Outdoor advertising that wraps around structures has made its debut
in Asia, courtesy of JCDecaux Pearl & Dean and RobertLam Color.
JCDecaux has introduced its wraparound ads at a number of MTR train
station exits in Hong Kong.
General manager Stephen Wong said wrapping an ad around the three-walled
sides of the exits added an extra dimension to what is in reality a
flat, 2-D image: "The message is made all the more vivid and lively to
commuters, pedestrians and drivers," he told MEDIA.
Mr Wong stressed that the look and the content of the ad are
important.
"We go through a process to ensure that the MTR's operations and safety
regulations are not compromised and we also make sure that the ads are
aesthetically pleasing so as not to devalue the image of the MTR."
JCDecaux was the agency that was responsible for ads that covered entire
walls and pillars within train stations over the past year.
"The materials and aesthetic guidelines were already there, so it was a
simple matter of extending the principles and techniques to the outdoor
environment, an idea which the MTR approved," Mr Wong said.
Similar wrap-around ads are being planned for Singapore's MRT.
Mr Wong also revealed that there are plans to build billboards - six
metres wide and three metres tall - over the top of MTR station
exits.
"This would create a network of OA sites and we could offer package
deals which would be a first for Hong Kong, since billboard placements
are currently sold individually," he said.
While the MTR has already given its approval, the government is still
giving the idea consideration.
Meanwhile, Photobition Hong Kong, formerly RobertLam Color, has taken
the wraparound idea a step further by wrapping ads around entire
buildings.
Managing director Robert Lam said that this type of signage has been
used to cover entire buildings under renovation in Los Angeles, New York
and London.
