Chicago Transit uses GPS technology advertising

CTA Bus

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) unveiled a new type of advertising on Monday. Using wireless cellular communications, the CTA is placing a 50-inch digital screen on the side of CTA buses that will display ads. This transit ad is a GPS technology that allow advertiser to target a university campus on the bus route.

The CTA expects to receive $100 million from the 10-year deal with Titan Digital Worldwide. Titan officials said the images are more like a moving billboard than a TV commercial. “It’s bright and sexy and attracts attention,” said Lou Giacalone Jr., senior vice president of Titan Digital Worldwide.

For instance, an ad on the side of the bus for an apartment or room rental listing website could say, “visit our site at http://www.apartmentquester.com or we are three blocks ahead: get your free listing today.”

“It can be granular,” CTA president Ron Huberman said during a demonstration at the CTA’s Kedzie Avenue bus garage on Chicago’s West Side. He also said, “The important thing for the CTA’s bottom line is that advertisers are willing to pay more for dynamic advertising like this than for static ads.”

The digital screens could also be accessed by the City Office of Emergency Management and Communications to put out information about street closings caused by a building fire or a flood, officials said.

The concept is not new, it was patterened after high-tech advertising on London’s transit system. The goal is to help CTA increase revenue raised from other than fare boxes, Herberman said. “There is no upfront cost to the CTA, and Titan is responsible for maintaining the digital screens, he said.

The ad is being tested on of Chicago bus route, the No. 124 Navy Pier bus route, but plans for more than 1,500 digital displays are to be installed on 100 buses and at all 144 CTA trail station beginning 2009.