Walking Advertisements

In the midst of groovin' along to the Four Seasons (that's right) on my iPod this morning, I came face to face with a man wearing a TV screen around his neck, displaying an advertisement. I was so intrigued that I stopped in my tracks and missed my favorite verse of Let's Hang On. What is this phenomenon? It's Ads on Feet, a very new wave of street advertising bringing walking advertisements to a whole new level.

Here's how it works: A company coordinates with Ads on Feet, whether for full or limited service. Staff is trained on wearing and using the tv's tethered to a heavy duty vest. Upload your video advertisements and you're good to go walk the streets! Okay, maybe it's a bit more complicated but that's the jist.

Let's be honest, no self-respecting New Yorker stops to collect flyers from the man on the corner shoving them in every face that walks by. Even less stop to talk to the people with clipboards, asking for your credit card numbers to purchase hair cuts, spa treatments, or make the charitable donation du jour. But I will admit that I was strangely drawn to the man with the TV screen. Is it my love of television that drew me in? The newness of this brilliant, yet seemingly obvious marketing tool? I haven't decided, but I do know that I'll be on the lookout for others and will probably even stop to find out what companies are participating. Ads on Feet, you got me.

What are your thoughts? Minority Report (in a bad way) or the next obvious step?