广告创意

这次回国，有一深刻感受。现在而今眼目下的中国，市场观念和商业意识已经非常发达，在相当程度上，可能甚至已经超越美国这个老牌资本主义国家了。

比如，我坐公共汽车，市内的、长途的，车体都涂得花花绿绿，全是各色广告。连各种治疗男性不育病的广告，也坦然自若地招摇过市。这世界变化真是快啊。

我在公交公司当总经理的老同学告诉我，这个已经有专业术语，有名唤作“车体广告”，乃是公交一大财源。这是看得见的。还有看不见的。比如公共汽车站牌，设在哪里不设在哪里，也是财源。百货大楼出了钱，就可以设一个“百货大楼”站。否则，站牌偏它几百米，成了“海龙餐馆”。这个冠名权就是钱。 还有不希望公车站牌在附近的，那也得出钱。 总之，只要善于挖掘，到处都有财源。

印象最深的是还是飞机上的广告创意。 每个座位的靠背上方垫了一块小手绢， 一半从座位顶部折过去，正好贴在座位的靠背后面。这块小手绢有实用功能：它可以保护座位不接触人的头部，因为人的头部最油腻。而折叠到靠背后面的那部分，正好座落在后排旅客视线的正前方，他想不看都不行。那上面就结结实实地印上了小广告。奇怪的是，我一点都不觉得那个广告碍眼睛，而是觉得很有趣。

我跟美国某航空公司某头目有过文字交往。回来后把这个发现告诉了他，算是无偿奉献给他一个主意。他回信说，这个创意很有意思，就是不知道美国的旅客会不会觉得”intrusive”。毕竟中美文化不同，美国人比较毛病多、事儿妈。他也担心这会“dilute our principal onboard advertising vehicle, …”—就是飞机座位背袋里的杂志。BLAH, BLAH…

他皇帝不急，我太监急什么！于我又没有半分钱的好处。于是就淡忘了这件事。

前天和在国内做企业、想进军美国市场的朋友谈话，他询问在美国做广告、打开知名度的办法。他竟提到有意在中美之间的航班上做做小广告，开销不大，但是效果可能不错。我一时惊呆了。

这给了我一些启发。也许这里面有文章可做！只给航空公司出主意，风格固然是高了，可是自己并没有半分钱的实在好处。但事实上，如果好好谋划运作，从这个创意中，我们自己也许能得益。

下面抛砖引玉。

第一，在美国、日本赶紧申请专利。中国航空公司未必想到把这个创意申请专利。赶紧请律师来考察一下这个东西，抢在别人前面把这个专利注册到手。这是第一要务。

第二，具体到一家航空公司，它可能没有动力开创这项业务。毕竟和它的核心业务距离较远，相关性不大，获利前景不大。即使对美国最大的航空公司，估计从这项创意中一年也就是获得一千多万美元的收入，相对于它的规模，实在是一笔毛毛雨。但是，如果从整个航空市场的角度来观察，就不一样。美国大大小小的航空公司加起来，这个创意的市场营业收入每年要上一亿美元。这是很可观的。我们搞到这个专利后，可能还不能指望美国的航空公司马上感兴趣来主动使用。我们要替我们的专利找到用途，我们要自己去找对这种广告形式感兴趣的广告客户（中小企业、小产品对这种广告形式可能很感兴趣！）。这样主动权就全在我们掌握之中了。这样再去找航空公司，基本上不要它做任何事情而白让它赚一笔钱，它当然会乐意。

第三，突破点似乎应该选在中美航线上。因为我们对中国情况比较熟悉，可以考虑先发展对这种形式的广告业务感兴趣的中国公司。

也许我们能干成一笔小生意，每年赚它个一两千、两三千万美元，虽然赚不到很大的钱，但的确是一条几乎没有风险的稳善道路。钱又不扎手，能赚一点是一点，对吗。

这个事情真干起来，花不了多少钱。我看两三百万人民币应该足够了。我自己没有这方面经历，个人财力也受限制，恐怕无法单打独斗搞起来。哪位愿意自己去尝试，尽管去做，我乐见其成。要是良心上过不去，要跟我合作一起干，我当然欢迎。

I searched the web for similar patents; interestingly, I found this one. I have to comment that the idea we just described above is infinitely better than this patent.

What an exciting opportunity!

http://www.google.com/patents?id=mb4dAAAAEBAJ&dq=airline+seat+advertisement&as_drrb_ap=q&as_minm_ap=1&as_miny_ap=2007&as_maxm_ap=1&as_maxy_ap=2007&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=2007&as_maxm_is=1&as_maxy_is=2007

Abstract
An improvement in airliner seat backs and snack tray tables facilitates the display of replaceable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of the display. The materials are displayed through a transparent window pane overlaping the interior perimeter of a window in the rear portion of the seat back or the top or bottom sides of the table. The printed or pictorial materials are releasably held in face-to-face relationship with the window pane by various means depending on the structure of the seat back or table. The improvement is adapted to existing tray tables by use of a thin resiliently flexible member fitted to the contours of the tray table and releasably snappable to the table with the printed or pictorial materials in place.
Patent number: 5010668
Filing date: Feb 28, 1989
Issue date: Apr 30, 1991
Inventor: Stephen J. Zeligson
Current U.S. Classification
40324; 40320
International Classification
G09F 300

What is claimed is:
1. In airliner passenger seats having cushions supported by a seat back having a continuous smooth-flowing gradual contour along substantially the entire back surface thereof, an improvement facilitating the display of replaceable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of the displaying seat comprising:
a window having a perimeter disposed in and conforming to said contour of said seat back;
a transparent window pane shaped to overlap said perimeter of said window;
means for securing said pane to the interior of said seat back with said window pane disposed to conform to said contour of said seatback in overlapping relationship to said perimeter;
means permitting the removable insertion of said printed or pictorial materials in face-to-face relationship with said pane; and
means for holding said printed or pictorial materials in said face-to-face relationship.
2. The improvement according to claim 1, said securing means comprising a seat disposed in the interior surface of said seat back along said window perimeter, said seat being shaped to receive said window pane therein.
3. The improvement according to claim 1, said seatback having a forward perimeter defining a seatback opening and said permitting means comprising a lip disposed along said forward perimeter of said seat back and restricting said seat back opening for removably gripping a seat cushion snuggled therein.
4. The improvement according to claim 1, said holding means comprising a compressible cushion of sufficient depth to press said materials against said pane when said cushion is mounted on said seat back.
5. The improvement according to claim 1, said permitting means comprising a slot disposed through said seat back proximate a portion of said window perimeter and outside the periphery of said pane.
6. The improvement according to claim 1, the portion of said seat back to which said pane is secured being separable from said seat back and said permitting means comprising means connecting said separable portion to said seatback for movement relative to seatback and means for selectively locking said connected detached portion to said seat back.
7. The improvement according to claim 6, said connecting means comprising a hinge means connecting said portion to said seat back and said locking means comprising retaining means for releasably engaging an unhinged segment of said detached portion to said seat back.
8. In foldout tray tables used with airliner passenger seats, an improvement facilitating the display of replaceable printed and pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of a closed tray table comprising:
a table base having a window therethrough and having a seat disposed in its interior surface along the periphery of said window;
a transparent window pane shaped to rest in said window seat;
a table top shaped to removably rest within said window seat for holding said printed or pictorial materials in face-to-face relationship to said window pane; and
means for releasably securing said table top within said window seat.
9. The improvement according to claim 8, said securing means comprising a frictional bond between the side edges of said window seat and said table top.
10. In foldout tray tables used with airline passenger seats, an improvement facilitating the display of replaceable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of a closed tray table comprising:
a table top;
a table base having a window therethrough and having a seat disposed in its interior surface along the periphery of said window;
a transparent window pane shaped to rest in said window seat;
a hinge connecting said table top and said table base for articulation of said base and said window pane into and out of laminar relationship with said top; and
means for releasably securing said top, said pane and said base in laminar relationship.
11. In foldout tray tables used with airliner passenger seats, an improvement facilitating the display of replaceable printed and pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated at an open tray table comprising:
a table top having a window therethrough;
a transparent window pane shaped to overlap the perimeter of said window;
a table base for holding said printed or pictorial materials in face-to-face relationship against said window pane and said window pane against said table top;
means for releasably securing said table top, said window pane, said materials and said table base in laminar relationship.
12. In foldout tray tables used with airliner passenger seats, an improvement facilitating the display of replaceable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers comprising:
a tray table having two planar surfaces;
means forming sides of said table tray for spacing said surfaces in substantially parallel planes;
a window disposed in at least one of said surfaces;
a transparent window pane overlapping the interior perimeter of said window; and
access means disposed through one side of said tray table for removable insertion of materials against the interior surface of said transparent window pane.
13. In airliner passenger seats having cushions supported by a seatback, an improvement facilitating the display of replacable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of the displaying seat comprising:
a detachable portion of said seatback;
a window having a perimeter disposed in said detachable portion of said seatback;
a transparent window pane shaped to overlap said perimeter of said window;
means for securing said pane to an interior of said detachable portion of said seatback in overlapping relationship to said perimeter;
a hinge connecting said detachable portion to said seatback;
a retaining means for releasably engaging an unhinged segment of said detachable portion to said seatback; and
means for holding said printed or pictorial materials in face-to-face relationship with said pane.
14. In airline passenger seats having cushions supported by a seatback, an improvement facilitating the display of replacable printed or pictorial materials for viewing by passengers seated rearwardly of the displaying seat comprising:
a window disposed in said seatback;
a transparent window pane shaped to overlap the perimeter of said window;
means for securing said pane to an interior of said seatback in overlapping relationship to said perimeter;
means permitting the removable insertion of said printed or pictorial materials in face-to-face relationship with said pane; and
a compressible cushion of sufficient depth to press said materials against said pane in a face-to-face relationship when said cushion is mounted in said seatback.