Creator of mysterious Metro Vancouver transit ads speaks out
Earlier this week, Daily Hive Urbanized covered the story of some puzzling ads popping up on Metro Vancouver SkyTrains and buses, and now, their creator has more to share about them.
For some backstory, a Redditor recently sparked discussion about the ads when they posted about them in the British Columbia subreddit.
“A close friend of mine texted me this photo of what looks to be a real ad that real people paid to have displayed on the SkyTrain. We cannot, for the life of us, figure out what is going on. Hopefully, someone here knows what’s happening,” they wrote.
The ad in question read: “A green goose, red horse and brown elephant are moving to Vancouver…”
Submitted by Kelly (Reddit)
It showed the animals as simple graphics, each with its own speech bubble.
The green goose is pictured saying, “Vancouver is such a quiet peaceful town…”
The red horse says, “Yeah the people are so nice…”
The yellow elephant replies, “…and there are so many things to do…”
In response, the duck and horse seem to be asking what kinds of things you can get up to in Vancouver, to which the yellow elephant replies, “Where do I start…”
Folks in the comments shared their confusion and curiosity about what the ads meant, as the photo posted didn’t show any company or organization affiliated with it.
TransLink confirmed to Daily Hive Urbanized that the ads are linked to a local events app called Torra.
A TransLink representative suggested that in the case of the photo shared on Reddit, the app’s name may have been cut off due to how it was displayed on the SkyTrain.
Meet the man behind the ads
Kyle Zheng
Daily Hive Urbanized got in touch with Torra’s creator, 28-year-old software developer Kyle Zheng, who shared more about the ads (which he designed) and what he hopes people will take away from them.
“The intention behind the ads [was] to show that Vancouver has a lot going on and fun activities to do, and I’m hopeful that the message got across,” he said, adding that the app is also aimed at helping those who are new to the city.
There were three different versions of the ads displayed on transit, and they all featured various colourful animals with simplistic speech bubbles commenting on things to do around town, as well as the accessibility of transit.
Zheng said the point of Torra is not just to showcase local events but to focus on how people can use the bus or SkyTrain to travel to them.
Kyle Zheng
While some folks might find the ads confusing, Zheng noted that so far, the feedback he’s received has been quite positive. He also believes that there might be a difference in how men and women perceive the ads.
“My general impression is that there is a disconnect between males and females on how the ad is viewed. I find that men who read the ad are often confused about the intention and do not understand the point of the ad. I think the male brain has a tendency to try to understand the advertisement literally or try to break it down rather than look at it holistically,” he stated.
“However, my female friends who have seen the ad have really taken a liking to the design and the use of animals and the theme. Perhaps this goes to show how we all see advertisements differently and are moved by different ads.”
While the ads have a simple design, Zheng said that the idea was for them to be “playful and artistically different.”
“I think most ads try to be in your face and push a certain product or message, but this ad tries to be more subtle, so it throws people off.”
He added that so far, the ads appear to be doing exactly what he intended, which is to be eye-catching enough to get folks to check out the app.
“Since the ads have been launched, I have received more than 2,300 people check out the website,” Zheng shared. “Additionally, transit ads are an excellent way to support the transit system.”
The ads ran on buses and SkyTrains for four weeks starting in December 2024. TransLink confirmed that because Torra’s contract has ended, it is in the process of removing them from its network.