The New York Times x The New York Subway
By Rupert Cole on Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Everyone has their own way of passing the time whilst travelling underground. With no Wi-Fi, many people turn to reading, podcasts, music, and we are all guilty of looking at a strangers phone to try and figure out the rules of whatever mobile game they’re playing. The New York Times are seeking to capitalise on this facet of human nature with their latest immersive campaign, as they have launched a takeover of the S shuttle subway between Times Square and Grand Central station.
The immersive takeover experience has transformed each carriage, which are each now an incarnation of different New York Times sub-sections. Carriages have been designed to represent everything from The Spelling Bee – where the carriage has been transformed into a puzzle – through to the carriage representing The Athletic – which has been designed as an imitation of the New York Giants’ locker room.
“We had six products we wanted to highlight and six train cars to work with, which gave us the opportunity to highlight each product individually, while showing how together they add up to all of the Times,” say Jordan Jacobson and Chris Skurat, associate creative directors of growth marketing at the Times. “Each interior was transformed into an unexpected, immersive environment, with the colour palette of each product wrapping the exterior. The interior language has the wit of a New Yorker, with insider, contextual references wherever possible.”
The experience goes beyond just the train itself; not only is the station itself filled with references to the Times, but the Times are also planning three pop-ups, including one where Wordle players will be able to battle it out against each other.
Amy Weisenbach, senior vice president and head of marketing at the New York Times Company has said: “New York is our home base and in our name, making the Times an integral part of this great city…By showing up within the subway, we hope to surprise subscribers, readers, home cooks, solvers and sports fanatics and give them a new way to use the Times for their commute and in their everyday lives.”
