Station signs replaced with designs from the reality TV show

The Love Island branding was in place for one weekend. Picture: TfL

A collaboration between Transport for London and ITV2 saw iconic London Underground branding replaced with designs inspired by Love Island over the weekend.

To mark the return of the reality series this week, Tube roundels on platforms at Oxford Circus station were temporarily replaced by roundels inspired by Love Island, while the show’s narrator Iain Stirling lent his voice to station announcements.

TfL has said the deal will help to “generate additional revenue” as it looks to bounce back financially from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Julie Dixon, head of customer information, design & partnerships at TfL said, “We’re delighted to be working with ITV2 on this innovative promotion. This is another great example of how brands wanting to reach a diverse range of audiences can work with us to use our stations and platforms in fun and creative ways. Activities like this help generate additional revenue for us to invest in the transport network for the benefit of all of our customers.”

But the promotion was met with mixed reactions on social media, with some users critical of the decision to replace the “iconic” Tube branding.

The show has attracted controversy particularly due to the significant number of suicides among people associated with the programme. It has been accused of raising unrealistic body image expectations among viewers.

TfL has said that the Love Island roundels were removed this Monday (28 June) as the weekend-long promotion to celebrate the launch of the new series comes to an end.

It is not the first time that TfL has used corporate sponsors on the Tube network, as Oxford Circus was last year transformed in a similar fashion during a temporary partnership with Sony to promote the launch of the PlayStation 5 console.

Following a new emergency funding deal from the Government agreed earlier this month, TfL must find an additional £300 million of savings in the year 2021/22 and a further £723 million by 2022/23.

TfL declined to comment on the amount of revenue generated by the partnership with ITV2 as it is “commercially sensitive” information.

Joe Talora - Local Democracy Reporter

June 29, 2021