Cappuccino Thoughts 76: On Where Do Those Weird NYC Street Ads Come From?
Why is the city encouraging me to bake a block of brie into a pizza?
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As I crisscross this city on a daily basis, something on our streets has increasingly caught my eye - those weird digital signs in the streets displaying an array of information ranging from helpful (the weather and bus information) to somewhat interesting (historical NYC facts) to completely random (a recipe for “spaghetti brie pasta” wherein a wheel of brie is baked into the center of a pizza) to eye-rolling (Gen Z-slang encoded trend reports clearly written by a Gen Xer). After the approximately thousandth such sign that made me go “wait, what???”, I decided to investigate where these visual headscratchers come from.
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My investigations revealed that these digital nuisances actually come from two primary companies: Outfront and LinkNYC.
Outfront is responsible for more of the transit-related ads, including the TV screens above subway stop signs (what they call “digital street furniture.” Yuck.) and many of the digital ads that now appear inside subways. I’d love to chat with the person who thought, “You know what New Yorkers need: more things to draw their attention.”
If you live in New York, the name LinkNYC may ring a bell because it’s responsible for the communications network that has replaced pay phones across the five boroughs, otherwise known as the pillars with screens on many street corners. Its website says, “Each LinkNYC structure provides super-fast, free public Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, and a tablet for access to city services, maps, and directions.” In theory, this sounds great! This is an important system for people who don’t have access to wifi or regular charging stations. Though the “super-fast” wifi claim is rarely true and the devices are, in my experience, nearly always broken or used to do non-PG activities. But they still let people access digital services in a pinch.
But it’s not all altruistic….
Here’s what really caught my attention:
“LinkNYC is completely free because it’s funded through advertising. Its groundbreaking digital OOH advertising network not only provides brands with a rich, context-aware platform to reach New Yorkers and visitors, but also generates millions of dollars in revenue for New York City.”
These kiosks are not funded by tax dollars, but rather by advertising….
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Ad revenue makes up only 4% of the MTA’s budget, yet these digital ads have now encroached on the space of every New Yorker, especially on the subway. We all have to suffer this visual pollution. Outfront proudly describes the ability to corner an audience that suffers from "digital fatigue" and that is accustomed to scrolling past ads. "From an advertising point of view for our tenants—you can't turn the page, you can't turn the channel, you can't avoid us by watching the programming on an ad-free platform," CEO Jeremy Male said in a 2018 interview. In other words, New York City subway transitters are held hostage and nearly compelled to view these ads.
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So while New Yorkers walking or commuting on the streets or in the subway are targeted within the last inch of their attention span and conceivable free space to make up some percentage of the 4% of MTA revenues from ads, we can’t pass congestion pricing. The MTA earns about $7 billion per year. According to the Citizens Budget Commission, congestion pricing would have generated $1 billion in revenue, or 14% of the MTA’s total budget.
[Of note: Data from a report prepared for the Traffic Mobility Review Board indicated that 55% of the people who would have paid the congestion charge had annual incomes of $100,000 or more.]
The answer to why there are so many strange recipe videos or random facts is because much of this is filler content LinkNYC uses to entice real advertisers. To its credit, it does partner with some local organizations to spotlight small businesses, nonprofits, and cultural facts and happenings.
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But if there’s filler content that the company is presumably paying for but that isn’t generating any revenue, why does it have to be this pablum? Why couldn’t it be useful content, like a map of the city (listen, I consider myself a Real New Yorker at this point, but even I sometimes can’t figure out which way is uptown and which is downtown when I come out of the subway), directions to the nearest food pantry, or phone numbers for immigration resources or homeless shelters. The bottom line is, if the city is so keen to increase revenue from every square inch of city streets and public transit, where only the ultra rich are immune from this visual assault, at least give us useful and relevant information, not more junk that makes walking down the street feel like scrolling on our phones.
Cappuccino Classified
A reminder that there are primary elections on June 25, 2024, in New York. I think we only get to (lovingly) criticize this city and this state if we vote. Local and state elections have a huge impact on our experience in this city. You can find your polling place here.
Updates on the bag brand
In case you’re new here, the story is I upcycle vintage designer leather and suede bags and bring them back to life by relining them with vintage silk scarves and other textiles. I sell online, at By Liv boutique in Brooklyn, and soon at a Manhattan vendor. Every week, I share a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build a brand from scratch in New York.
This week I had an inspiring chat with a mentor (love you, G.) and got a lead on an exciting domestic manufacturer to make custom orders faster and onshore some production.
Look of the week
The New York Times said “big pants are back” and this man delivered! I spotted this stilt walker in Tompkins Square. He was part of a circus that was setting up for a free performance. (I have a personal aversion to this form of entertainment after a childhood PE curriculum based in the “circus arts.” San Francisco schools!) This fellow walked with more grace than I do in stilettos. If the four-foot long pants weren’t eye-catching enough, the gold and silver certainly drew the eye, while the hat, perched so high above eye-level, became almost superfluous.
What’s on the bedside table
At a book event a while ago, a librarian offered personalized book recommendations. I really thought about how to describe my favorite kinds of books. “Sprawling inter-generational family sagas” was my final answer. I don’t just want to know what happened at one given moment, I want the whole family tree and to learn about all the tiny choices made by people generations back that led to a certain plot point. I was thinking about Americanah by Chimamandah Ngozi Adichie, Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and even Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz fits these criteria: it portrays the Oppenheimer family, starting with a tragic accident that changes the course of Salo Oppenheimer’s life, but leads him to his wife Johanna. (These are not spoilers; this information is on the book cover! The twist comes later.) They go on to use IVF to have triplets who grow increasingly distant from each other and their parents. When they leave for college, Johanna decides to have a fourth child, with consequences that ripple across the entire family. This book covers bases including a private school “whose frankly socialist ethos stood in bald contrast to soaring tuition” (I lol’ed), identity, family expectations, the changing landscape of Brooklyn, Mormons, and a Rachel Dolezal moment. Five stars.
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This week I am….packing up for Turkey. I will be taking a rare week off next week. Look for my next Thoughts on July 1.
Catch up on recent issues:
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I enjoyed “The Latecomer” too! Very entertaining!
The outdoor ads that make me crazy are the sailboats going up and down the East river and along the beach front with ads on the sails. I should probably have more of a sense of humor about it. Self righteous indignation always feels kind of awful!