PR and Marketing | My pick for best advertising idea in 2012

In review of this past year, one of the best marketing ideas that I have come across has to be TNT's unconventional advertising campaign to launch it's high-definition television channel in Belgium. It involved a two-fold strategy that took place in real time as well as via an online video that generated over 30 million hits. The performance took place on a 'quiet square' in Flemish town where a large button was inconspicuously placed waiting for an unsuspecting passerby to exercise their curiosity. When pressed, an entire procession of dramatic events unfolded in rapid fire speed, which covering all the major television genres. The beauty of this promotional tactic was that it was an out-of-the-ordinary experience that where people couldn't help but literally stop in their tracks and take notice. Additionally, it successfully retained this attention through it's ambiguity. It left the spectators both offline and online guessing on the intent the commotion till the very end where a giant rolled out banner revealed its true purpose. This was a marketing stunt that required an extensive amount of choreography and actors but the result is a creative celebratory reminder of the value of television in adding color to our lives through dramatic moments that we are rarely exposed to in our daily lives.