I did a double-take when I got on the shuttle at Times Square – it appeared that the entire subway car was made from wood. I was elated until I discovered that the plastic-wrapped seats and walls were an advertisement for Swiffer reading: “So fresh. So clean. You’ll want your floors all around you.” The only problem was, the actual subway floor was the only surface that wasn’t covered. And it wasn’t fresh or clean, and no one would want that all around them.

WAKE UP CALL: Don’t let your out-of box thinking cannibalize your message. Make sure your main proposition comes through clearly.