Blog

Back in November KFC announced that they had constructed a 87,500 square foot marketing logo in the desert near Area 51 and Rachel, NV. In their PR they called the area the “UFO Capital of the World” and barked about advertising where no brand has gone before.

On my personal blog I’d mentioned this here, and now we’re starting to see the real intent behind their alien prank. In this video from GeoEye we see the bigger picture. As the sat image zooms in from space it’s easy to see that their message is meant more for geo-browsers than little green men.

While Colonel Sanders and KFC may have a military-sized marketing budget, their lesson should not be missed by those of us in the trenches. Online mapping has grown up since the days of pan and refresh MapQuest.

In just one example of Map Marketing, Google will not only post your information on Maps, they offer a free click-to-call link that mapsters can use to connect with your company. In another, businesses can use Google Earth to highlight their company to nearby navigators.

To learn more about Google Earth visit their product page. If you have Earth, you can use this KML file link to visit Rachel NV. While GeoEye has picked up this image, Earth has not, so stay tuned. If you would like to find out how map marketing can help grow your business contact Rabbitrock Ventures.