Shoppers, partygoers and football fans were left scratching their head at the meaning of light shows proclaiming ‘Power to the People’.
The light shows have appeared all over Tyne and Wear in the last two weeks – and the mystery grew deeper as flash mob choirs popped up in busy locations to sing the John Lennon classic ‘Power to the People’.
But all was revealed when the slogan – and the distinctive colour waves behind it, turned out to be a novel way of introducing the new ‘Pop’ brand for Metro and Nexus smart card technology.
Andy Bairstow, Head of Service Delivery for Nexus said: “We wanted to tease people and get them talking.
“Pop is an exciting catchy brand that sets new standards for public transport use. It is totally new and different – and it really is going to be power to the people in the way they buy and pay for travel.”
The colour wave pattern that makes Pop card stand out was beamed giant size onto familiar landmarks including Baltic, the Bigg Market, Monkwearmouth Museum, and Citygate, opposite St James’s Park.
Flash mob choirs descended on unsuspecting shoppers at Tynemouth’s famous weekend market, at The Bridges shopping centre and Eldon Square, among other locations.