Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    This Google Map Brought to You by Coke

    By
    Ben Charny
    -
    April 26, 2006
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Welsh writer and artist David Lloyd, aka the blogger Dio Bach, believes a recent advertising experiment by Maxim Magazine outside of Las Vegas is the first of the new slew of much slicker “ground ads” to come.

      Loosely defined, ground ads are advertisements large enough to show up on a satellite map image, like those available at Google, Yahoo et al. Here’s one example.

      What Maxim did was create a gigantic version of its 100th edition’s cover, then instal it (cover-side up of course) on a barren patch of land just outside Las Vegas. Squint hard enough at a Google Earth image of the area, and you’ll see it.

      There’s nothing new to advertisers exploiting an aerial view. But now Google Earth and other online mapping features provide the mechanism to deliver such ads for free, and potentially to a global audience. In a way, what’s emerging now is a version of graffiti for the satellite age. Once the publicity and marketing industry takes over, the sky’s the limit.

      Inspired by Maxim, Lloyd created a Web site called GroundAds, a spoof of a supposedly professional ad agency that’ll apply a coat of Madison Avenue slickness to what have been largely amateurish efforts so far.

      GroundAds might be fake, but there’s a better than decent chance there are already ad agencies specializing in this kind of stuff. It’s likely Maxim Magazine needed someone with this kind of expertise to decide the proper latitude and longitude, look and feel. To date, though, Internet marketing expert Jennifer Slegg, known for her Jensense blog, hasn’t heard of any agency specializing in ground ads.

      Turns out, there are some agencies reportedly placing such ads, but none with the laser-like focus of “GroundAds.” Some often-mentioned concerns are ArtField, based somewhere in Germany, and RoofShout.

      History’s dotted with spoofs turned real. For example, an April Fools’ Day 2005 note from Mobile Ecosystem Managing Director Mark Lowenstein portended Babble, a cell phone made for children as young as 2. A year later, cell phones for adolescents are part of the wireless landscape.

      And if there once was an ad agency specializing in tattoo ads, permanent or otherwise, then it stands to reason there are a few GroundAds out there already.

      “I hope I can give you a glimpse of the nightmare that awaits,” Lloyd wrote of his rationale for creating the spoof site.

      And what ills are ahead for those averse to the proliferation of ground ads? Well, GroundAds, the spoof agency, offers a number of attractive packages. For the bargain hunter, a team of graffitists will spray-paint a brand name on a roadway in letters large enough to be seen from space.

      Want something more? There are floating man-made reefs for overseas travelers to spot from planes, or the chance to emboss a brand onto a road. GroundAds also pretends to have a kind of affiliate program where people can rent out their rooftops as ad space.

      Ben Charny
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×