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Adobe's 14th Street Billboard: Interactive, But Recessed
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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To drum up interest in Creative Suite 3, Adobe put up a new interactive billboard on 14th Street outside the Virgin MegaStore this morning. From NY Times:
As pedestrians walk past the wall, infrared sensors will lock on to the person closest to the wall, who will then be able to control a projected slider button at the bottom of the wall.
As the selected pedestrian continues walking and moves the slider along, the wall will start displaying colorful animation and playing music, effects that will grow or recede at the pace that the person advances or retreats. When each selected pedestrian reaches the end of the wall, his or her design will be in full blossom, above the campaign’s message: “Creative license: take as much as you want.”
That sounds interesting. But does it work?
We checked out the wall, which happens to in this recessed part of the building. Perhaps the wall needed to be in a recessed area so people could see the screen without glare and to be protected from the elements, but it's seems so recessed (about 12 feet from the main sidewalk) that general passersby wouldn't know it's anything interactive. When no one is nearby, it seems to be just a white screen with the Adobe logo and some black type (we could have missed an inactive state animation, though). Only when you're about 6 feet from the screen do people get to manipulate the wall.
So now you know what that wall is, when you're rushing to the subway entrance. We wonder if Adobe's ad agency selected the Union Square location because there are so many creative types in there - versus Times Square, which is more heavily trafficked but might have less people who use Adobe Products. But let us just say this: We wouldn't mind a Charmin toilet experience in Union Square.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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