Economist launches ad campaign aimed at New York commuters

The Economist started an ad campaign in New York on Tuesday that targets commuters.

Eighteen interactive screens, at five subway stations across the city, will run interactive ads that encourage consumers to tap the screen or send a text, to receive free Economist content delivered direct to their phone or desktop computer.The ads stress the publication’s content and analysis.

The ads will run for 15 seconds every two minutes, and the campaign will run daily for four weeks.

“As we ramp up our marketing efforts in the U.S., this activity in New York City is an important piece of our digital marketing plans to drive awareness of The Economist brand and increase subscriptions,” said Mark Beard, senior vice president, North America at The Economist, in a statement.

The Economist has 1.46 million subscribers, and 57 percent of those are in North America. It launched a countrywide ad campaign last month.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.