Like a Billboard, but, Oh, So Sleek

New York Times, November 5, 2008 — One of the biggest and fanciest shopping malls in Europe opened here last week in a test of British consumers’ ability to keep spending during a steep downturn. The shopping center, Westfield London, is also shaping up as a vast experiment in making over the humble billboard.

CBS Outdoor, a division of the CBS media conglomerate, has installed more than 100 digital advertising screens at Westfield, including one covering 646 square feet.

The idea is to try to attract new kinds of clients to so-called outdoor or out-of-home advertising, including luxury brands.