
Have you seen them? The Bigfoot cheerfully staring at you as you descend the escalator or the tall, naked alien greeting you from the balcony? It seems Metro has allowed an unusually creative advertising campaign to invade the Metro Center platforms. Each large, mythical creature holds a lump of coal as a pun on an eco-message by a company that I shall not shamelessly plug here.
What matters is that, even though it is blatant marketing, the ads actually add a bit of pizazz to the otherwise dimly lit, drab metro tunnel surroundings. We are used to seeing very controlled ads in the designated boxes that line the walkways or the ceiling mounted ads inside the trains instructing us to call a toll-free number when in an emotional crisis.
It is a bit refreshing to see this new ad campaign leap out of the normal confines and add a bit of whimsy to our commute (it's certainly better than those horrible Fallout 3 video game adds seen recently). In typical DC fashion, the normally stodgy commuter attempts to simply ignore the ads but I have seen plenty of sideways glances and secret smirks on their faces.
So thanks Metro, keep this sort of thing up. These sort of ads are fun, offend no one and show us that you can, indeed, have a sense of humor.
