If you work in or live on Manhattan's East Side in lower midtown, you’ve probably seen the truck and wondered what "wafels and dinges" could ever be. That's what Thomas DeGeest has painted on the side of his truck, and as it turns out the truck is actually a roving lunch counter that serves waffles and, for lack of a better word, things.
DeGeest has been selling Belgian waffles for more than a year now.
And as these things happen, in that time DeGeest has gotten to know Alex Goulart and Joao Medeiros, creative directors at Duval Guillaume, an ad agency with offices on East 4th Street, near the route DeGeest travels throughout his day, which is the area near New York University and Union Square.
And as these things also happen, the two came up with a creative alternative out-of-home campaign to help their friend peddle his wares.
Late in the evening of April 17, they sent out a team to paint vent grills on sidewalks along his route, some 15 in all. By each they placed a sign saying simply "Wafels & Dinges," just as it's written on the side of DeGeest's truck, in yellow with red and brown lettering.
Why yellow? Why vent grates?
“We were just looking around and thought, these grills look like waffles,’” says Goulart. “So we thought that would be amazing to turn those into waffles for Thomas.” Thus the yellow.
The agency got permission from the police to paint the grills, with one stipulation: just the grills, being careful not to get paint on any nearby trees.
Goulart says they've gone back multiple times to put up new signs by the grills. Which is a good thing. It means people noticed them, then liked them enough to swipe them.
The campaign will run until the paint washes off the grills.
