News

'Largest interactive advertising display in the world' set to light up Times Square

Eight-story tall LED digital signage display will wrap an entire city block in the heart of New York City's Times Square.

November 18, 2014

Second Story, part of agency SapientNitro, today announced that it has been engaged by Vornado Realty Trust to help unveil the largest LED advertising display in the world. Installed in the heart of Times Square on the Marriott Marquis, the interactive digital display stretches eight stories high and wraps the entire city block. The unveiling will transform the media landscape with its interplay of art, commerce and technology that pushes the boundaries of scale and interactivity, the company said.

Second Story, in collaboration with digital artists Universal Everything, produced an experience that includes an abstract graphic narrative broadcast for the screen, through more than 23 million pixels, 10,000 times standard high-definition. Selected participants at an exclusive pre-launch event this evening will co-create an abstract film that will be revealed on the display at launch to demonstrate the screen's interactive capabilities. The screen will be unveiled to the world at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and will ultimately serve as a media space for retail and other commercial advertisers.

"This groundbreaking display pushes the boundaries of storytelling for brands and redefines what's possible in creating digital experiences for consumers in physical spaces," SapientNitro Chief Experience Officer Donald Chesnut said in the announcement. "The exhibit will enable audiences to experience media that is both gorgeous and fun, and allows tonight's participants to be co-creators of content at a breathtaking scale."

According to the announcement, the "first-of-its-kind" screen gives brands the ability to engage with audiences in new ways. The interactive technology enables a variety of participatory experiences that blend the physical and digital, including the ability for pedestrians to use their mobile devices to influence and select the content that appears on the screen.

"The potential for on-site interactivity creates unprecedented outdoor opportunities for brands to engage viewers," Second Story Creative Director Chris Cobb said. "The capabilities of the display represent the next frontier for creating immersive experiences that allow always-on consumers and audiences to customize the brand content they want to interact with, in real-time."

The "megascreen" is set to join the ranks of the most expensive pieces of outdoor ad real estate on the market, with a going rate of more than $2.5 million for four weeks, marketing executives told The New York Times.

The digital art content from Universal Everything will fill up the digital signage display from tonight until Nov. 24, when Google will take over as the exclusive debut advertiser through the New Year.

"Size matters in Times Square," Clear Channel Outdoor New York President Harry Coghlan told The Times. CCO-NY is selling the ad space for the display. "Sometimes it just comes down to wanting to stand out, and it comes down to ego."