Two New York marketing mysteries

Today, in Brooklyn, I passed a woman wearing a large red t-shirt. It said, in full, "Celebrate Life with Ketchup." [Mystery solved! it's a reference to Prairie Home Companion. Thanks, guys].

And last week, in the middle of a crosswalk (18th and 8th Ave., I think) I passed this item, embedded in the asphalt in the middle of the street. [Piet points us to the answer].

I'm as mystified as you.

The last marketing mystery is a bonus more than a mystery. The iconic Pinkberry yogurt chain is racing across America as fast as it can, open places hither and yon. The front of the store features a variety of almost illegible bits of marketing froth, accompanied by exactly one image that is clear. So clear, you can read it across the street. Of course I ignored it, but the question is, why? Is it a deliberate attempt to attract interest by forbidding people to share what they see? Or is it some security-theatre minded person run amok?