The story of sidewalk advertising by Verizon reminds me of IBM’s famous use of ‘Peace, love and Linux’ campaign in 2001 using sidewalk chalk. When will companies learn that you can’t take ‘guerilla’ tactics to public places and not get rapped on your knuckles.

Or maybe, I am missing the point entirely –the piurpose of such a move may be to get rapped on your knuckles, and thereby get more stories on the campaign in circulation. IBM’s chalk tactic was deemed graffiti. MSN, went beyond the sidewalk and stuck cutouts of butterflies.

Verizon’s fine of $1,050 is like loose change in a campaign warchest. Someday someone will compute that the Google juice gained from seven infractions (fined at the rate of $150 each), may be well worth doing it many times over. Not to be atempted in San Francisco, for sure. IBM was fined over a $100,000, four years ago.