• Ad Age, Monday, July 24, 2006 1 PM

It's summertime, and like everyone else, marketers are hitting the beach. Not for vacation, mind you, but to promote their brands. Beachgoers this season will see sun bunnies lounging on Smirnoff towels or seeking shade under Verizon umbrellas. Many promotions are new, but some of the items sporting brand names and logos have been around for a long time. That's one of the advantages of such promotional materials--they have a long shelf life. While it is difficult to measure the success of such campaigns, consumers are seen as more receptive to ads at the beach than they might be elsewhere. "They're not rushing through Grand Central, they're hanging out," says Matthew Glass, chairman-CEO of New York-based Grand Central Marketing. The company's rates for beach promotions vary by project, but it has worked with budgets in the low six figures. "If you give them something they can use, they'll appreciate it." A typical campaign from Grand Central Marketing covers a dozen beaches--commonly in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Los Angeles and Chicago. Where permits can't be obtained, the agency heads to parking lots and boardwalks to reach beach lovers and hand out free items.

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