New York is a city filled with brands clamoring for attention. Branded events are a common occurrence; they take place on every other street corner, especially in high-traffic areas like Times Square or Columbus Circle. New Yorkers had become immune to live brand experiences.

All branded experiences in New York have one thing in common – they try to interrupt daily life. But for New Yorkers who have their daily routine and whose value of time is well known, interrupting was completely the wrong tactic. We decided to embrace this insight, and so that instead of interrupting their lives, we would become a part of their busy routine. We would give New Yorkers an experience that would become engrained in the fabric of their lives, and the very fabric of New York City, which they could experience day in, day out. An experience that let them literally see our brand vision of progress as well progress in their daily lives. The answer? Citi Bike.

Over 6,000 bikes became moving billboards with the Citi Bike logo front and rear, and over 330 bike station out-of-home units with neighborhood-specific messaging. Some station OOHs turned ordinary everyday trips from A to B into a whimsical trip of discovery of that particular neighborhood. For instance, a poster on Wall Street said: “Unlock a bike. Head down to Battery Park. Check out the sculptures. Gaze up at One World Trade Center. Wander the canyons. Watch out for bull crossings… Unlock New York.”

We built the website (citibikenyc.com) to introduce pricing, safety advice, and annual membership key fob purchase. Then we built an app that became riders’ mobile key, featuring station locations and bike availability, as well as bike-friendly routes from A to B. New York Times reviews on restaurants and events were also featured, so every journey would be filled with inspiration and new ways to unlock New York.

• Brand Preference: Citi’s NY brand health rose to highest levels since 2008, with favorability towards Citi increasing 25% in the first 3 months.

• Product Consideration: Likelihood to consider Citi products increased 41% May – July 2013.

• Sales Results: Citi saw a 7.1% uplift in bank account opens in NY versus a 7.9% drop elsewhere, and new credit card account uplift of 10.4%, versus a drop of 4.6% elsewhere.

• Earned Media: $4.4 million in earned media impressions in the first 13 weeks - almost 40 times that of the London bike-share program over the same time period.