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TV and plasma screens... coming to a TTC near you!
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| dEsidEL |
wells the TTC in a bid with Viacom have planned intentions on implementing TV and plasma ad screens on subway trains and stations and eventually on buses and streetcars if this proves successful.
personally i think it's a great move. Most of the transit systems that i used throughout Europe featured this and i found it to be a great way to pass time on the trains especially when they featured news broadcasts and highlights of the European Cup championship. this form of advertising is also widely used in many other countries throughout the world.
among other things some features of this service included providing arrival times of trains and broadcast of delays in service throughout the transit network.
now all we need are cellular antennas in the tunnels so we can place phone calls ! :D
here's the article:
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Sep. 20, 2004. 06:31 AM
Next subway stop is TV
TTC also planning ads in tunnels
Monitors in cars to `enhance' ride
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Coming soon to a darkened subway tunnel near you: a silent moving picture show.
The folks who sell all the TTC's advertising have figured out how to take the often devastatingly boring subway ride — in which passengers stare blankly out the window and into nothing at all — and turn part of it into a 15-second ad.
By exposing the moving train audience to a series of static images placed on the tunnel walls, Viacom Outdoor Canada figures it can get your attention.
"That's just a neat way of using the space that's there as the riders are riding the rocket," said Nick Arakgi, general manager of Viacom Outdoor Canada.
He likened it to drawing "stick figures on a page, and by flicking a page you create a little moving picture; that's exactly the concept.
"Rather than looking out into a dark expanse, what you're going to get is an advertisement. If you could imagine, a strip of the track is going to have individual pictures. As the subway is riding past, it's going to create that flicking of the page effect."
The tunnel advertising and the coming of TV monitors in subway cars and platforms are two pilot projects the TTC will introduce this fall as it begins to brace for a $5.5 million shortfall in ad revenue.
On Wednesday, the TTC is expected to award Viacom Outdoor Canada a contract that will pay the transit commission a guaranteed minimum of $93.2 million over seven years, the best deal it could get from four bidders vying for exclusive ad-selling rights on the transit system. Viacom's current deal with the TTC expires in December.
While passengers provide the TTC with the lion's share of revenue — about $665 million annually — advertising is the TTC's second biggest revenue generator. This deal represents a drop from $18.2 million to $12.7 million annually from what the TTC currently collects in ad revenue.
"Even though on a relative basis, it's a small portion of the pie, it's still a lot of money," said Vince Rodo, the TTC's general secretary, adding that $5.5 million revenue shortfall "would be the equivalent of a nickel fare increase halfway through the year."
The only way the TTC can earn enough to cover that loss in advertising is if Viacom is able to earn more from its exclusive advertising rights than it has budgeted.
"Hopefully they sell a lot of advertising and we're not stuck with the guaranteed minimum," said Rodo.
"To that end, there are some things in there that we are prepared to take a serious look at."
Another new revenue generator could be the sale of ads on LCD monitors installed in some subway cars and platforms in a pilot project this fall that could go system-wide next year and ultimately spread to streetcars and buses. Those LCD monitors — like a TV screen, but with no sound — would display news, sports, weather, and TTC information such as displaying the next stop, or advising of delays. The concept is already in place in elevators in business towers, but the TTC will use bigger screens.
"The video concept will fit nicely for the passengers," said Arakgi. "I think it's going to enhance the ride.
"When you and I get on and we stare at the advertising, but now there's going to be different advertising there. Nobody wants to look at each other any more, that's too bad.
"As the system grows, it will announce the next stop. For somebody who's hearing impaired that's a great advantage, they'll be able to look up and see the next stop is Dundas, or Bay, or whatever."
Rodo says the TTC will canvass its passengers on these innovations during the pilot projects to gauge acceptance.
"If the customers hate it ... we won't do it," said Rodo. "If they tell us it's not so bad, then you might think about expanding it and decide if that's a technology we can introduce in the hopes of making up some of that $5.5 million in an attempt to try and do what we can do to fill that gap."
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source:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...ol=968705899037
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| cap |
If the reason for implementing the screens is solely for the benefit of the rider (news, delay times, etc.) Then fine.
However, the reality is that the screens are just a new medium for advertisements, so someone in Viacom can drive a BMW 7 series instead of a 5. |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by cap
If the reason for implementing the screens is solely for the benefit of the rider (news, delay times, etc.) Then fine.
However, the reality is that the screens are just a new medium for advertisements, so someone in Viacom can drive a BMW 7 series instead of a 5. |
hey if ppl can get their news off these screens rather than from those free newspapers thus avoiding litter than i say all the better
in the end i think it'll benefit both riders and advertisers..
i remember riding the trams in Amsterdam watching these cool EDM ads.. :eyespop:
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| St_Andrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by dEsidEL
in the end i think it'll benefit both riders and advertisers..
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exactly :)
great move imo :) |
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| starsearcher |
| How about making the TTC actually more reliable and preventing it from falling apart first? I mean don't get me wrong I love the idea...but the system is crap and they need so much to repair...is that the best idea to propose such a thing right now? IMO it sends the wrong image to consumer even though that's not what they were intending. :o |
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| StereoPrincess |
i think that's a good idea but our subway system is soooooo small to begin with, why not spend the money on expanding it first.
but maybe this sort of thing will bring more revenue for the TTC and they can expand it that way.
and eventually drop the fares. |
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| rabbitjoker |
Back in late 1999/early 2000, some partners and I invented a system (hardware/software) that replaced the ads on the side of buses, streetcars, taxis, etc with LCD screens (lighter and cheaper than plasma).
The system used GPS and cellular data transfer systems to "localize" the ads on vehicle as it moved about the city.
When the vehicle entered a certain neighbourhood we were able to have the screens update in real time and display ads only relevant to that area.
Ah, innovation... :) |
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| St_Andrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by rabbitjoker
Back in 2000, some partners and I invented a system that replaced the ads on the side of buses, streetcars, taxis, etc with LCD screens (lighter and cheaper than plasma).
The system used GPS and cellular data transfer systems to "localize" the ads on vehicle as it moved about the city.
When the vehicle entered a certain neighbourhood we were able to have the screens update in real time and display ads only relevant to that area.
Ah, innovation... :) |
sounds smart :D
did it ever come to reality? |
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| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Originally posted by St_Andrew
did it ever come to reality? |
We never deployed it commercially - but we did have a few long term beta tests.
The major barrier to commercialization was the cost of the 0.5m x 2.5m LCD panel + gps/celluar system on the vehicle (compared to a plastic board, printed with vinyl paint).
The minor barrier to commercialization is large advertisers' inability to be agile/acutely-intelligent with marketing messages.
Unfortunately major advertisers (still) haven't evolved beyond the "broadcast" princple of advertising (show the ad to everybody, hope some respond).
Until then I'll keep developing new, innovative and EFFECTIVE advertising and marketing methodologies/technologies so that when they do evolve there will be tools available that will assist them in meeting their objectives. |
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| starsearcher |
| TTC is starting to implement GPS systems on their vehicles and especially busses to be able to track them better and improve load and availability |
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| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Originally posted by starsearcher
to be able to track them better and improve load and availability |
read: to keep drivers from pulling over to have naps and take 30 minute fast food breaks every 2 hours...
:D |
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