Discovery Brings Hi-Def Bus Shelters To New York

Pedestrians in major cities are familiar by now with Discovery Communications' oversize outdoor ad presence. It frequently uses phone kiosks and other so-called "street furniture" to help brand its TV networks with still shots of dinosaurs, exotic locales or the latest high-tech weaponry and other fare from its stable of original programming. But now, at select bus shelters in New York City, the dinosaurs will be moving, the locales will come to life and the weapons will be blowing stuff up as the network, Omnicom's PHD, its media agency, and outdoor ad space vendor Cemusa embark on a first-ever test using high-definition TV screens and Bluetooth technology to showcase ads at outdoor venues.The first display was installed last week at a bus stop outside Grand Central Terminal, and plans call for an additional nine screens to be set up at the highest foot-traffic points throughout the city (including Times Square, Penn Station and Port Authority) over the next two weeks.The building and installation of the sets would itself make for a good Discovery Science program. According to David Askew, director of sales and marketing for Cemusa, elaborate tests had to be conducted to ensure that the sets would deliver quality signals during extreme temperatures, high humidity and thunderstorms.And being New York, precautions had to be taken to ensure that the sets wouldn't be tampered with or stolen. They are sealed between plates of bullet-, bat- and crowbar-proof plastic. "We have taken every precaution to ensure that they are pretty much guarded against anything," said Askew. "It would take hours to wrench out the screen, and anybody who tried would probably end up breaking it." But just in case, the sets are also wired with security alarms and GPS tracking devices, according to notices on the shelters. It was PHD that brought the idea to client Discovery last summer. "They push us for innovation,"said Jay Altschuler, vp, group media director, PHD, adding that his team was "on the phone with Cemusa almost the day after" that company assumed oversight of ad sales for New York's bus shelters last June.The Bluetooth technology adds several components, said Altschuler, such as audio and interactive features that let users download clips and digital reminders to their phones that sound before scheduled programs. PHD will track how Bluetooth subscribers interact with the sets.It was such innovations that sold the network on the idea, said Chris Schembri, svp, media planning and partnerships, Discovery. "This is clearly a lot different than the typical billboard or bus poster," he said. And the network is producing increasing amounts of HD programming, so to have ad displays that provide comparable quality video is critical, he said. For example, an upcoming five-week installment of Planet Earth was shot entirely in HD and will be promoted heavily on the screens before its debut in late March. The Planet Earth bus shelter ads will be tied to a larger campaign that includes cinema and cable ads, said Schembri. In addition to Planet Earth, other shows to be promoted on the HD bus shelters include Future Weapons, a new program with chef Anthony Bourdain, and a new installment of Animal Planet's Meerkat Manor. Discovery did not disclose a budget for the campaign.Beyond the 10 shelters with HD sets, another 40 will be Bluetooth enabled. Another 100 will feature traditional outdoor ads. Discovery's deal with Cemusa gives the cable network one full year of exclusive access to the HD and Bluetooth shelters with options to renew and expand as Cemusa expands the high-tech network. Last year, Cemusa won the right to sell ads on 3,300 bus shelters and other outdoor venues in New York for $1 billion over 20 years. Making the bus shelters HD and Bluetooth capable requires city approval. Askew said that Cemusa has plans for expansion "where appropriate.""We'd love to continue to develop it," he said. "This is an exciting test of a new medium."

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Discovery Brings Hi-Def Bus Shelters To New York

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