By yon bonnie Banksy

I was in Glasgow on Saturday walking down Bath Street and I saw the smartest piece of marketing I have seen in a long time and it reminded me of marketing that I wanted to explore in terms of cut through, talkability and value for money when I was at lastminute.com. 

What I could only describe as street and sign etching is the smartest most eco-friendly way to get your message across. I am unsure any of you reading has actually seen this let alone used it. 'Reverse graffiti marketing' as it is actually known is a rarely used but effective way to stop people in their tracks.

I was delighted to see the University of the West of Scotland attempting this on the streets of Glasgow this weekend. Bath Street and the surrounding streets will be choc full of students and student types who will not have heard of UWS or have a preconceived idea of who UWS are. 

(i.e. not as good as the traditional Unis of Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh). They are tapping into the cool factor by channel, message and design.

There are some small agencies that do this for everyone from Size? to Starbucks to Big Brother and although not reaching mass numbers the engagement of the individuals who notice this and also 'get it' will be far more powerful that scattergun DM or TV in the right environment.

Be brave and in times like these, be creative and you could really get some traction with the footfall not to your store but any major city or conurbation. 

Very Smart indeed.

If you are interested in this a good agency to speak to would be: Dirty Street Advertising