Connect with execs from The New York Times, TIME, Dotdash Meredith and many more

IBM is the latest brand to make advertising that is actually useful.
With the help of Ogilvy France, IBM made a series of outdoor ads that are functional and helpful to passersby. One is a poster that swoops out as a bench; another ad forms a canopy to provide shade and shelter; and one ad acts as a ramp over stairs.
The ads are part of IBM’s “People for Smarter Cities” campaign, which is an initiative and ideas sharing platform that encourages people to come up with and share their ideas about use technology to improve their cities.
These useful IBM ads are the latest in a small wave of ads recently that provide actual value and utility to the public. Scrabble recently brought free Wi-Fi to areas of Paris as part of an ad campaign, and Nivea created solar-powered phone-charger ads for people on the beaches of Brazil. Hopefully, this is a trend that continues. In the age of real-time marketing and branded content, beyond entertainment value, it’s nice to see ads that truly are functional, helpful and free.
More in Marketing

Generative AI sparks brand safety concerns marketers know all too well
Despite concerns around brand misuse and IP, most marketers are sticking to traditional strategies.

‘Production is a big topic right now’: With AI moving beyond media, Publicis turns toward creative
The holdco is positioning AI as core infrastructure for ad production not just media buys.

Instagram offers a new guide to advertisers to convince them to try out its creator marketplace
The 26-page document aims to make the whole process quick and painless.