Here’s the new ad Sound Transit is running on TV this week for the opening of Link.

I think it’s awesome, though it could have been more effective to show link zipping by stuck traffic on I-5 or something similar. What do you think?

46 Replies to “Link TV Spot”

  1. It’s okay. The girl is pretty, and traffic sucks. But otherwise pretty uninspired.

    1. The closing shot of the LRT flyover – that’s the 80 decible portion, isn’t it? Not quite so serene and ‘holy’ as the ad would lead you to believe, no?

      1. No, it’s not. That’s the approach to MLK, the one a few hundred yards from a runway. ;)

  3. It’s not terrible. It doesn’t give any indication of where the train goes though.

      2. And if you’re going to be able to use it, you’ll already know you’re near the line. The thing has been pretty hard to miss for the last few months…

      3. I don’t 100% agree with that. People move, some people live in the sticks and know nothing about it but could still use it with a bus transfer, etc.

  4. I wish they would’ve showed more of the interior of the car and how comfortable it is. And I don’t know if it’s the Flash video, but the pan at the end looks kind of jerkey. Otherwise it’s a great idea.

  5. I agree that showing a Link train flying past gridlock on I-5 would have gotten the point across without even using words.

    1. Yea I like that idea … pretty easy to do since Link runs right along I-5 in spots. You could use that for Sounder too where the tracks go along I-5 near Boeing Field.

  6. Not so sure about this one. It’s a little too far out, and has no “you might want to be excited about this” moments. It gets the information across, which makes it passable, but its still a lifeless spot.

  7. Yeah, it’s a little blah to me, too. But I see that they were trying to communicate that it’s a more relaxing commute. It wouldn’t make me excited about riding, though.

  8. I disagree with the comments about being uninspiring. I think it’s effective at presenting light rail as a “high-end”, non-stigmatizing way of travelling. A big part of advertising is marketing the technology and developing mental associations, not necessarily providing information about it.

  9. I’m going to have to agree with the “see it zip past I-5” crowd

    Of course, any regular here knows for obvious reasons I’ll never drive

  10. Moronic…. Floating through air??…

    Maybe they should show the folks who will get on the train at the Rainier Beach stop, and the knuckle knocking pants hanging down to their ankles crowd will entertain you with stories from the hood. Kinda like my bus ride on the mid morning commute.

    1. I don’t think we’ll see any marketing to the gangbanger demographic. That’s not a customer Link needs. Hopefully ST will start off Link service on a strong foot with a visible security presence, robust fare citation issuing, and enforcement of rules against anti-social behavior.

      2. Yes, it’s public transit, and a great percentage of the public is made uneasy about public transit because of the threatening glares, vandalism, and the loud, profane talk about illegal exploits from gangbangers.

        If you want public transit use to grow and broaden, the public needs to see transit as safe and pleasant. Everyone is welcome to ride, but they should follow the posted rules. It’s not about class: I don’t care if the person sitting on the train or bus has a PhD or not, but I don’t want to sit next to someone who is loudly talking about what violent acts he is planning to do to a rival.

      3. We all understand what your and Gary’s original posts were implying, it’s too late to cover it up now.

      4. I don’t think we all understand. Why don’t you spell it out what I’m covering up?

      5. You and Gary are using a coded language and tuned it down to be specific to a demographic region of the city. In short, you basically said “it goes through the black part of town, we should discourage their access unless they meet a certain level of normalization”.

        Anyone who has had even a little study in sociology would know what coded language was and would make more of an effort to approach their argument with a little tact.

        This is why Kemper Freeman was given so much grief by some on STB and MTN for his comments on Southcenter.

      6. I didn’t say anything about any particular race or any particular part of town. I referred to people in gangs intimidating other riders with anti-social behavior. You have a lot of nerve claiming that I’m using coded language without knowing anything about me. If you can’t understand that black people ≠ gangbangers then that is your failing. Gangbangers = people who are in a gang, especially ones who engage in violent or threatening behavior.

        The Seattle Times has an article this morning addressing my very point:

        http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009472360_stsecurity15m.html

      7. Rainier Beach station was specifically mentioned, and in kind to your accusation of me having a lot of nerve, that was the specific comment I was replying to initially, not yours, so you have quite a lot of nerve for picking a fight.

        All the same, your feigned disgust and offense are quite enough. I understand now. You don’t have to explain and I won’t read into your comments anymore because it seems you have no clue what you’re saying anymore at this point other than not wanting your viewpoints to be seen as negative. Listen, there are plenty of good people who hold onerous and racist viewpoints, so don’t take this as a total carpetbombing of you as a person because I’m sure that regardless of how you feel about the Rainier Beach area and “gangbangers”, you’re a good person with good intentions.

        Have a nice day.

      8. Well rest assured there will be a very visible security presence including ST police on the Link trains themselves, plenty of fare inspection, etc.

        I think the whole worry about riding through Rainier Valley is overblown to say the least, but the security presence should help everyone except the most nervous Nellies feel safe.

      1. Having said nothing about race, I would put the burden on you to explain in as many words as you choose why it is racist.

        If you’re suggesting that my use of the term “gangbanger” was code for a particular race then you are the one with racist thoughts on the mind.

      2. There was actually no “unsociable” activity on my bus. The guys and it was all young guys, were very sociable. They readily acknowledged one another with some sort of sign hand wave. They tended to wear clean cloths of a particular similar cut and style. They didn’t hog the seats, they didn’t block the aisles, they didn’t press for a tight seat next to the young lady on the bench seat.

        But to my eye they didn’t look employed in the 9-5 corporate trade, of course being on the bus at 11am made it unlikely that they had 9-5 jobs either. But who knows.

        As for racist, nope. No mention of race here at all. Social economic interest group identification sure.

      3. Oh my goodness, not those not employed by the 9-5 corporate trade! I hope you remained safe on your journey.

      4. Ah, well, as wrong-headed as it is, at least you’re owning up to it.

        I’m sorry for gnawing at your leg, Gary. I have to point out, though, that class often shifts in a person’s late teens to mid twenties and violence typically runs in a tight circle absent extenuating circumstances. Although crime has seemed to spike, it always does so in recessions. When things settle in the economy, it will settle in communities. And since crime is largely being documented within a specific age group, it’ll taper off within a short time frame. With any hope, it’s hit its peak.

        I wouldn’t worry, this should all settle up sooner than later.

      5. Your comment doesn,t make any sense. I literally have no idea what you are talking about. Class does not shift after your teens. Most people stay in the class in which they were born.

        On your broader point about gangbanger being code for black, I have an interesting personal anecdote. My family background is Chinese and there is a fair amount of distrust of black folks among Asians generally I would say. Anyway, I was on the bus with my aunt and there were these black teens with baggy pants loudly dropping f-bombs and n-word this and that. My aunt said in Chinese that she was scared of black people. I pointed out that it wasn’t about skin colour and that there were lots of good black folks just like every other race. Anyway, since she’s been living here longer she understands that gangbanger types are just one small subset of blacks and that not all gangbanger types are black either.

        Anyway, I would agree with Gary and another Andrew that gangbanger types regardless of colour make people, especially women, feel unsafe on buses..

      6. Folks often improve their stake in life when they get out of whatever cycle they’re stuck in. A lot of kids from back home broke the cycle, and I personally know quite a few friends who were stuck in a lot of bad things that went on to college or to run successful businesses.

        You also have to consider that it’s really mostly the teenagers running the streets right now, and unless you address the younger kids and tell them not to follow along, the cycle will continue as the teenagers who ran the streets move on with their lives (or fall into a tighter cycle).

        Limiting class to the literal ignores the social aspect, especially when you consider that there are those who have quite a bit of money but carry themselves as though they were dredged up from the bottom of some barrel somewhere.

        As far as being afraid, that’s a personal thing. Let folks be afraid. Common sense steps and alertness should be enough to prevent anything, petty to major. But if that’s lacking, then the person is clearly someone who makes a pretty good victim, even in a more polite society.

      7. “Talking in code” is a major problem for race relations in the United States, always has been, and anyone with a high school education would know that. I figured folks at STB were above this, especially after it was a truncheon against Kemper Freeman, Jr. during the election.

        I’m not naive, and I would hope that if you were so inclined to believe what you’re saying, you’d at least own it.

      8. I figured STB folks were above making vicious personal attacks. I have NEVER been called racist by anyone in my life. I am deeply offended. Please explain what I said that was racist. If not, I respectfully ask for an apology.

      9. To be quite honest, your offense and remarks seem to mesh will with your claims of never having been called racist in your life. It takes a certain amount of exposure to multiculturalism and empathy to understand one’s own faults or the wrongness of stereotyping for the sake of degrading or diminishing others.

        All the same, your remark is inexcusable and as with anyone who would select a specific class in a specific portion of town with a specific demographic for exclusion, you are not entitled to an apology from me.

      10. Racist or not it’s not untrue to say that some of the areas that the light rail stops in are sketchy.

        Last night the police surrounded a guy in a house a couple of blocks from me holed up with an AK-47 after shooting someone in the head. A week before that two people were shot on a street corner. A couple of months ago 4 people were shot and killed. A few weeks before that… I’m not going to use coded language: That part of town can be dangerous and is overrun with gangs!

        Until early last year the house on my corner was a crack house and from time to time his brother (a convicted sex offender would drop by with his underage girlfriend).

        Since when was it racist to acknowledge that there is an above average number of criminals in some neighborhoods (including mine).

        While he could have used more tact I think the summary:

        Race != Gangbanger
        Class != Gangbanger
        Gangbanger == Gangbanger
        was sufficient.

        That all being said. I feel relatively safe and have no problem riding the light rail.

      11. Gavin, you say something substantially different than: Maybe they should show the folks who will get on the train at the Rainier Beach stop, and the knuckle knocking pants hanging down to their ankles crowd will entertain you with stories from the hood.

  11. I don’t think the ad makes much sense, and it’s a bit dishonest. Link’s not designed to get freeway commuters out of their cars.

  12. I think it’s really pretty. I didn’t get what the heck it was trying to sell at first, I thought it was another Snoqualmie ad or something. I think I squee’d a little when I figured out what it was.

    1. I think it’s pretty too, very nicely done.

      As for effectiveness, I think by now people know what a train is and what it does; they don’t need to show it wizzing by traffic. This is more like a PSA to remind people that it’s (finally) open for service.

  13. What a stupid ad! And an example of what’s wrong with government agencies when it comes to transit.

    I’m sorry, but Link is not a high-end car brand that we’re trying to market. And, as was said above, it’s not designed to get freeway commuters out of traffic — but that’s what electeds like to talk about all the time anyway, isn’t it?

    I’d prefer to see more shots of the trains. Maybe comments about where it goes or places to see along the route. How about how much it costs, or how long it runs?

    This is all about branding and making people feel good about their tax dollars being spent. I get why the government wants stuff like this, but it’s not really something those of us on this blog should be supporting when we’re trying to change the conversation about transit in this area…

    1. They already won in Prop 1. This is just them turning over the “Open” sign so people know it’s ready.

      It’s not a campaign ad, it’s a “hey, it’s here!” ad.

    2. I’m not sure why you think it won’t replace some freeway commuting. If you live near Othello, Rainier Beach, or Tukwila Station and drive downtown, you almost certainly take the freeway.

      If you’re South of Tukwila and are tired of the expensive parking and traffic the last 10 miles, you’re also likely to try the train.

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