Advertising in Space
Branding space! Advertiser are eyeing the space as a potential advertising frontier, the last time there was argument over an orbiting billboard was in 1993, when a plan surfaced from Space Marketing to launch a mile-wide raft displaying the Olympic rings into low orbit in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta games. The catch was that earthlings would need special glasses to see the rings, which could be given out with the purchase of a sponsor’s product. The reported cost was between $15 to $30 million. Now after 13 years the debate is back on, an American attorney will present a document titled “In Defense of Advertising in Space” at the International Astronautical Conference that is being held in Valencia, Spain.
The Outdoor Advertising Association of America doesn’t believe in billboards in space, the president of a company that manufactures aircraft doesn’t believe in the idea too, but said if an advertiser branded an international space station it could help decreasing the cost of going to space. The scenario is presented now but in a reversed way, Maxim, an American magazine, has placed a cover reproduction on a 75 X 100 foot patch of desert about 35 miles south of Las Vegas that was meant to be viewed on Google Earth.
Are we going to witness branded clouds and stars? Which brand is going to be the first to place its logo on the moon?
Notable Space Ad-Ventures:
1993: Arnold Schwarzenegger buys an ad on the side of a rocket to promote “Last Action Hero.”
1996: Pepsi pays Russia to float a can outside the Mir space station.
2000: Pizza Hut puts its logo on side of Proton rocket in Kazakhstan and delivers the first pizza to space.
2001: Lego promotes its “Life on Mars” set by sending it into space-along with 300 Lego aliens-on a Russian expedition.
2002: Pepsi considers giving away a ride on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and ‘N Sync’s Lance Bass looks for sponsors to pay his way. Both plans fizzle.
2006: A Russian astronaut is expected to whack a golf ball into orbit off the International Space Station as part of a promotion for Element 21, a golf-equipment manufacturer.
Via [Ad Age]
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Hylooz said
am October 12 2006 @ 11:53 am
i just myself who will buy coca cola and pizza in the space!!!….
Hylooz said
am October 12 2006 @ 11:55 am
i just ask myself who will buy coca cola and pizza in the space!!!….
Samer Marzouq said
am October 12 2006 @ 11:55 am
Mybe people of Mars
the idea is to expose us, people of earth to those ads 
Hylooz said
am October 12 2006 @ 12:04 pm
loool maybe we have to open resturant there it’ll be a profitable
Samer Marzouq said
am October 12 2006 @ 12:34 pm
hehehe, lets go on business together
MommaBean said
am October 15 2006 @ 2:58 am
Man, there are people out there who are always thinking. Only time will tell if they will be successful brainstorms or more of brain farts. I suspect the Maxim ad will go over well among savvy younger google earth users. But, I don’t really foresee people swooping around google earth looking for like ads. So, while the first one got press, the later ones likely will not… Anyway, thanks for this peek into the ad workd. It’s been years since I regularly read Ad Age, but it had really interesting new takes back then too. Some of them are common place now…
Samer Marzouq said
am October 15 2006 @ 7:30 am
I tried to locate that ad on Google Earth but I couldn’t, but I believe this can inspire others to such things inside the city, maybe a huge rooftop or buildings shaped or arranged in a specific way. Anyway thanks a lot MommaBean - are you in the advertising & marketing industry?
MommaBean said
am October 16 2006 @ 4:26 pm
Nope, but I’ve always had an interest in both. I’m the advertisers worst nightmare, I love the ads and can repeat their theme exactly, but have no idea who is was for… I did help found a special interest group for Marketing Project Management. In college, I read a whole host of various publication like Ad Age, Financial Times, US News and World Report, Cosmo, you know the whole range. Oh, and I do seem toe nd up doing alot of internal communications work at the companies I’ve been involved with.
Samer Marzouq said
am October 17 2006 @ 8:05 am
Interesting MommaBean
, and you really have an interesting blog with interesting topics about Jordan, you should be on Jordan Planet 
MommaBean said
am October 19 2006 @ 10:46 pm
Thanks Samer. I’m trying, but I think they ignored my application. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone over there. I am totally and completely wasta-less :(. So, I’ll keep waiting and wailing :).
Samer Marzouq said
am October 20 2006 @ 3:09 am
They should add your blog, it is really interesting
inshalla you will have wasta some day.