This week, Royal Caribbean International is going underground to spotlight its Caribbean holidays for Boston commuters. Using a cutting-edge new technology that puts a twist on the concept of “motion pictures,” the line is debuting a commercial designed for passengers on Boston’s underground transit system, the ‘T’.The ad, created by the line’s agency of record Arnold Worldwide, showcases guests on a Royal Caribbean cruise at play in the Caribbean, cutting through the water on Wave Runners, exploring beneath the waves while scuba diving, racing in two-person inflatable boats and climbing the line’s signature rock- climbing wall. These adventures are presented to subway passengers in full action, thanks to an innovative new technology developed by SideTrack Technologies Inc.

The ad is printed frame by frame and laid out sequentially along the subway tunnel walls like a section of movie film. However, instead of moving the film, passengers are moved past the images. The motion of the train takes the place of a projector, bringing the still photos to life.

The placement and lighting of the photos have been synchronized with the cruising speed of the train to tap into the scientific marvel of persistence of vision, a phenomenon in which the brain pieces together multiple images to form a single, fluid picture.

To the passengers, the ad appears as a movie. The photos have been positioned to be in view of anyone aboard the train who can see the window. Royal Caribbean’s ad will appear for six weeks, starting Aug. 18, between the Harvard and Central stops on the inbound Red Line.
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