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 Transportation Today
 

Tunnel advertising gets off to a strong start


King County Executive Ron Sims and Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond made the announcement about the tunnel advertising last week within hours of the first ads (right) being installed.

In its search for much-needed new revenue, Metro Transit is now allowing paid advertising in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. Even though the ads only debuted last week, the first two contracts are already contributing almost $80,000 to Metro’s biennial budget.

The transit tunnel ads are expected to boost Metro’s bottom line and help keep buses rolling during a time of steep revenue losses resulting from the faltering economy. With a national recession and decreased local consumer spending, Metro expects to lose up to $60 million annually in projected sales tax revenue.

The tunnel-advertising program is just one of several revenue-generating and cost-cutting ideas Metro is exploring. The tunnel ads have the potential to generate more than $230,000 annually. When combined with sales of ads on bus interiors and exteriors, the ad revenue could climb to more than $6.6 million annually – the cost of keeping 60,000 hours of bus service on the street.


Freestanding kiosks will have both advertising and transit information.

“Given the county’s serious budget crisis, Metro must be creative and use every tool at its disposal to bring in needed revenues, just as private businesses do,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “By taking advantage of new advertising opportunities, Metro is proactively using an entrepreneurial approach to preserve service and meet the demands of its customers at a time of booming ridership.”

The first ads – placed by Verizon – appeared in the Westlake Station last week. Verizon has a total of 42 ads at Westlake, including wall displays, freestanding kiosks, and overhead hanging banners. And, Pepsi has contracted to be the initial advertiser at University Station for the first quarter of 2009.

Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond said the amount and placement of the ads will vary slightly between the five different tunnel stations due to the different architectural layouts and artwork installation at each station. He said Metro will strive to make sure the advertising is tasteful, and does not obscure the tunnel’s celebrated public art.

Titan Outdoor contracts with Metro to sell advertising space on the agency’s 1,300 buses, and will handle the tunnel advertising as well. The company’s national and local sales staff will market King County Metro Transit’s advertising opportunities to potential advertisers throughout the country. The Verizon ads in the Metro tunnel are part of a national campaign involving multiple transit agencies.
 

 
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Updated:  December 08, 2008

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