Transit Advertising

Transit advertising is advertising placed in or on modes of public transportation or in public transportation areas.

1. Transit Advertising

2. Definition Transit advertising  is  advertising  placed in or on modes of public transportation or in public transportation areas . Using this method of  advertising ,  ads  can be placed anywhere from on the sides of buses, trains and taxis.  It also includes advertisements placed in transport precincts such as bus stops, subway entries, fuel stations and others . Transit advertising can be either in the form of graphics, simple text or other visual information.

3. Kinds of transit advertising Indoor transit advertising –  This refers to advertisements placed inside the vehicle and inside transit shelters. Indoor advertising can be the static advertisement (such as posters, boards, leaflets and others), video advertisements (displayed on video screens) and audio advertisements . Outdoor transit advertising –  This refers to advertisements placed on the outer surface of vehicles and transit shelters. Outdoor transit advertisements can be further divided into roof advertising and on-board advertising. Roof advertising, as the name suggests, are advertisements placed on the roof of the vehicle. On-board advertisement, on the other hand, refers to advertisements that are placed on the lateral sides, back or front of the vehicles.

4. Advantages of Transit Ads Extensive coverage – It is a widely known that public transportation has been one of the most popular modes of transport and is thus taken up by hundreds of people every day. Some reports suggest that approximately 9 million people ride the mass transit every week. Reaching to these people in a single week and that too with no repeat costs is a feat that only Transit advertising can manage . Geographic reach – Transit advertising is one of the best mediums of advertising when it comes to targeting the local consumer. When a business decides to place transit advertisement in a select location, it is actively reaching out to people of a select demographic characteristic and background. Imagine that a local supermarket advertises its special offers on a bus that customers take to reach the supermarket. Their customers, having got exposed to the special offers running in their stores while traveling on the bus, will certainly remember it when shopping!

5. Long exposure – Businesses can control the exposure that customer has to their advertisement through transit advertisement. No more switching off the TV or turning to the next page in a magazine! Since the average duration of commute on a public transport ranges from 30 minutes to an hour, customers are bound to notice the transit advertisement placed within the bus or train multiple times . Low cost of advertising – Since the number of potential customers the transit advertisement reaches is huge, the cost of advertising per consumer is very low. Thus, this form of advertising ends up being cost effective than many other forms of advertising.

6. Disadvantages of Transit Ads The nature of transit advertising makes it difficult to reach a specific segment of the audience. For example, the advertisement will not reach those who do not take the public transport system. It might also sometimes reach people who may not have a certain lifestyle or behaviour that the advertisement is looking to aim at . Many times commuters might not be in the mood to look at the advertisement. While at other times, they might be busy reading the newspaper or a book, thus limiting the reach of the advertisement.

7. The Transit advertisement message should be short, crisp and creative. Commuters do not prefer long and complex messages. Another factor which businesses need to keep in mind is the limited space available to them for this kind of advertising. Thus businesses have to be more innovative when it comes to having that perfect transit advertisement The reach of Transit advertising also depends on its surroundings. For example, an advertisement on the outside of a bus might get lost when it is splashed with mud. Also many times, these advertisements are subject to vandalism. The weather too can play spoilsport and add to the wear and tear of transit advertising and thus businesses need to be constantly monitoring their transit advertisements.

8. Thank You!