Recently, I have been seeing London buses fully wrapped with advertisements for Pixel 2, Google’s new high-end smartphone. Google / Alphabet has used the same advertising method in the past, as can be seen in this simple collage.
The top image is the most recent, photographed today (25 November 2017), advertising Pixel 2. The middle picture dates from 30 December 2016 advertising YouTube, and the bottom one was captured on 28 February 2015 advertising Android.
As London buses’ default colour is red, wrapping them in white makes them stand out. The buses move around the city, so advertisements on them are likely to be seen by many residents and visitors to London. Even for tech companies whose main presence is online, branding and advertisements also need to take place in the real world, even on the back of the buses.
But do advertisements on buses make an impression? It will be interesting to see if fully wrapping London double-decker buses can play a successful part in establishing Pixel 2 as a competitor brand to the Apple iPhone.