News

You Can't Escape the Subway

by Bonnie Natko
Monday, February 6, 2006. 11:48AM
1,172 Views 3 Comments

The most recent advertising controversy in NYC are the latest round of train ads for the Bahamas. It shows ways that you have an "instant escape" during your commute. They are quite clever - one depicts turning a seat into an instant hammock, while another cheekily gives instructions on how to fly fish with a cell phone and scarf. Real serious stuff, huh? This is leaving the MTA in an tizzy, because it completely breaks all their rules of conduct - which were just updated about a month ago. Sure, we know better than to hog up seats, and no one in their right mind is really going to fly fish over the platform, but if you're going to advertise on the subway, you've got to set an example. CBS Outdoor, who placed the ads are taking down the 2 instant escapes in question.

The MTA means business, too and are cracking down on dual seat offenders. A Brooklyn woman was slapped with a $50 fine last week for putting her groceries on the seat next to her on an empty F train. I bet the MTA is saying that by keeping these ads up, it is only encouraging such deviant behavior. Whole Foods gave the woman a $100 gift certificate saying that "no one should be punished for taking their groceries home." The woman is still going to fight the ticket, and the Straphangers Campaign supports her.

This isn't the first time a subway ad has been scrutinized. Last summer, the awful "Mitchum Man" campaign which pretty much declared how much of a man you were if you could jump over a turnstile or kick in the emergency window. Those were just plain stupid. But vacation, who doesn't want to go on vacation?

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Tuesday, February 14, 2006. 12:32PM by Bonnie Natko
I loved the ads too, a breath of fresh air in a sea of awful creative. There are better things that the MTA should worry about, like fixing the union mess or something so we don't have another strike.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006. 12:19PM by Nate Arch
I love those ads. Beautiful, refreshing. I don't care if they're over-art directed. They make me want to go there. They make the palce seem magical. The MTA is full of ugly-ass shit, and now they have to complain about a major client. Talk about a powertrip by a group of people desperate to exude their power even if it means fucking themselves and everybody else over. Don't they need to save some money? How about firing all the poeple who complained about this great campaign.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006. 07:07AM by Anthony Jones
I like those ads. They are a refreshing change from the standard vacation ads we see so often beginning in January. Even though they use the classic snorkeling-to-hammock-between-two-pa... images, the copy is far more engaging than whats been seen. Anyway, there are enough idiots out there who can think of much more creative ways to cause trouble on the train, they don't need instructions. MTA should know that ads aren't the problem.