New York Times Takes Over The Subway For Commuters To Live Out Its Sections

Image courtesy of The New York Times

The New York Times is truly immersing New Yorkers in its stories and more with a headline-making takeover of the S shuttle subway train between Times Square and Grand Central station.

Instead of taking the usual route of pushing a trial period onto readers, the newspaper is inviting them to experience the full breadth of a Times subscription firsthand by reimagining its services for transit. The brand has overhauled cars to represent its News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter, and The Athletic sections, with interactive experiences that drive pen to paper.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

Each surprise is envisioned to engage passengers for about 90 seconds, which is how long it takes to get to the next station.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

For the News-themed car, decked out in the Times’ Metropolitan Diary column’s recognizable illustrations by Agnes Lee, commuters are invited to submit a personal memory they have of the New York subway. Some of these anecdotes could end up being published, too.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

The Games cabin is where the fun’s at, as it were. Racing against the 90-second travel time, members of the public are challenged to find as many words from the train’s Spelling Bee installation as they can. A companion popup experience taking place on August 30 inside the 42 Street shuttle station at Grand Central invites them to play Wordle live with other New Yorkers.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

The Cooking section of the train, resembling a long kitchen counter, offers free access to quick and easy recipes for travelers still deciding what to whip up for dinner. A one-day installation at the station, taking place on September 6, will feature a red fridge that people can peek into for meal inspiration.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

Image courtesy of The New York Times

The Audio car introduces readers to the Times’ new app for audio journalism, which “features storytelling across a breadth of topics, such as news, arts, business, culture, sports and more,” per the press release. Meanwhile, the Wirecutter-themed zone, littered with imagery of headphones and appliances, welcomes passengers to sign up for the newsletter for a chance to bag home recommended products.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

Image courtesy of The New York Times

Finally, The Athletic wing transports the public into a recreation of The New York Giants’ locker room, inviting them to walk around in the shoes of a sports journalist.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

To add length to this storytelling, the Times has also overhauled parts of the station to reflect all the things its subscription service entails.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

“It wasn’t long ago when New Yorkers relied on The New York Times print paper to understand the most important news of the day. Today, consumers can still take in the headlines via The New York Times app,” notes the newspaper. “But they can also play games like Spelling Bee or Wordle, read up on local sports coverage with The Athletic, get dinner inspiration from New York Times Cooking, listen to journalism through New York Times Audio and get all that they need for city living from Wirecutter.”

Amy Weisenbach, senior vice president and head of marketing at The New York Times Company, chimes in: “New York is our home base and in our name, making The Times an integral part of this great city. As a result, New Yorkers have a lot of pride and stake in our journalism, but they don’t always know everything about us. We’re looking to change that by bringing New Yorkers beyond the front page they think they know and putting our full suite of products on display.”

Image courtesy of The New York Times

“By showing up within the subway, we hope to surprise subscribers, readers, home cooks, solvers and sports fanatics and give them a new way to use The Times for their commute and in their everyday lives,” Weisenbach concludes.

You can explore these real-world page-turners from now through September 10.

[via The New York Times, images courtesy]