Is The Sidewalk America’s New Canvas?

Communicators are always coming up with new ways to better reach their target audiences.

As Americans have been working from home over the last month-plus, the number of people taking to the parks, trails and streets for bike rides, hikes, jogs or walks has become a trend worth noting.

It’s fair to say there are people on the sidewalks in my neighborhood that have never set foot there before.

And with that onslaught of foot traffic, there has been a proliferation of sidewalk art. It’s not necessarily a new concept, but one that has taken the limelight recently.  Of course, there are some neighborly greetings and encouraging words drawn on the public walkways.  We’ve also seen it in front of hospitals and police and fire stations, where people are expressing their thanks and support for our first-responders who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

It’s highly targeted messaging.  Every nurse, doctor, police officer or firefighter has to walk right over the top of the images to get to get into their places of work.

What we’ve seen, for the most part, is general citizens expressing their gratitude.

When will we see the commercialization of this specific medium?  It probably won’t be too long before a savvy guerilla marketer beats feet toward a vast new canvas.