I’ve been spending a lot of time lately exploring installations that I think are smart.  Let me qualify smart – location, context, impact and participation to the max.  And this one literally ‘moved’ people. The ASICS Run with Ryan installation in a NYC subway station is in my opinion the poster child for how to do it right.

A video wall was installed in a NYC subway station tunnel during the NYC Marathon.  The wall housed a countdown and challenged passerby’s to race against a video of marathoner and Olympic athlete Ryan Hall that appears as though he’s running through the station for 60 feet.

The experience was then filmed and the mini-documentary was posted on YouTube resulting in an impressive 519,000 views to date.  It was an instant hit with race fans and news media.

So why do I think this installation is smart?

Location – Why try to take the ‘build it and they will come’ approach when there are plenty of places where people mass organically…like the NYC Subway.

Context – It has to make sense and be positioned for maximum association. In the ASICS example the installation occurred during the NYC marathon and the activity mirrored the objective; fitness (and selling shoes, of course).

Impact – This one’s pretty self-explanatory.  Build it big, make it wow and render it interesting. ASICS’ installation combined sheer size, interaction, exercise and art in one fell swoop.

Participation to the Max – Can you answer the question – why would someone bother?  In our ever busier lives it takes something really fun or clever to sway the crowd.  ASICS made it fun; after all subway riders have to walk down that hall anyway, why not dare to challenge Ryan Hall?  And the engagement continued off site and online; the video became a pretty great little piece of social video marketing.

On a final note not one person was able to beat Hall to the finish line 60 feet away.  And Hall himself showed up in person to race himself.