Heathrow Express is launching the first ever motion picture videowall advert in Europe with computer giant Microsoft as its launch advertiser.

Heathrow Express has worked with SideTrack Technologies Inc. to introduce 15 second adverts during the tunnel section of the 15-minute journey.

Graeme Hay, Commercial Manager at Heathrow Express, explains, “Heathrow Express has always been an innovative media owner and we are constantly looking for ways to allow commercial access to our hard to reach business traveller audience. It is a triumph for this technology to be adopted by a global brand such as Microsoft.”

Sam Viollet, Microsoft Ltd Advertising Manager said: “At Microsoft we are always looking for new, innovative and exciting ways to connect to our customers. The Heathrow Express ‘videowall’ ticked all the boxes and is particularly relevant for the software we are advertising. We are therefore very excited to be their launch partner.” 
Over the past few weeks the installation of this leading-edge technology has been mainly conducted during the early hours of the morning.

Graeme Hay adds, “A project which works within a train operating environment requires rigorous safety checks - not just for the system but also for the teams installing the equipment. We have installed 450 frames each of which holds an individual printed image and which together cover a distance of 1,500 feet. Seen from a train travelling at 70 miles per hour this creates a unique 15 second advert.”

Rob Walker, President of Canadian-based SideTrack said he was excited to bring Sidetrack’s tunnel advertising technology to Europe and delighted to welcome Microsoft as the launch advertiser.

“We have already proven that the tunnel-ads are hugely successful in our sites in Boston, Mexico City, Monterrey and Rio de Janeiro.  Now we want to emulate that success throughout Europe - starting with the Heathrow Express in London.”
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