• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 2, 2007

As part of a trade campaign touting its multi-platform ad inventory, NBC Universal is counting on a nearly extinct platform: the public pay phone. The “:30 and Beyond” campaign now under way  employs phone kiosks strategically located around New York to grab the attention of media buyers going to and from work.

The creative features the “Beyond” tagline preceded by a list of industry buzzwords — “innovate, target, lead, measure, engagement” — indicating NBC is ready to work with advertisers in non-traditional formats. The campaign also includes print and online distribution targeted at media types.

But the phone-booth ads may be the most unusual for a trade promotion since they’re also seen by plenty of non-industry passersby. “I find it particularly amusing that the density of marketers in New York makes this type of advertising make sense,” notes Jesse Chenard, chief technology officer of Tremor Media, on the company’s blog. “But the average person walking down the street likely has no idea what that sign means.”

That’s if they’re not too busy chatting on their cell phones to notice.