Recently in a NY subway I saw these two posters for a new live John Legend album distributed exclusively by Target. They were side by side, to be taken together as a single bit of communication.
But they could be seen as two approaches to advertising the same thing. The first poster was simply a glossy announcement of the album and it's exclusive retailer. The second invited you to sample the music right there, from a red box with a speaker jack ready for your headphones.
Here are some samples from the album.
These two posters could serve as a kind of before-and-after exhibit for outdoor media. Before: The basic poster bringing you in with a shot of the musician, just the facts. And after: A more interactive sampling of the real product. But they need to be taken together as a whole to have greatest effect.
I don't think this is particularly remarkable communication. But it does hit on the brilliant basics of using media these days.
And I feel it could have gone further, say, by inviting you to a free song when you visit target.com. Or even providing a docking station for iPods to download the song then and there (not sure how technically feasible that would be). Or a ShopText type code to buy the album instantly. There are more and more ways outdoor media is fostering a richer interaction or sampling with products and ideas.
Three cheers to those pushing the envelope. And to those licking it.