Have you ever been texting on your phone while walking down the street? Then BONK! you crash into a lamppost or mailbox?
Um, me neither, and certainly not yesterday on 3rd Ave. But people in London have. That’s why 118 118, a UK phone directory and information service, has begun experimenting with human-sized pads on lampposts, according to FOXNews.com.
A study… found that one in 10 people has been hurt while focusing on their cell phone instead of where they were walking. … The study claims that 68,000 people were injured in the U.K. last year while chatting or texting on their cell phone.
That’s a lot of people! Take a look at ten of your friends. At least one of you has BONKED into something while texting. Maybe it was YOU.
This isn’t just an altruistic move by 118 118 though. They’ll get to place advertising on these pads if this experiment is successful. So far, they’ve been testing this product in London’s East End on Brick Lane. If all goes well, it will be rolled out in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool too.
That means 118 118 gets a lock on a new market – lamppost pad advertising (or whatever they’re going to call it). What’s next? Mailboxes for one. Maybe building corners, trees, gates, benches, trash cans, and heck, pigeons too – whatever people can bump into.
Of course, plastering the sidewalks with pads and ads has its limits, both visually and logistically. How would you wash them if a dog or person peed on it? Would they culture mildew after the rain? Would homeless individuals steal pads so they have something on which to sleep?
Aside from the logistics, which 118 118 is no doubt trying to sort through, I could see a number of advertisers going for this medium. Say this was going to happen in the US, for instance:
- Sleep Train – So soft, you could sleep walk right into bed.
- Verizon – Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? Can you – BONK – ah, soft. Verizon. Providing you with total coverage, easily and painlessly.
- Nokia – Easy to use, easy on the eyes, and now, easy to text, even if you’re on the street. It’s just that simple.
- AMC Theaters – Watch where you’re going! Or better yet, sit down and relax at AMC, just down the block.
- Honda – Oops! Wasn’t that soft? With Honda’s reliability and safety features, a car accident could be just as easy.
- Hanes Underwear – Didn’t Momma tell you to watch where you’re going? I’ll bet she told you to put on clean underwear too. Like Hanes underwear!
Interesting idea. If you happen to be in London and see these padded lampposts, let me know how they work!
Via: Steve Webel
