(The following story by Richard Wronski appeared on the Chicago Tribune website on June 11, 2009.)
CHICAGO — Metra, which bills itself as “The Way to Really Fly,” has wrapped three passenger cars from top to bottom in purple vinyl on behalf of a hair salon chain. The hard-to-miss rolling billboards might just be the way to really advertise.
The ads for Supercuts are running on Metra’s most heavily used lines: the BNSF, and the Union Pacific North, Northwest and West.
Covering buses and train cars with ads isn’t new, but this is Metra’s first major foray. It tested the idea in February with a free Illinois tourism spot featuring the four U.S. presidents with Prairie State roots.
This time, Metra will earn in the “mid- to low-five figures” for the eight-week campaign, spokesman Michael Gillis said.
Some railroad aficionados aren’t happy, but the medium can be very effective if the message is right, said Laurence Minsky, who teaches advertising at Columbia College.
“However, we have to be careful of creating ‘visual pollution,’ if overdone or if the message is poorly executed,” he said.
Metra promises to be tasteful with the ads.