Pepsi posters let you plug in your headphones

While the idea of plugging our headphones into the same jack as every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the subway is slightly off-putting, we can't fault Pepsi for their innovative new advertising campaign that encourages passers-by to listen to short song snippets from publicly-situated multimedia displays. Close to 100 of the interactive posters have been deployed by Canadian advertising firm BBDO around the Toronto and Vancouver areas, allowing you to quickly unplug from your iPod and jack into 30 seconds of tunes that are meant to whet your appetite for owning the entire track. Once you're hooked, you're presumably supposed to go out and buy yourself a bottle of Pepsi, which will contain an exclusive PIN number redeemable on the company's site for that song you liked along with other music-related swag. The most interesting part about this whole campaign, advertising tricks aside,  is the fact that Canadians actually seem willing to expose their digital audio players in public, while we Americans are doing everything we possibly can to keep those precious 'Pods under heavy lockdown.

[Via Sagags]

[TIMMAH! @ Jun 7th 2006 6:15PM]

Oh, so this was that campaign that was internally code-named "glory hole".

[jOEfRO @ Jun 7th 2006 6:25PM]

i cant wait to stick gum in every single one i find 8]

[Pejman @ Jun 7th 2006 6:36PM]

hahaha. thats really clever yet pretty expensive. but thats tight.. go pepsi!

[Jesse @ Jun 7th 2006 6:41PM]

It's prolly cause the crime rates in Canada are much lower then in the US.. It also helps you cannot buy a gun in a shop in Canada as well..

Then again, a nice example of sneak advertising, and a nice new way of interaction between billboards and users.. People will also go by and look at those who have their headphones plugged in a billboard, becoming interested..

[rex @ Jun 7th 2006 6:42PM]

awesome form of advertising from pepsi...would be cool if they really did mass advertising like this, including the ones where one person is under a sound radar and the advertisment talks to them.

[Tyno @ Jun 7th 2006 7:05PM]

Pepsi isn't the first. There was an Absolut campaign in Sydney which featured a track by Lenny Kravitz early this year. Took a while before people worked out what the jacks were for though.

[tsecam @ Jun 7th 2006 7:32PM]

yeah, the ttc in toronto also has this thing where you can put your bluetooth phone near this poster and download a ringtone. It was for the "Lord of the Rings" stage production in Toronto, i thought that was pretty cool, I kinda like that idea better, noone can clog up bluetooth with gum :P

[_ @ Jun 7th 2006 7:35PM]

that's an interesting form of advertising, but pepsi should be aware: there's lots of people like joefro who live to be a pain in the behind.
p.s.: dude, you make think that's funny, but trust me, once you're on the other end of a prank like that, you want to tar and feather the person who did it.

[rafa @ Jun 7th 2006 7:36PM]

good idea, but not on the metro. it's already heated enough to have those white earbuds in your ears; you're a mugger's target.

and in response to the guy who says there's less crime in Canada; there's less violent crime, but there's more muggings.

[Crashnet @ Jun 7th 2006 8:18PM]

Veritas.. it does not... the "M" in ATM stands for "Maybe" as in "Another Time Maybe"

[Mike K. @ Jun 7th 2006 8:26PM]

Jesse:

And just where do you buy a gun in Canada if not from a shop? From the back of a nondescript white van in a parking lot? Oh, wait, those are speakers. ;)

Guns aren't outlawed in Canada (as much as I might want them to be), but they are controlled. Plus, we Canucks think that taking an automatic weapon out when deer hunting is less than sporting. :)

[banana @ Jun 7th 2006 8:41PM]

I'd be more likely to listen through bluetooth on a train car to avoid the nerd factor. Maybe advertisers can get ipod to go BT tooth (that was for you Niraj) :)

[Thom @ Jun 7th 2006 8:42PM]

Somewhat tangential, but regarding the issue of security: I've gotta cast a vote again for "Don't use the white earbuds." Between my Sony headphones and my aluminum Core Case, I've been asked by friends--who already know I own an iPod--what brand my player is. Even with the clickwheel exposed, it's pretty incognito.

[chris r @ Jun 7th 2006 8:47PM]

link on picture doesnt work on the engadget home page. the site it links to says server error:(

[quanta @ Jun 7th 2006 8:59PM]

I've seen these posters on the TTC, and frankly, before I saw this blog post, I had no idea what that hole was for. I actually thought it was possibly a webcam lens.

In any case, even if the trains weren't packing us all in like sardines, few people would enjoy standing in front of a poster with a wire dangling into their ears while dozens of other commuters look on in a moving train where the conductors enjoy slamming the brakes.

[Trant @ Jun 7th 2006 9:11PM]

"Pepsi isn't the first. There was an Absolut campaign in Sydney which featured a track by Lenny Kravitz early this year. Took a while before people worked out what the jacks were for though."

I walked past one and swore that I saw a headphone jack in the billboard, my friends said I was crazy, fair enough. But coming back past it there was in fact a headphone jack in the absolut poster, so being the trendy consumer that I am I plugged my ipod headphones into it. Although it was a cool advertising campaign idea, I wouldnt do it again. The looks I got from the people walking paast were pretty strange.

[James @ Jun 7th 2006 10:18PM]

Haha. The only place on earth where this will work is Singapore.

[milhaus @ Jun 7th 2006 10:21PM]

For the ignorant American rafa, in Canada, we consider a mugging a "violent crime." That you don't says something about where you live. And no, there aren't more muggings in Canada than in major US cities. Don't get me started on murder and gun crime. And finally, we catch our terrorists . . .

[Paul @ Jun 7th 2006 10:40PM]

Wow, talk about some bad blood between USA and Canada here. I think the subject is about this poster, not about crime rates in the two countries.

I however feel that bluetooth would be a better way to do this if it was more widespread. I feel that the headphone jack is just inviting people to stick stuff in it. Be it gum, pieces of paper, or whatnot.

Its a great idea and great way to advertise two things at the same time. Possibly until bluetooth becomes more apparent you could use a speaker that plays a set of songs, not just one. So a thirty second clip, the name of the song, then it moves onto another track. If you had a large enough set of songs on the list, someone wouldnt hear the same one twice, but would still get the idea they could buy a pepsi, get the code, and go online to get a free song.

[foxhound.sldsnk @ Jun 7th 2006 10:45PM]

Props to milhaus. i am a canuck as well, but to defend the americans, keep in mind that the state of california has a larger population than all of canada. therefore its no doubt they have a higher crime rate witch such a dense population (no punn intended :P )

anyways, thats a really awsome idea

[Bard @ Jun 8th 2006 12:28AM]

I've resorted to the $5 Magnavox earbuds for my iPod, mainly because they actually SOUND better and feel better than the hard plastic chincy thnings apple gives ya (no offesnse guys, but your earbuds really DO suck. Player is fine, but c'mon....)

As far as the crime rate here in the US of A: Yes, it is high. I mean, I live in Phoenix, and it's odd to be a Buddhist AND a gunowner I tell ya! But, there is a population density and the "right to bear arms" is actually a very importiant right for Americans who own guns or not. There are HUGE debates on either side of this arguement so I won't go into it here, but the ironic part is that when someone in South Phoenix tried to mug me for my iPod while I was going to a Suns game, he attacked me with a Pepsi Bottle that was 1/2 full of some frozen water.

Not kidding. And it was all for a shuffle. Go fig.

[Kevin @ Jun 8th 2006 7:59AM]

It "will contain an exclusive PIN number", huh? A personal identification number number?

[lostradamus @ Jun 8th 2006 9:34AM]

I take the TTC in Toronto everyday to work. Any one have any idea which line the pepsi posters are on? Looks like the Yonge/University line to me.

[Jeremy Moses @ Jun 8th 2006 11:11AM]

To the guy asking which line the posters are on:
The picture looks like the Skytrain in Vancouver to me. :-)

[Entica @ Jun 8th 2006 1:55PM]

Yup, Vancouver Sky Train in the photo. I have to take the Sky Train tomorrow (and the Sea Bus) so i'll see if I can find one of these and give it a listen. That is if it hasn't been plugged with gum by jerks.

As for the crime rate... all that US vs Canada crime crap aside I always feel 100% safe whipping out my iPod on transit. In fact, almost half the commuters on transit all have iPods so it's no big deal. I can't even recall ever hearing of one related mugging in Vancouver regarding an iPod.

E.

[biru @ Jun 8th 2006 4:41PM]

BBDO is based in NYC.