indi.ca

A branded tissue pack, street marketing of some utility, image by Walter Lim.

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I was in a trishaw and this girl threw a flyer at me, giving me a surprisingly good shot in the nipple. For Exide batteries or whatever. The thing must cost like Rs. 10 at least, but if they just gave me a bank note with their name written on it I’d be happier. Of course, my ideal wedding invitation is a thousand rupee note with the time and place scribbled on it, but marketing could certainly be a bit more practical.

In Japan, for example, they’ve got this thing called tissue-pack marketing. They hand out marketing material as a useful tissue pack, which everybody needs. I would appreciate that, and keep the material for longer.

In Sri Lanka we quasi have this. Everybody loves wall calendars and yearly agendas. While the big companies produce colorful ones, my favorites are the obscure ones, like Maradana Auto Shop. They tend to produce enormous calendars with great big numbers, and they stay there all year. We also get unconscious marketing since food stalls recycle paper as bags and wrapping. Sometimes I’ll get an ad, sometimes a bill of lading for some ship in 1999.

There are also enough and more people that work the streets. Dudes get on the bus and clink coins together and sing. There’s that mysteriously gendered person that sells food on Kynsey Road. The charming old man on Baseline who plays the cymbals and harmonica decently, and with a smile.

Why not put that stuff together?

ie, why not get the people working the street together with some products that actually work on the street. Instead of random flyers give origami toys that kids can play with, tissue packs, bookmarks, whatever. Cheap little things with some value, rather than marketing material with none. Hell, there are enough free magazines around Colombo trying to get distribution. Fold your ad around that and throw that at my nipple instead.