• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 16, 2012

The nation’s largest public transit agency is seeking expressions of interest from potential digital out-of-home advertising partners as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s creation of a network of interactive customer information kiosks, called “On the Go!” Travel Stations. 

A collaborative effort between the MTA and its constituent transportation agencies -- New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, and the Long Island Rail Road -- the “On the Go!” Travel Stations are designed to give customers information ranging from trip planning and service status to nearby restaurants and other destinations. The kiosks, with digital displays measuring 47 inches on the diagonal, are currently deployed in five locations as part of a pilot program, which the MTA plans to expand to many more subway and railroad passenger stations around the city. This could easily make it the largest municipally owned DOOH system in the country.

The MTA’s request for expressions of interest explains: “To assist in this rollout, the MTA is seeking to understand the best way to maximize the OTG’s revenue potential and MTA’s return on investment (ROI) from the OTG’s advertising/sponsorship capabilities.” The RFEI further reveals that “one of the areas that the MTA is interested in is the local or hyper-local advertising market. Specifically, the MTA is interested in assessing opinions about the potential mix of local and national advertising in terms of maximizing revenue potential.” This calls for a system with the flexibility to target advertising by day-part and location.

According to the RFEI, advertising would be located at the bottom portion of the digital screen display, or appear on the side of the kiosks through a branded sponsorship. In that vein, the MTA is seeking to determine whether it might be profitable to have a single brand underwrite the program.