JCDecaux, the UK’s leading Outdoor advertising company has become the first Outdoor company to consign the Trivision billboard to the history books. Thirty years after their first appearance on the UK streets, Trevor Beattie, Founding Partner of Beattie McGuinness Bungay and one of the format’s strongest critics has switched off JCDecaux’s last-remaining Trivision.
JCDecaux’s move comes as part of the company’s market-leading investment in Outdoor which has seen the launch of the first Tower superstructure advertising structures, the roll-out of digital nationwide, the introduction of the Première billboard brand and High-Definition billboards – the first recyclable posters.
Also known as Prismavisions and Ultravisions, the Trivision billboards featured toblerone- shaped rotating blades that allowed 3 posters to be displayed on one site. It represented an innovation in display in the 1980s, but proved unpopular with creatives as the blades divided their work into strips.
Talking at the Cannes Advertising Festival in 2003, Trevor Beattie said, “Neither me nor my clients want to see our ad shredded into a hundred little strips and revolved around at a rate of knots only to be replaced by a big silver car 4 seconds later or some awful airline ad. If there is anyone watching who invented the Trivision site, could you please invite me to the, what’s the opposite of inaugural bash? When they finally take down the last revolving ‘Toblerone site’, can I be there and do the opposite of Cut The Ribbon? To unplug it or switch it off? Enough!”
Spencer Berwin, Managing Director of Sales at JCDecaux wrote to Trevor to invite him to switch off JCDecaux’s final Trivision in Tottenham Court Road, ending the era of the Trivision at JCDecaux.
At the switch-off Trevor Beattie said, “It gives me great pleasure to switch this last Trivision off. I love the idea of switching something off – sort of unlaunching it. I want to say thank you for being bold enough to take me up on my challenge.”
Introduced to the UK market by Maiden Outdoor in 1980 with a site at Waterloo Station, JCDecaux introduced the format in 1983. By early 2010 JCDecaux had 150 sites which have now been replaced with a range of formats including digital, High Definition, Première and scrolling billboards.
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For further information please contact
Janet Guest
PR Manager
JCDecaux
0207 298 8023/ 0776 970 1268
janet.guest [at] jcdecaux.co.uk
Source: JCDecaux
