Amazon teams with Outfront Media and Rapport for largest Times Square advertising installment ever
At nearly 80 feet high, the new Amazon Echo towering over Times Square is the largest advertising installment ever in the Square, breaking the record held by Pepsi from the 1940s.
79-foot tall Amazon Echo
As part of a groundbreaking advertising campaign for Amazon Music, Outfront Media Inc., one of the largest out-of-home media companies in North America, and Rapport, the out-of-home media buying and planning agency of IPG Mediabrands, today (June 14) unveiled the 79-foot-tall Amazon Echo replica in New York City’s Times Square.
Rapport, in partnership with Traction 3D, led the conception and fabrication of the replica build, which will live on one of Outfront Media’s largest billboards in Times Square. Standing over seven stories high, with a circumference of around 24 feet and weighing over seven tons, the giant aluminum Echo replica will be on display on Broadway between 44th and 45th Street now through June 25. The Echo installment includes an LED light ring programmed to replicate the pattern activated when a user asks Alexa a question in real time.
“Amazon Music’s gigantic deployment is a key example of the creative possibilities out-of-home offers brands and we are very excited to be a part of this unique campaign” said Jodi Senese, Outfront Media's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Times Square remains one of the most prominent advertising hubs in the world and brands continue to leverage the high visibility space here and large audiences; our historic work with Rapport and Amazon today marks a new chapter in the playbook.”
The Echo installation is part of Amazon Music’s large scale advertising campaign, “Music Unites,” which was inspired in part by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” billboard campaign. That powerful message, coupled with Amazon Music’s popular lyrics search feature when listening on Echo, led to this Amazon Music campaign, which features iconic lyrics that express positivity and togetherness in famous locations in 15 cities across the US, UK, Germany and Austria.
“Rapport has a long and storied history of innovative and dynamic campaigns in the out-of-home space,” said Mike Cooper, global chief executive, Rapport. “It’s been a thrill to work with a client that regularly pushes the boundaries of advertising like Amazon. We’re keen to see the engagement from the millions of visitors in Times Square who will come across this truly impressive ad.”
Times Square has historically been a prime advertising location for brands and receives over 300,000 visitors daily today. Over the years, the Square has lead the out of-home industry’s shift toward a digital platform, enabling companies to share their story at an impressive scale, with all the benefits of full video, motion and sound.