The Community of Madrid, through its Ministry of Transportation, has authorized placing for a week in the gutter of the dark blue strip of metro line 10 - where the name of the stop is usually read - the personalized phrase "Stonewashed Blue Line" . The name of each station is maintained in said channel, but the unnamed spaces are where said phrase has been set.
Official sources from Metro de Madrid tell La Vanguardia that "the campaign does not alter at any time the name or the signage of the stations, it has a different typology than ours and is separated from the name of the stations, all of this to avoid possible confusions".
On the contrary, travelers perceive that this proximity to the name of each station can affect people not used to transit on the subway or tourists, people with hearing problems or if problems arise with the public address system.
Twitter user Toni Castillo comments on said social network "I think invasive advertising is getting out of hand." And he responds to another Internet user: "The names are still in the places where they were. Approximately half of the empty modules of the gutters, where there is no station name, is where they have placed those stickers." Fernando de Córdoba denounces that it is "an attack on usability." And he continues: "It annoys me that it always happens on public transportation."
Initially, some travelers thought that it could be an act of vandalism, but then they realized that this was not the case because "they are very well placed."
Regarding the company behind this advertising campaign, Metro Madrid responds that "we cannot say its name for commercial reasons, it will be the one who says it in its case."
Some sources suggest that Levi's could be behind this advertising, which already ran a campaign on metro line 1. In fact, the phrase Stonewashed Blue is reminiscent of the most classic and sought-after finishes of this American denim brand.
Madrid usually accepts shocking and aggressive campaigns in metro stations. On one occasion, the emblematic Sol station was wallpapered as if it were a football or basketball stadium. Later, it was renamed Vodafone Sol. But on that occasion, the advertising did not include the names of each station.
