• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, January 17, 2020

Here’s an unusual OOH promotion — one that may be the first of many.

Comedy Central and New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority yesterday unveiled a campaign to promote the network’s upcoming new show "Awkawfina Is Nora From Queens."

The show’s star, Awkwafina, is helping to drum up awareness and enthusiasm in the Big Apple with a series of canned announcements designed to tickle the funny bone of subway riders on the No. 7 train. (It travels from Queens to Manhattan and back.)

In addition to the usual “the next stop is” and “please watch your step” alerts, Awkwafina cracks wise with pronouncements like “Next stop is in Manhattan. Hope you brought money!” and “This is 52nd Street. If this is your stop and you're asleep, well, that sucks."

The subway campaign was executed via a partnership between Outfront Media, the OOH advertising rep for the MTA, and agency Posterscope.

The MTA bills the effort as part of a pilot program to better engage commuters.

The Awkwafina subway quips can be heard through Jan. 22 when her new show debuts.

Here’s what the transit authority had to say: “New York City Transit is excited to be piloting celebrity train announcements with Comedy Central and Awkwafina. We are exploring new and different ways to generate much-needed revenue, while also surprising and delighting customers. Our focus will always be to run the trains safely and on time, and if a well-known voice can bring attention to in-car messaging, we are all for it.”

Yucks are always nice, MTA. Work a little harder on the on-time part, OK?