It’s time! For two weeks (see my announcement here), the Clapham Common Tube station in London will have every ad replaced by pictures of . . . . CATS! No ads, just moggies! This is the result of a Kickstarter campaign that raised £ 23,000 pounds. As the BBC reported a while back:
Almost 700 people helped the Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (Cats) raise £23,000 to buy the advertising space at Clapham Common station.
. . . The images will be around the turnstiles (which the collective are calling cat flaps), down the escalators and leading up to the platform. The aim is that, wherever people look, there will be cats.
The adverts will be word-free apart from one which will highlight the work of Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and Cat Protection charities.
The idea emerged from a 200-strong group called Glimpse, which wanted to express how “friends and experiences are more valuable than stuff you can buy” said Mr Turner.
Initially they were going to use pictures of forests and the ocean.
“But then we thought about grabbing people’s attention and should use the one thing that the internet loves and cats were the obvious answer,” he added.
He said he loved the idea as it was “very subversive, as there’s nothing anyone can do about it”.
“If you can’t have a real cat, this will be the next best thing,” he added.
This is what it looks like right now, as reported by metro.co.uk. What are you waiting for?
The first reader who sends me a photo of him/her posing in front of the cat ads will receive a free autographed copy of Faith Versus Fact. This offer expires in one week.
h/t: pyers
Have just ‘pressed’ this on to my London transport themed website http://www.londontu.be
Great website!
Maybe I will bring Theo to work tomorrow and let him run loose!!
That is absolutely hilarious. Good job CATS. How many days does their 23k pounds buy?
2 weeks (see post above)
That seems very reasonable, I was expecting something shorter. Even better!
🐾
This would have been even better if they’d taken over Catford station, but Catford isn’t on the Tube network.
Clapham Junction is (or was) one of the busiest rail junctions in the world (carries a most of the rail traffic from the south into the city centre: 120 trains per hour). I lived there for four years in the eighties.
Good choice of an advertising campaign.
Chatelet in Paris would also be good: get it: ‘Chat’elet!
There used to be a famous cat at Victoria station (2 stops away)
Chatelet would cost a fortune to rent all its advertising space – it’s huuuge.
https://jeparleamericain.com/chatelet-les-halles/
It has, IIRC, 19 (numbered) pedestrian exits.
It probably rivals Clapham Junction for train movements (though not strictly comparable).
Just to avoid confusion I’d note that Clapham Common Underground station is not connected to Clapham Junction station.
I’m trying to work in a mention of the Jules Verne / steampunk – themed Arts et Metiers station on Ligne 11 (three station along from Chatelet), with its copper-lined platform tunnel and a giant gearwheel hanging out of the ceiling. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arts_et_Metiers_station,_April_8,_2011.jpg
No reason, except it’s way cool.
cr
I’ve been in that tube station many times; but it was a long time ago!
Gaahhh!! That was the tube station closest to our flat when I lived in London. Would love to see all the cat pictures!
What a lovely idea! Both the cats, and the fact it’s free of ads, the moggies aren’t trying to sell you something.
cr
Just down the road from me – will try to go this eve….
Interesting. I guess one has to take it as an art project and go with that.
Hey! That’s me on the escalator!
Need my mailing address?
I think it’s absolutely brilliant!