These are the 5 Best Times Square Billboards of All Time

Times Square is known for its bustling, never-resting activity and it’s lavish, larger than life advertisements and billboards. Times Square has famously been the birthplace of modern advertising, being home to a multitude of early classics such some of Coke’s first billboards, the famous smoking camel for Camel Cigarettes, John and Yoko’s ‘War is Over’ banner. And let’s forgot 

Far from its day of old school charm, Times Square billboards today look like an LED light show. With digital screens easily adaptable to new content, it’s an ever shifting digital marketing landscape. Let’s take a look at a few of the best features Times Square has seen over the years on five of its most iconic billboards.

Surely we all have a memory of gathering around a TV on New Year’s Eve counting down the seconds for the ball to drop and ring in the new year. Every year, barring pandemic closures, thousands of locals and tourists gather in Times Square to celebrate bundled in warm coats and hats. Maybe someone lucky scores enough camera time to propose to their spouse on camera. 

All this magic happens underneath the One Times Square billboard in Times Square. Possibly one of the most iconic spots in the city, this screen towers larger than 200 feet tall over the center of the Square. It is indeed most famous for its role in the New Years ball drop, but it’s massive screen also promotes new shows, music and events throughout the city and worldwide. 

The super sign at ABC in Times Square is a globally recognized symbol. It consists of a series of LED ribbon screens, and has an extremely eye-catching effect when scrolling through daily headlines. New York has long been a hub for world news and the financial market, in part because of its innovations for publicizing news. Gatherers in Times Square can pause in their busy day to catch updates on the ABC Super Sign. 

Today, it features user interaction where viewers can interact with content on the screen through social media platforms. This makes it a prime ad spot for tech minded companies.

Possibly the most striking new feature in Times Square is a piece featuring photo-realistic animated waves crashing onto an imaginary shore. The animation is displayed on the most advanced screen in the United States, as claimed by Silvercrest, the owners of the screen. It displays in 4K, and this installation is just one of many amazing uses this screen has to offer. With multitudes of interactive capabilities, we’re sure to see this screen be used for all kinds of amazing advertisements and interactive art. 

Poised above the One Times Square billboards is the Branded Cities 7 screen, and both are used to feature new Spotify releases. This is a huge mark of success for any artist to have their album featured in the center of Times Square. Visitors can enjoy seeing their favorite musicians featured in 200 foot tall LED majesty. 

The Coca Cola sign featured in Times Square has been installed in 2017. It rests on the Two Times Square building and stands at an impressive 68 feet tall. This is an especially interesting billboard because it is actually an electro-kinetic sculpture that features thousands of movable LED lights. It’s truly mesmerizing to watch as the LED cubes ungulate and change shape throughout the day. This billboard is a prime example of the kinds of technology and marketing innovations that Times Square and New York City at large is known for. 

This sign is one of many in a legacy of Coke ads in NYC dating back to the 1920’s. Their first was on Broadway and eventually installed their famous neon sign in Times Square in the early 70’s. Coke has been a part of the NYC billboard legacy for as long as it has been the Big Apple. 

These are just a few of the impressive and classic billboards that New York City has to offer. A quick search through the city reveals a number of prime locations and famous landmarks that are perfect for any kind of brand. What makes Times Square such a unique place to advertise is the multitude of interactive and video options available. Companies advertising in Times Square can think more broadly about how they want to advertise and what they can say with their brand.