Most people think that outdoor advertising is something that is totally out of the question in Sao Paulo, Brazil because of the clean city law that was introduced in January 2007 by the city's mayor, Gilberto Kassab. This law was passed in order to improve the city's "visual pollution" problem caused by more than 8,000 billboard sites, many of which were illegally erected. The ban has caused for more creative ways to be developed to deliver the message to consumers while still upholding the guidelines of the Clean City law. This is where guerrilla marketing comes in to play and alternative outdoor options are introduced.

Imagine walking down the streets of Sao Paulo as your heading to a popular nightspot, when you arrive, you see that everyone there is pointing up at the building in front, you look up to find an interactive image promoting a specific brand that is constantly jumping from one hot spot to the next throughout the night. Since printed billboards are not allowed, an innovative method is using urban projectors. Urban Projection is an open-air exhibition that uses projected images in buildings through equipment installed in an automobile. The car travels through roadmaps, major streets and certain city spots at night. Brands are projected from 1 to 20 meters wide depending on the distance to be designed. Either videos or pictures are designed to fit this particular format and audience interactions are also an option.

So next time someone tells you that outdoor advertising can't be done in Sao Paulo, Brazil, you tell them that the loophole has been found with Urban Projection.

For more information about urban projection/outdoor advertising, please contact your US Media Consulting Representative at 305-722-5500.

Source: *http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2007/id20070618_505580_page_2.htm; http://www.brazilmax.com/news.cfm/tborigem/pl_southcentral/id/59