Walking through Times Square this week, it struck me how unfortunate it was that an area made famous by and primarily known for theatre now boasts precious few billboards advertising Broadway shows. Plenty of television and film ads. Also Coke, Planter's Peanuts, Fuji Film and various other producers. I guess space rentals must be so costly that theatre producers are priced out of the market.
The only stronghold of Broadway advertising I saw was the building at the northeast corner of 47th and Seventh Avenue. Jersey Boys, Grease!, Hairspray, Wicked. Whoever owns this structure seems to have made it a priority that stage shows have their say.
Planter's has advertised in Times Square for 70 years. The current billboard has been up for ten.
ReplyDeleteI have a poster-sized photo of Times Square circa 1949, when there were lots of movie theaters along Broadway. But the only theater billboard was for KISS ME, KATE.
Last year's 2012-set I AM LEGEND had Times Square billboards for LESTAT and THE PRODUCERS, both long-shuttered by the time the movie opened, much less four years hence.
Nice to know Planter's has such a long tradition in Times Square. Still, I remember more theatre stuff 10 years ago.
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