If there is a symbol of France, is the Eiffel Tower. There is no doubt about it. And if there is an iconic French brand Citroen in my opinion, responsible for machines like the 2CV and the DS, which marked a before and after in the history of the automobile. It could not have been otherwise: the only private company in advertising in a big way on the Eiffel Tower was Citroen, and it was with a luminous sign of hundred meters before the Second World War. This is the story the best neon sign ever created.
Paris rediscovered the light and art in 1925, during the Art Deco explosion. [1.99901 million]
The First World War was over, and Paris began a move decade of prosperity and style. The decade in which France showed the world its elegance and artistic strength, with movements like Art Deco. André Citroën wanted to boost its brand in style, with aggressive marketing techniques – not even the marketing was a buzzword then – and already in 1922 ordered an airplane type the word Citroën in the sky of Paris, with the inauguration of VII Paris Motor Show.
Taking advantage of the Expo in Paris in 1925, he wanted throw the house out the window [1.99902 million]. Expo 1925 was a shock, a wash of intense face to Paris. The monuments were lit, and Citroen took the opportunity to put the Eiffel Tower in one of the largest and most colorful ads whole story. He rented the Paris city hall three of the four sides of the tower, on which a neon sign over 150 meters in size was installed. Each illuminated letter was almost 20 meters high.
Coca-Cola in Times Square, Sanyo in London, Schweppes in Madrid … are urban icons and advertising.
Each side of the tower had an identical sign visible from almost every angle of the city. 595 kilometers of cable were used in the installation, as well as thousands of small bulbs. At that time the LEDs even existed, were conventional incandescent light bulbs. At the top of the tower, several stars were lit, and several comets with their tails. After their tails Citroen letters were illuminating, one by one.
A facility that would impress today, had to be revolutionary 90 years ago. At the bottom of the tower, using the colors of France, several framed posters rounded dates “1889-1925”, referring to the year of construction of the tower and then this. When this sign is turned off, the timer lit a logo Citroen, with the characteristic chevron. The impact of the poster was so great, he would not move from the Eiffel Tower in 10 years.
Citroën had a factory in the heart of Paris, just a few kilometers along the Seine.
Charles Lindbergh – in his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927 – he used the sign to guide you to the airport in Paris at night. He became an icon of Paris. However, the 1935 Citroen was going through financial difficulties and could not bear the cost of having a giant neon sign in the sky of Paris. Have continued on Hitler would have taken in just a few years, but may have acquired the status of permanent symbol of Paris.
Yet he is remembered as one of the most striking results of history.
See the complete gallery motor
Source: Autocar | Wikipedia
In motor: Car Listings left us marked