Samsung paid one million dollars for Circle to Search subway ad

For two weeks, the circular Tube map replaced the classic London subway map designed by Harry Beck in 1933. The new design promoted the Galaxy S24, or more specifically, the flagship's new Circle to Search feature.

According to a new report (via ianVisits), Samsung paid TFL £830,000 ($1.04 million) to display the Circle to Search-inspired Tube map at six London Underground stations, including King's Cross, Paddington, Blackfriars, Westminster, Victoria, and Liverpool Street.

Earlier, it was reported that the circular Tube map was displayed at five stations, but Victoria also appears to have been added since, for a total of six.

Samsung didn't design the circular map

Interestingly, it turns out that the Circle to Search-inspired London Underground map wasn't designed by Samsung but by Transport for London.

Presumably, this was because TFL has the know-how to create a useful map for passengers. And perhaps the map's heritage and its icon status in the eyes of the people of London also played a role.

In addition, it is reported that Samsung paid £830,000 just to have the map posted at six stations for two weeks. However, the company also paid additional fees to cover the cost of production, installation, and removal.

The contract also stipulated that Samsung was restricted from using the circular map designed by TFL for marketing or merchandise. Unfortunately, for map collectors, this meant they could not obtain a copy of the limited-time circular London Underground map from Samsung.

Judging by Samsung's bias in its marketing material, it looks like Circle to Search might be the proverbial poster child of the Galaxy AI suite. In South Africa, Samsung went above the ground and had airplanes fly atop Table Mountain in Cape Town to create circle-shaped clouds promoting Circle to Search.