South Korean Firm Experiments with Empty Ad Space

Posted by Carroll Trosclair Sep 15, 2009

A South Korean advertiser is testing the power of blank space in its ads, a novel idea that’s bound to be frowned upon by writers and ad designers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hyundai Card and Hyundai Capital, a financial firm associated with the Hyundai Motor company, has paid $2.2 million for all the ad space in three subway stations and four trains on a new subway line. It is leaving most of the ad spaces blank, except for a small logo. The only message is carried in the corner of huge white panels at the entrance to the stations. It says: "The world is flooded with too many ads. For a short while, we want to leave it empty for you."

The company has tied up the ad space for three years, but has not decided yet how long it will use blank ads. It reportedly is considering using the space to display art in the future.

The idea is not likely to catch fire in North America, but it might encourage a little more simplicity in some of those billboards where the old seven-word rule has been forgotten.