Train Station Advertising in Hints

Over 1.68 billion passenger journeys are made across UK railways every year, between cities, towns and villages; it is, therefore, no surprise that advertising at train stations is a hugely popular and effective form of advertising.

As you would imagine there are lots of options to target people on their respective journeys; these can include standard railway poster advertising, to more bespoke options.

Often forming the key transport hub in a locale, railways (and therefore railway advertising) offer unique opportunities to convey sales messages to consumers who are both regular commuters or leisure passengers, meaning that this form of marketing is wide-reaching and has broad appeal; you can see almost any company or product using train station advertising to promote themselves.   

If railway station advertising is of interest to your company, please drop us a message and we can talk you through the options. 

Most train station campaigns have a recommended minimum spend of £5000 to have a successful impact but this depends on your aims. 

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What is Train Station Advertising?

Put simply is advertising in railway stations. Options are varied and typically include various large poster formats, ranging from 4 sheets through to massive 96 sheets. 

Due to its ability to reach a mass amount of people, and also a wide cross-section of society, it is easy to see why it is so popular with a range of industries promoting various products, services and goods. Costs obviously vary, depending on which type of format you want and also how busy the station is that you wish to target.  

For more information and a free quote get in contact today. 

Types of Train Station Adverts

The main types of railway poster adverts include:

• Advertising on billboards opposite railway station entrances and on station platforms (typically 48 sheets or 96 sheets) - these are very effective, particularly as they are often positioned at the side of departure and arrival boards which passengers are looking at every few minutes.

• On platform posters ads (typically 4 sheet, 6 sheet, and 12 sheets) - these give the opportunity to present large, colourful, eye-catching imagery and text on a poster; these options are available at nearly every station in the UK.

• London Underground station advertising - is also highly effective when coupled with national rail ads, as passengers in London often use the tube to get to the main overground rail stations.

These various forms of train station posters (both large and small) are seen by those:

• Within the rail station

• People waiting outside

• Those standing on the platform awaiting a train

• Those simply passing through on a moving train travelling elsewhere

Train station advertising, therefore, allows you to target passengers at various stages of their journeys; your marketing can literally follow passengers through the station, on their journey and then at their destination as they leave! 

Network rail station posters can often be chosen by exact location within a station and you can, of course, choose which stations you want to advertise in as well.

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1. Train Station Escalator and Lift Advertising

Many major stations have escalators and lifts for passengers to get between floors and platforms. These are normally grey and boring places, so advertising directly on these can really draw the eye; there’s basically not a lot of competition. Also, when you are in a lift or escalator you literally can’t escape and are therefore forced to stare at the posters. 

Taking advantage of the blank canvas that is the grey expanse of escalators and dreary lifts can be done creatively. Brilliantly creative examples have included household name Doritos, who printed an open packet of the Mexican chips at the top of escalators and scattered crisps on each step, cascading down into a happy customer’s open both at the bottom!

Lift advertising has seen success for the like of the Superman movies, featuring Clark Kent’s suit ripping open as the doors slide apart, and British Athletics, having a baton handed from runner to runner as the doors close. 

Basically, station escalator ads and lift advertising in Hints gives you a great chance to get clever and creative. 

2. On Train Posters

Despite rail commuters often using online channels and being on their smartphones or laptops when travelling, on train poster advertising is still very effective.

Travelling by rail often leaves passengers without functional mobile devices (the horror!); there is limited or poor Wi-Fi, whilst as we all know 3G, 4G and 5G reception can be patchy. This, therefore, leaves train passengers with times on their journeys with little to focus on. This, therefore, opens the possibilities and effectiveness of on train posters ads. Often these types of adverts are also more affordable than major billboard advertising, London underground ads and train platform adverts. Targeting travellers with on-board posters and cove advertising (the small thin posters underneath the head-racks) is, therefore, quite an affordable way to hit commuters. An advert on these is often strong and impactful so they have an instant effect before a phone signal comes back to life!

Also, did you know that rail passengers are one of the demographics who prefer purchasing online? So, a call to action online works fantastically well, grab their interest and you can often see immediate results. 

3. In-Station Events

Many brands choose to host sampling and promotional events in network rail and underground stations to engage with consumers directly during a period where they have ‘time to kill’ while waiting for transport. Events can include:

1. Giving out free samples.

2. Recruiting sign-ups.

3. Handing out leaflets and promotional material.

4. Or getting creative with the likes of flash mobs or endorser/influencer appearances.

Whatever approach works best for you, it’s important to attract two major passenger types: those rushing through and those who have time to engage. This could mean having staff available to simply hand something over to the ones in a hurry, as well as other staff who can engage more. 

4. Toilet Door Posters

Going to the toilet whilst travelling on a train isn’t one of life’s most pleasant experiences in the world and so promotional posters on the back of toilet doors often come as a welcome distraction! Posters on toilet doors talk to a captive audience who are unlikely to want to touch a mobile device and have nothing to do but to wait and look around. These can be used to complement existing channels and other forms of poster adverts, they can be tailored to contain (light, humorous) toilet content. After all, your service, product and brand are anything but ‘bog standard’ – it’s time to flush away the competition (sorry we couldn’t resist the pun!)

Cost of Railway Advertising

The cost of railway adverts will be dependent on a number of different factors, these are mainly: 

• The type of advert you want to use - typically larger adverts and those in more prominent positions cost more than smaller options.  

• Length of time/length of cycle - typically minimum cycles are two weeks but most campaigns last longer so that adverts have a chance to be properly seen and taken on board by travellers. 

• Particular stations - major network rail stations such as Manchester Piccadilly, London terminals and Cardiff Central, will cost more than smaller and more rural stations. 

For more information contact us today. 

Will Railway Advertising Suit My Business?

Railway advertising works for most companies as those who commute by rail on a daily basis are shown to have high levels of disposable income – identified as the AB demographic - after all, year-on-year fare increases have ensured that rail travel is not cheap. Their “wealth” demographic also allows them to have access to state-of-the-art mobile devices meaning they often make fast purchase decisions – even whilst on their train journeys, WiFi permitting of course!

Rail passengers are also shown to be lighter viewers of TV advertising, meaning that train passengers most receptive form of marketing is often found at train stations. 

Both global and local businesses advertise successfully to network rail passengers and we manage campaigns that are country-wide as well as more specific location-based options. International companies can blanket train adverts across the country with national rail network advertising packages, whilst local businesses can target particular stations. 

Targetted Audiences

Ticket purchases and tracked Oyster Card journeys help to give even more intelligence on travellers’ behaviour including their destinations, times of travel, dates; which can all be used to segment audiences and tailor relevant messaging to them. This means that although train station ads in Hints reach a huge amount of people there is also a large degree of targeting, meaning return on investment is very strong.

Studies show that 20% of all train journeys are not on time or don’t happen at all in the UK. This may be a positive thing for you if you’re a brand looking to advertise at train stations, as passengers have to stand and wait. It is, therefore, a type of outdoor advert which has an increased “dwell time” when compared to standard 48 sheet roadside billboards.

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If any of the above rail network and rail advertising options are of interest to you contact us today.

As with all our quotes, they are free and our experienced and friendly media planners will talk you through lots of options, so full steam ahead (sorry we couldn’t resist again), contact PromoMedia today!

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