A Different Point of View

It's been nearly a week since I boarded the plane to Berlin. So far it's been quite the ride, specifically when comparing and contrasting myself, my culture and my city to that of Berlin. Advertising in Berlin is not simply restricted to traditional print in the form of posters and flyers and subway ads. The first day I arrived, we took the S-bahn to Alexander Platz where a huge building facade and "billboard" left me in awe. I had never seen an real advertisement on a fake billboard on a fake building -- it was absolutely fascinating. Based on my observations, advertising in the Berlin is fun and imaginative. They have managed to balance creativity and fun while still being traditional enough to get the message across and generate sales. As you exit the the Alexander Platz underground station, for example, the steps form an ad for Oakly's sunglasses. Like many big cities, ads in Berlin are massive. They are huge, in-your-face billboards spread across the city (as the aforementioned fake billboard ad in Alexander Platz) and a huge beer ad draped across the side of a skyscraper when exiting the Alexander Platz station. I also noticed many ads simply painted on the side of old buildings so you can see them when you pass them on the metro. The size of the ads are similar to those found in New York, with the exception of the bright neon and blinding lights. Advertisement in Berlin is also not limited to print. Friedriech Strasse station, for example, features a large TV-like screen with advertising and information such as weather and news.

Aside from advertising in New York, I can't think of such massive billboards in Miami. It seems to me, that advertising in Berlin does a great job in capturing one's attention which is the first and vital step in getting a message across to an audience. On the other side, advertising in Berlin such as the ad in the image above, is quite invasive. It's not the kind of ad that one could chose not to look at or ignore. It dominates the landscape before you so you really don't have the option to look away from it. Of course, as in any advertisement, you have the choice to digest the information and take an action to purchase the item.

As for the content of advertising, I feel the style is quite the same – short, simple and straight to the point. At least that's what the layout of the ads imply. Regarding nudity, I was told advertising in Europe was more provocative, but I haven't seen anything of that nature just yet. I have been in Europe before, and the only city I saw a great deal of provocative advertising in was in Paris. Berlin hasn't shocked me just yet.

I did notice, however, that there are virtually no ads inside of public transportation vehicles. For example, in New York and Miami there are ads across the roof or upper sides of the bus and Metro Rail. I wonder why they don't include ads INSIDE these transportation vehicles? People on the bus or train have plenty of time to read ads and digest information. I really wonder why there aren't any ads inside. Are there laws prohibiting it? Maybe the city doesn't want people to feel overwhelmed with advertising? That would be an interesting point to investigate.
As for the companies responsible or the massive billboards, they are pretty much the same as those dominating the ad scene in Miami. Those companies would be beer companies, well-known car manufacturers, electronics companies (such as Apple,) and clothing stores. Because I don't understand German, I can't really think of a massive billboard having a very local audience. I didn't see a brand I didn't recognize. Perhaps I only recall what I am familiar with and disregarded all those messages that I felt didn't relate to me. That's also a dynamic that we find in people. When a message or brand does not share the same values or the person does not identify with the individual, they completely ignore it. That might also explain why I took a picture of the large Volkswagen billboard as opposed to another one – is it because I actually own a Volkswagen?

Essentially, my greatest impression of advertisement in Berlin is it's location and size. I bet if I understood what the ads actually said I would be able to make additional comments.