NEW YORK – Amtrak and The History Channel are teaming up to promote the upcoming special “1968 with Tom Brokaw” with the first-ever train wrap of an Acela Express train.
Beginning Nov. 12 and continuing through Dec. 9, one Acela Express will travel along the Northeast Corridor bearing historical images from the year 1968.The promotion includes an exterior wrap of the train as well as interior signage promoting the special on The History Channel. The exterior wrap, made of vinyl, will appear on both sides of the two locomotives and six cars of the train.
The wrap, while clearly visible from the outside, will not impede the view out the train’s windows. The interior signage will include advertising posters (illuminated and non-illuminated) plus LED Message Boards throughout the train.
Traveling between Washington, New York and Boston, Acela Express is Amtrak’s premiere service. Ridership on the service topped 3.1 million in fiscal year 2007, an increase of 20 percent over the previous fiscal year. This is the first time an Acela Express train has been wrapped for a promotion.
The History Channel two-hour television event “1968 with Tom Brokaw” is a fast-paced, evocative special exploring the significance of that turbulent — and pivotal — year and the ways it continues to affect the American landscape. Offering multiple perspectives — and with insight from people both famous and not — the special, guided throughout by Tom Brokaw, explores a year that forever changed politics, race relations and our culture. It premieres at 9 p.m. on Dec. 9 on The History Channel.
The 1968 Acela Express promotion was the brainchild of Steve Feder, President of New York’s Corporate Image Media, which represents Amtrak in marketing train wrap promotions. Corporate Image Media worked in conjunction with The History Channel media agency Horizon Media to bring the project to fruition.
“Opportunities like this exciting Acela promotion for ‘1968 with Tom Brokaw’ help us to dimensionalize history to make it more active, entertaining and immediate,” said Chris Moseley, senior vice president, marketing, for The History Channel. “We asked Horizon Media to partner with us on creative ways to connect with consumers for this major programming event on The History Channel. The Acela Express is all about making great connections for people. And that’s what The History Channel is doing. It’s contemporary, it’s exciting and — you can’t take your eyes off of it.”
“In order to bring an iconic program like ‘1968 with Tom Brokaw’ to life for The History Channel, we sought out a vehicle that could showcase the essence of the program on a grand scale,” said Holly Sokoloff, media planning supervisor at Horizon Media, New York. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this innovative marketing campaign that uses a traditional medium in such a new and exciting way.”
