New York-based financial services firm HSBC Bank is giving consumers 30 seconds of fame to ring in the New Year with an advertising campaign that allows Times Square visitors to have their picture displayed on a video billboard.
HSBC Bank launched the effort New Year's Eve, opening a kiosk in the Times Square Visitors Center where people can have their picture taken. The picture, blown up to 40 feet by 52 feet, is then incorporated into a 30-second, animated promotional vignette, which is displayed on the billboard.
There is no charge for the service, HSBC Bank said. The only requirement is that people must smile while their picture is taken to be included in the vignette.
Vignettes are displayed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Participants appear in one of nine vignettes, which are randomly selected and include a jungle ride, a Venetian gondola trip, a car chase and an outer space adventure.
The bank has a lease on the sign space through 2005.
