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Why look at an advertisement when you can smell, feel or taste the product? Feeling the need to work out of the box, advertisers now consider experiential advertising more effective and eye (or nose or mouth)- catching than a simple print ad. A few months ago, I wrote about Absolut vodka advertising in bus shelters, posing as faux-bars and providing a colorful and mouth-watering wait for riders. And there’s a billboard in North Carolina that actually smells like steak, triggering the senses of those riding by to crave some serious meat for dinner.

The latest company to embrace these off-the-page advertising ideas is Frito-Lay. In a time where consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and how it is prepared, Frito-Lay demonstrated the wholesomeness of its all natural products in the middle of Times Square last month. Set up with a fully functional Flavor Kitchen above the Hard Rock marquee, Frito-Lay Executive Chef Stephen Kalil, along with numerous guest and celebrity chefs, spent a week showcasing the natural ingredients that inspire and compliment Frito-Lay products. The event was broadcast on video boards in Times Square and on the Frito-Lay Facebook page.

In addition to the Flavor Kitchen, Frito-Lay is embracing several other non-traditional advertising outlets to engage their customers in conversations about all natural snack foods including a culinary web series, integration with the popular Zynga game Farmville, QR codes, and on-package bar codes. Frito-Lay saw customers respond positively to its Times Square event – in just 24 hours, the company’s Facebook page had 1.5 million new fans.

Also using Times Square as its promotional platform is Milk-Bone, when last year, to celebrate its 100^th anniversary, the company built a giant dog house in the middle of Times Square. The 480 square foot building was covered in 100,000 dog treats and housed a variety of activities for dog lovers including a pet psychic, pet palm readings, dancing dog demonstrations, and celebrity appearances. The event kicked off Milk-Bone’s 14 city tour and nationwide Milk-Bone Moments contest encouraging people to submit pictures and video of their favorite pet.

With events like these becoming more popular, companies are challenged to create campaigns that are increasingly attention worthy. Consumers want to be engaged by the advertisement, and they respond to campaigns that stand out from the norm.

What do you think of promotional events like the Frito-Lay and Milk-Bone events in Times Square? Have you ever responded to a similar campaign by watching a company’s videos, liking their Facebook page, or attending the event?

Each year, our PR team travels to New York City to meet with prominent editors of top industry and shelter publications to showcase our clients’ newest products and initiatives, as well as overall industry trends.

This past week, Jordan, Laura and Shawn met with editors from publications such as House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, Architectural Digest, Country Living, Traditional Home and Kitchen & Bath Business. They also hosted a blogger luncheon, including Sean Sullivan, Associate Publisher of House Beautiful, Jean Nayar the founder of The Happy Home Workshop blog, and Robin Wilson founder of Robin Wilson Home.

Check out our Facebook page for more photos from the trip!

Every company’s goal is to get its brand noticed by its target audience. But with so many brands out there, a new trend in brand awareness is surfacing: Less is More.

Apple is a perfect example, as its products have become very streamlined and modern while keeping a minimalist design. The logo has also illustrated minimalism, as Apple’s first logo was shown in a scene with Isaac Newton, and has since progressed to a simple, clean, silver apple.  When viewing the storefront of an Apple store, there is no “Apple” or “Mac” title on the storefront; it’s just the logo.  Similarly, Shell Gasoline eliminated the company name from its logo and has since gone with the iconic seashell shape.  This is synonymous with the minimalist aesthetic, but also displays how the title of the company is simply not needed. Apple’s target market recognizes the brand immediately upon seeing that silver apple logo.

A few days ago, we wrote about Starbuck’s logo redesign.  This is just another example of “less is more.” Starbucks is identifying its brand not by its name, but by the mermaid that is now the entirety of the logo. By removing the “Coffee” from the logo, the company could have the opportunity to expand its product line and feature more than just coffee and tea. This has already become apparent with Starbucks offering different items for sale in its shops, such as CDs and apparel.

What other companies should possibly look at brand and logo minimalization?  Only time will tell, but we do know that, for Apple and Starbucks, less certainly means more.