• by Anya Khait , May 14, 2001

Workers using mountain climbing rappelling techniques will begin to descend the walls of a former brewery in downtown Toronto tomorrow to begin installing the framework for three of the largest outdoor advertising murals in Canada.

The project dubbed "Canada's Big Apple" project by Astral Media Outdoor because it showcases advertising created by TBWA/Chiat/Day for Apple Computer's new iMac computer, is located on the former Molson brewery building at 640 Fleet Street, which faces the Gardiner Expressway, where almost 200,000 vehicles a day drive by the site.

"This is one of the most prized outdoor advertising sites in Canada," said Peter Bartrem, VP and General Manager of Astral Media Outdoor. "In today's competitive marketplace, companies are challenged to find innovative ways to showcase their products. These murals are creative, innovative and high-impact advertising vehicles that well ensure almost everyone in Toronto will know about the new Apple computer," he said.

The mural image facing west is the largest at 65 feet wide by 104 feet long. The north-facing mural is 65 feet wide by 100 feet long and the east- facing image is 64 feet wide by 45 feet long. Combined, they represent 16,140 square feet of advertising space.

"Our ambition for Apple is to deliver to them truly exceptional media opportunities. These boards have us all very excited because they fit the criteria. They're big, surprising, bold and different. It is truly an innovative and creative use of outdoor and in today's media environment, we're more interested in creating new media space, rather than just taking up space," said Lorraine Hughes, Managing Partner, Media/Operations TBWA/Chiat/Day.

- Anya Khait