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The mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, says the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s plan to place billboards at the George Washington Bridge is not a classy move, and wonders whether the Authority will next sell naming rights to the bridge.
“To erect a billboard under the nose of our luxury apartments is a disgrace,” Mayor Jack Alter is quoted as saying in NorthJersey.com. “You are going to see quite a backlash about this.”
Geico has purchased the opportunity to advertise at the tollbooths for about $3 million, for two years. The first billboard will be unveiled on Wednesday on the bridge’s upper deck tollbooths, followed by another billboard on the lower deck tollbooths.
Axcess Partners Worldwide brokered the deal between Geico and the Port Authority. The company’s CEO, Drew Sheinman, said that it worked hard to create a positive message that would not offend drivers, and that would not intrude on the experience of driving across the bridge. “I think we have executed that,” he says.
The billboards feature the Geico gecko with the message, “Drive safely.”
The Port Authority will also incorporate Geico’s gecko into its direct mail campaigns and its website, and mascots outfitted as geckos will visit Port Authority bus terminals, writes The New York Times.
The Port Authority hopes to generate $100 million in advertising and sponsorships - three times what it is currently bringing in, according to the article.
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