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Barf Bag Advertising

by Neil Woodburn (RSS feed) on Jul 31st 2006 at 12:33PM

One of the basic fundamentals of advertising is to associate your product with some kind of feel-good situation. You drink a certain type of beer, and suddenly doe-eyed women slink up to your side and ravish you-- or so the commercials suggest.

These days, however, in the rush to cover every bit of free space with advertisements, certain fundamentals are being overlooked. Take, for example, barf bags. Sure, they sit all lonely and unloved in your seatback pocket every time you fly, but a recent announcement by US Airways that the airline will begin selling advertising space on said bags really makes me wonder.

What kind of company would want their product associated with airsickness and heaving? The last image I see before losing my ill-prepared airline food into a paper bag is not going to be the first thing I rush off to buy when the plane lands. And what happens when I come across the product on a store shelf a few days later? Will my mind subconsciously associate it with turbulence and experience a gastro flashback in Aisle 9? And how will companies measure and pay for such advertisements: on a cost-per-heave basis?

My favorite quote from the USA Today article covering this story: "Barf bags have a lot of shelf life - people aren't barfing as much in planes as they used to." I'm sorry, but "shelf life", "barf", and "planes" should never be uttered in the same sentence.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Wallace Mathis Aug 7th 2006 2:24PM

Well, probably a motion sickness remedy like Dramamine or another such company, pepto-bismal or any other stomach settling item would want ads on them. Make the bags a little more colorful even.

James Keefe Aug 7th 2006 2:30PM

Neil, it's fun to goof on an easy target like a barf bag, but this advertising thing is actually a very good idea. Keeping your product's name out there is the name of the game, and those bags are ALWAYS there on the back of the seat in front of us. (What kind of product is crucial, I'll admit- a McDonalds logo on the side of a barf bag would be a very bad idea. Funny, but bad.)

JB-OHIO Aug 7th 2006 2:42PM

ILL PREPARED AIRLINE FOOD YOU SAY?
WHAT AIRLINE FOOD?
WHO SERVES AIRLINE FOOD THESE DAYS?

JB

dianne Aug 7th 2006 2:43PM

I want my barf bag to be so very plain as to not draw any attention--and I have a lot of experience with us of these bags.

Jenn Aug 7th 2006 2:47PM

The last time I used one, it wasn't waterproof. Maybe they should concentrate on a wax or plastic inner lining so as not to soak the other passengers on your way to the bathroom or stewardess to toss it. Fortunately for me (and others around me!), the one and only time I ever got sick on a plane and had to use one, I was already in the bathroom.

Helen Cheemond Aug 7th 2006 2:54PM

Don't be so literal! It's not only sick people who look at sickness bags. Everyone moves magazines in and out of the pocket, rearranges their gear, etc. A witty, relevant ad on a sickness bag could be all the more well received for its humor. The only people scoffing at this idea are those who aren't thinking it through.

Dan Kingery Aug 7th 2006 2:55PM

I purchased a barf bag from a rock n roll auction once. It was used on the Grateful Dead's airplane and it has their classic steal your face logo on it and underneath that it says, "Boogie till you barf".

PinkTulip Aug 7th 2006 2:58PM

I don't know why this would surprise anyone who is aware of what is really going on in this world. The world is a mad, money-hungry, bizarre place and an idea of advertising on a so called "BARF BAG", is not really that bad when compared to other ideas that are far worse, less human and absolutely stupid. We are a society and unfortunately I have to add myself in that group, that is going for broke and no mater what will do anything to get attention for the "almighty dollar". Sad, but true. Good Luck with the idea, but I prefer to travel on land and hope that I will never have to be face to face with a "BARF BAG", slogan or worse yet a picture. Being air sick is not a time that one wants to read as if they were sitting at the breakfast table reading the creal box for lack of better entertainment.

Rosemarie Aug 7th 2006 3:12PM

I have to agree with the first comment: a discrete ad about something relevant like Pepto-Bismol would make sense. Nothing flashy or overly-colorful; fond as I am of bright colors, I don't want my attention drawn thru'out the flight to the fact that I might barf! It would surely become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

tntmthr Aug 7th 2006 3:19PM

After a recent bout for "Second-Time-Around" Salmon deliverd by my 6 year old son, I can honestly say - Great Idea! After filling one bag, starting on a second, we took an extra with us on the way out. After unpacking, we all had a laugh.

Gerald Dupree Aug 7th 2006 3:27PM

I think of how much toilet paper just goes to waste and how advertisers could take advantage and make use of all of that blank paper before it goes down the drain. Makes me think of a list of products that would be appropriate to advertise on our TP. Hmmmmmmmmm . . .

dave Aug 7th 2006 3:33PM

Hey maybe they will put ads on toilet paper too? This way when you wipe your ass, you know someone cares!!!

jr Aug 7th 2006 3:33PM

Airplane food???? Peanuts count??? Atleast it's something comming up other than last night's dinner and drinks.

herechilln Aug 7th 2006 3:39PM

What kind of company would want their product associated with airsickness and heaving?

... a breath mint company ;)

jope Aug 7th 2006 4:02PM

If you thought the barf bags were crazy, you should see these examples I saw on another web site:

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/07/weird_ads/index_01.htm

dana condello Aug 7th 2006 4:09PM

This is not new, for those old time flyers you may remember years ago the bags were mailers for film processing. Don't know if anyone ever used one for film but the airlines charged the cost of bag plus a percentage of the revenue. Maybe we could get some one to advetise on pillows so American could put them back on the planes!

Bobe Aug 7th 2006 4:17PM

Barf Bags? I thought they were for popcorn.

John Aug 7th 2006 4:19PM

HeadOn...Apply directly to the forehead. HeadOn...Apply directly to the forehead. HeadOn....Apply directly to the forehead...Big deal...advertising on barf bags...no one seems to mind advertising on your t shirts, hats, underwear, shoes...etc...why not..Ad agencies make a buck...advertisiers make a buck...we all feel better...so whats the big deal?