What is this thing called 'ambient advertising'?

The field of marketing communications is currently undergoing a period of great change. This is a reflection of many factors, and is in response to the need to find new ways of increasing cost-effective 'break-through' communication. One new development has been the introduction of the somewhat radical practice of 'Ambient advertising'. This paper sets out to define what is actually meant by this term. It is contrasted to out-of-home advertising and a model of consumer response to Ambient advertising is proposed. Consideration is also given to the measurement of effectiveness with acknowledgement that the way the consumer interacts with such campaigns is unique, suggesting that a traditional advertising approach may be less appropriate. Further issues for consideration are also identified.