Subway in-tunnel advertising gives outdoor a new direction

Now you see it, now you don’t! You are riding in a subway car, gazing out the window when, suddenly, like a hallucination, an animated advertising scene flashes outside your window. It’s not your imagination. Outdoor advertising has found a new print direction -- subway in-tunnel advertising.

The new medium is championed by several advertising firms. A low-tech approach to subway displays in subway tunnels, in-tunnel advertising relies on a scientific phenomenon known as “persistence of vision,” which allows humans to see animated or moving pictures.

In this process, a continuous strip of slightly varying pictures is transferred to a film strip. When the film is projected, the mind records each image as a continuous movement.

The beauty of this system lies in its simplicity -- no electronics, flashing lights, sensors or moving parts, except for the passing train. It’s a natural environment for this kind of advertising, because you have a captive audience of thousands of passengers who are looking for something to do. The light boxes captivate their attention.