ingenious ad campaign and you get this brilliant mobile billboard for The Red Cross, currently gracing the streets of San Francisco.

It's photo journalism, meets Hollywood blockbuster movie poster, and it is turning plenty of heads wherever it parks itself. Enthusiastic onlookers have been snapping up photos of the mobile billboard and posting, uploading and sharing them online with friends. This is a brilliant example of how an audience can further promote the exposure of a great advertising campaign through mobile phones, blogs and sites such as flicker. By Andy G