Innovative advertising system for trains

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Anura Wijenayake who designed the world's largest birthday greeting card for President Mahinda Rajapaksa and entered the Guinness World Records book is now looking at designing an innovative advertising system for trains.

He said that unlike in other developed countries Sri Lankan advertising industry has not utilized the advertising potential in trains.

Wijenayake presenting the world’s largest birthday greeting card to President Mahinda Rajapaksa last November.

"Though you could find train carriages painted with advertising there is no advertising inside trains as in other countries," he said.

Wijenayake said that one of the main reasons is the lack of digital advertising such as on board TVs which are not practical in noisy trains. However with more air conditioned intercity trains being introduced this medium could soon be a reality like in developed countries.

"I have now designed a unique flexible advertising bill board which could be inserted inside train carriages," he said.

Wijenayake who is the Managing Director of Sounds and Media Work in Rupasinghe Mawatha Nugegoda said that several leading companies have already contacted him to have their products advertised in this new form of media in trains.

He said that he had always wanted to do something new and this was how the world's biggest birthday greeting card for President Mahinda Rajapaksa was designed. "This is a 2010 page 7.5 kilogram weighing book filled with greetings to the President written by the public and senior members of Parliament including Prime Minister D M Jayaratne.

Commenting on sounds and media work he said that they are in to TV radio print media advertising, event management, sounds, lighting and also provide entertainment for events. "We have a model bank and DJ's for any occasion and we also provide free sound training," he said.

He said that both male and females models that joined sounds and media work are today well established in the film, tele drama and adverting field.

Wijenayake with director, Lasitha Wijesingha at their Nugegoda studio Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe

"We are among the handful of institutions to have a registered model bank," he said."

He said that as a patriotic Sri Lankan he is somewhat disappointed in the manner in which some of the housemaids are being treated in some overseas countries.

"I am now in the process of designing a CD on Sri Lanka which would have the countries rich history, development such as highways, new airport, harbours as well as the tourism potential being attractively recorded in it."

My aim is to give this CD free of charge to all Sri Lankan migrant workers who in turn could give this to their employer so that they would get a better picture of Sri Lanka which in turn would help them to build a better image of our country."

He could be contacted on [email protected]