With New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony hanging up his sneakers for the rest of the season to have knee surgery, one of the only places to see the NBA star is now a digital signage screen in a New York City subway station.
An interactive digital signage deployment for Kumho Tire in a Times Square subway station created by experiential agency Pearl Media features a virtual “Pop-A-Shot” game and the Knicks forward in a campaign timed to coincide with the annual NBA All-Star Game, held earlier this month in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks.
The Pop-A-Shot game features basketball players dribbling across a storefront in the subway station. As commuters approach the screen, the player captures their attention by passing the ball directly at them, “cracking” the digital screen. The challenger then can “step” onto the court and try to toss Kumho digital tires, instead of basketballs, into the hoop. When the final score is tallied, the basketball player steps back onto the court and bestows his own brand of judgment on the game player — from “You’re the real MVP” to “Did you even try?” — and then poses for a photo with them that can be shared on social media.
“We are excited for New York to feel Kumho’s presence and support for basketball everywhere they turn,” said Harry Choi, president and CEO of Kumho Tire North America, in an announcement of the acitvation.”
“This experience is designed to take fans beyond their expectations with their favorite game,” Pearl Media CEO Josh Cohen said. “Bringing this type of excitement and action into one of the busiest New York City transit stations is a memorable way to drive awareness of Kumho.”
The activation runs through Feb. 22 in New York City’s Time Square subway station near the 43rd Street and 7th Avenue entrance, and is a piece of a larger promotion Kumho Tire launched on Instagram and Twitter in January. Digital SignageToday
Watch a video about the deployment below: