Image Design By Daniel Quinn
On July 6th 2011 the TTC approved a new advertising contract with Pattison Outdoor Advertising. The new contract allows for new advertising initiatives that could result in the sale of subway station names, subway line names, and the installation of 3-D LCD screens, ads on ‘information kiosks’, video screens inside of subways, and digital screens on the outsides of vehicles. Some of the current forms of advertising on the TTC will persist and some will be expanded, possibly including; fully covered vehicle advertising, externally wrapped subway trains, ads on the ceilings of buses, ads on the back of buses facing drivers, outdoor billboards on TTC property, and sales-people inside stations promoting products and companies.
This list is long, but ultimately what we are getting here is a lot more pervasive and intrusive advertising for TTC riders that will make their experience worse for very little financial benefit in return. In essence, we’re taxing the riders a lot so that a private company can make a lot of money by selling more ads on the TTC – the public won’t get much additional revenue. One estimate suggests that additional revenue in the new deal will only pay for approximately 1% of the TTC budget – though this figure could be slightly higher in time as new ad types are implemented, if revenue sharing or an additional price tag is part of the deal at the time. There is no particular reason to believe any additional revenue would be too significant though.
The American experience suggests that the TTC will not raise much money from selling off naming rights. Philadelphia got $600,000 a year from AT$T for the name of one station, and New York $200,000 from Barclays. Boston tried but failed to sell any sponsorships for its transit system.
Only Councilors Davis (Beaches-East York) and Augimeri (York Centre) tried to stop this deal from going through.
Our Position:
The TPSI position on this matter is similar to the naming rights issue (see the bottom of item number 2 in this newsletter). We oppose the sale of our civic identity and the over-inundation of advertising that TTC riders will face with the new more pervasive and more intrusive ads. We also question the financial sense behind the new policies.
Given the many better options out there to raise additional funds, and the ways that this harms the customer experience and civic identity, the TTC should have rejected it outright, gone back to the drawing board, and started fresh by listening to TTC riders and the public. This deal sucks for everyone but the company that won the ad contract.
What You Can Do:
It is not too late to make a difference – contact your local city councilor now! All of the new initiatives have the potential to be stopped dead in their ‘tracks’ right now. Email them here.
Press
CBC Here and Now Interview, 4:15PM On July 6th 2011.
A National Post Article that sort of mentions our existence – good enough!
CBC News Article quoting from our deputation
NOW Magazine Mention and Posting of our very own rendition of a corporate sponsored TTC Map (by Daniel Quinn)
Click For the Background Document
Bad enough that Toronto has a history of naming things after rich people. Now it seems we’re digressing further to naming things after corporations. Plus ça change . . .