Sometimes marketing stunts make so much sense we can’t help but stan.
PlayStation has teamed up with Transport for London to temporarily rebrand some of the city’s iconic Underground stations with the console’s signature shapes, marking the release of the PS5.
Roundel signs marking the Oxford Circus Tube station entrances have been rebranded with the PlayStation controller’s button shapes (leaving the classic red circle as is), and the interior walls of the Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central line platforms have had their wall signs replaced too.
We’d be pretty happy to see these designs up for longer than 48 hours, to be honest.
Other stations have also been rebranded as part of the campaign, including Mile End station which will be known as “Miles End” in honour of the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Seven Sisters is now “Gran Turismo 7 Sisters” for the forthcoming instalment of the racing game, West Ham is “Horizon Forbidden West Ham” named for the upcoming sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, and Lancaster Gate is “Ratchet and Clankaster Gate” after classic PlayStation adventure game Ratchet and Clank.
The Oxford Circus takeover will remain up just for 48 hours on Nov. 18 and 19, while those at Mile End, Lancaster Gate, Seven Sisters, and West Ham will stay up until Dec. 16. If you’re in London, remember, the city’s still under England’s national lockdown, so you should only be checking out the signs as part of a journey for work, education or other essential services.
Yes, it’s a marketing campaign, but it’s a clever blending of two iconic popular culture uses of simple shapes — it undeniably makes sense.
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