New York — Toshiba this week installed an LED signboard in Times Square to promote its brand name four weeks prior to New Year’s Eve ceremonies that will bring the world’s attention to the famous entertainment district.
The company said the sign “is part of enhanced global marketing activities to promote recognition of the Toshiba brand.”
The LED signboard measures 50 feet square and is positioned on top of One Times Square Building, 285 feet above the street. It overlooks the intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street.
The sign will be used to carry Toshiba’s corporate message with visuals that will change with the seasons, the company said.
Toshiba estimated the annual New Year’s countdown at the building will bring the sign within view of 1 billion people.
“Toshiba expects to generate substantial publicity for its brand and products by positioning the signboard at the heart of the city, a place visited by over 50 million tourists and business people a year,” according to a company statement.
In announcing the effort, Toshiba said it is looking for “significant expansion of its global business under its current midterm business plan, and is engaged in a number of new, consumer-directed promotion programs.”
These include contracts with Guo Jingjing, the Chinese diver, and Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian pole-vaulter, to promote Toshiba products globally. The company is aiming to enhance the global value of the Toshiba brand through measures that include installing neon signage in Hong Kong and unfolding brand advertising close to London’s Heathrow Airport.
n