Beyond the ad

Dutch consumer electronics brand, Philips, has come up with an innovative way to market itself. By getting rid of advertising.

Philips’ campaign, called Sense and Simplicity is all about simplifying life. So when you pick up your sunday newspaper a whole rainforest of inserts don’t fall out, because Philips has paid the paper not to include them, or instead of having to pay for access to the online Wall Street Journal it’s free because Philips has footed the bill.

The medium is the message,” said Eric Plaskonos, director-brand communications at Philips Electronics North America, “This is another way to turn the simplicity idea on its head and look for complexities in life.”

The genius of the Philips campaing is that it is giving the consumer something back. It’s no longer about the brand getting the consumer’s attention after interupting them. It’s now a two way street, where the brand needs to give the consumer something in return for their attention, in this case free access to the WSJ.

Advertising Age Article