Advertising
on outdoor & non-print media
The past 20 years have seen dramatic shifts in advertising,
as TV Press and Radio have become increasingly fragmented and
diverse as audience media consumption continually changes. This
means that the marketer has much more choice in which advertising
medium to choose from and if you know the media, or in this case,
travelling habits of your target market, should make reaching
them a lot easier than merely hoping they will be watching an
episode of Coronation Street on a Wednesday night.
If you are in the market to buy media space, things have been
sewn up by Viacom Outdoor, who sell space on behalf of Transport
for London, including buses, London Underground, Docklands Light
Railway, and the major train, tram and coach networks. Nice and
easy!
Rail Advertising
Rail advertising offers an opportunity to reach a broad audience,
from daily business commuters to leisure travellers. Rail sites
offer the benefit of longer dwell-time, allowing more detailed
copy, and aiding brand recall.
There is a wide selection of sites across several major rail
networks throughout the UK, including Central Trains (across
the Midlands and beyond), Chiltern Railways (commuter connection
from London Marylebone to Birmingham), GNER (East Coast Mainline
service between London King's Cross and Scotland) and Merseyrail
(key commuter network in the North West). This can work well
for local advertisers to complement existing mixed media, or
as part of a UK-wide rail campaign.
There is a wide range of campaign options and associated costs,
but to give an example of a four week campaign the following
costs* could apply
Premier Major Standard Stations
12 Sheets £775 £540 £400
6 Sheets £750 £520 £380
4 Sheets £225 £175 £150
*source: Viacom Outdoor
London Underground
The London Underground is a compelling media proposition for
advertisers wanting to reach young, affluent Londoners, commuters
and the millions of overseas visitors who flock to the capital
every year. With its permanently lit and highly visual environment,
advertising on the Underground weaves your product into the fabric
of London life.
There
is no end to the range and permutations of where and how you
can
advertise on the Tube and Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
For example, DLR station sponsorship, line by line at Canary
Wharf from two to four weeks, or a DLR ‘south parcel’ for
a two week campaign, or whole escalator panels at Kings Cross;
the list is endless.
Below are some examples of the main media options available;
Tube Car Panels
Tube Car Panels can be found inside the carriages and benefit
from a captive audience for an average of 13 minutes every journey.
Escalator and Stair Panels
They are situated in a range of locations across the network
and are available to buy as part of General Distribution Packs,
line by line and in special packs.
4 Sheets
Situated in corridors, on platforms and in ticket halls, 4 Sheets
can offer excellent value and high visibility with a high frequency
of exposure.
6 Sheets
6 Sheets are one of the Tube's premium sites. Framed and permanently
illuminated, they provide impactful support in areas of high
pedestrian traffic.
12 Sheets
12 Sheets are an attractive opportunity on a large Underground
format, situated in high traffic corridors, platform areas and
cross-track.
16 Sheets
16 Sheet posters offer high frequency alternatives to larger
Cross-track sites, but share the same benefits - allowing detailed,
creative messages.
48 Sheets
This popular and powerful site type capitalises on Tube travellers'
average platform dwell time of three minutes, allowing the communication
of detailed messages and bold visuals.
There can be minimum campaign duration of 12 weeks and all media
costs exclude design, printing, manufacture and installation,
unless otherwise specified and certain sites require special
production, which must be undertaken by Viacom Outdoor. These
are important considerations for your budget as production costs
are dependent on your brand requirements, whether it is a new
campaign or you have a really good flexible design company.
Did you know?
• A 48 Sheet 4 metres away (Cross-track) is 9 times bigger than
a 48 Sheet 12 metres away (roadside)
• +23%
= the average shift in ad awareness following a Tube campaign*
• 39%
of Tube users have bought a product after seeing it on the
Tube*
• 73% of Tube users agree that LU posters are ‘aimed
at people like me’**
• +3
minutes is the average wait between Tubes. Ample time to and
digest Cross-track ads
• 60% of 48 Sheets are within the Circle Line – concentrated
in Central London
• The Tube audience is 44% 15-34, 80% ABC1 & have
an income 69% above UK average***
Sources: *Project Siren 2002 ** Project No 6 2002 ***TGI 2003
The London Connection
Increasingly, there are more wacky ways of reaching your audience
and this year, Southfields Underground station on the District
Line was transformed to celebrate the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
by washing powder brand Ariel. The campaign made using the station
a real experience for Tube travellers visiting the tournament.
The station had been transformed with a series of tennis-related
creative including special sound effects of crowds cheering that
were triggered by Tube trains pulling into the station. The platforms
had been turned into tennis courts complete with astro-turf and
chalk lines, and the banks either side of the station carrying
huge 48 metre hoardings depicting Wimbledon crowds.
Bus Advertising
Bus advertising is certainly eye-catching and can take your message
straight to the high street. Whether you want nationwide brand
presence, point-of-sale support or to blitz one area of the
UK, advertising on buses can offer a solution. You may wish
to take advantage of the last years of the infamous Routemaster
that trundles up and down some of the major London tourism
routes, including Oxford Street. The Mayor is reneging on an
electoral promise that he would keep these London icons on
the streets, no matter how expensive…it seems however,
that the ‘bendy buses’ have won his heart.
To
work out your likely audience cover/OTS, go to http://www.viacom-outdoor.co.uk
and click on UK Media and select Buses to access BUSADS online,
Viacom Outdoors’ audience data measurement for bus advertising.
A useful planning tool, BUSADS can show cover and frequency achieved
from a bus campaign - nationally, by conurbation or by TV region.
Below are some examples of the main media options available
on buses;
s Rears
Upper and Lower Rears deliver high visibility advertising to
drivers and their passengers. Available in Standard and Routemaster
size and larger Super Rear format.
Streetliners
Streetliners, available on the near and off side, provide a cost-effective
alternative to Supersides. Streetliners are on single deck buses, which typically
operate shuttle routes around city centres.
Supersides
Supersides are carried on double decks throughout Great Britain,
delivering pavement facing advertising direct to shoppers on
the high street.
T-Sides
T-Side campaigns offer extensive coverage, particularly in key conurbations.
The drop section on a T-Side is the size of a 6 Sheet.
L-Sides
Exclusive to Routemaster buses, L-Sides cover Central London
and dominate the important business, shopping and tourist areas
of the West End.
Tram Advertising
Advertising
on a tram offers a unique opportunity to put your brand in
the heart of Sheffield, the West Midlands, Croydon and
Blackpool with a rate card that won’t make you feint. In
each of these population centres the tram plays a central role
in the local transport scene, connecting main shopping and entertainment
areas with surrounding districts.
Below are some examples of the main media options available
on trams;
Super Squares
This new site type is positioned on the side of a carriage and
provides a large creative canvas.
Mega Sides
Covering the whole of one side of a carriage, the Mega Side
is also a cost-effective alternative to wrapping an entire tram
and is available for shorter periods.
Tramliners
Tramliners offer advertisers a continuous creative canvas, running
the entire length of the tram.
Wrapped Trams
The Wrapped Tram covers the entire tram (excluding the roof)
with vinyl graphics.
Bulkheads
Another internal tram format, the portrait-shaped Bulkhead offers
space for detailed messages and last minute shopping reminders.
Interior Panels
Ideal for branding or communicating information to the community,
these internal tram sites reach people whilst they travel and
have time to absorb detailed messages.
Supersides
Carried high up on the side of the tram, Tram Supersides are
the same size as bus Supersides, making integrated campaigns
easy.
6 Sheets
6 Sheets provides point-of-sale support in areas of high pedestrian
traffic. Their framed format is lit 24 hours a day, so adverts
are always visible.
Coach Advertising
Inter-urban coaches connect the UK's motorways with major population
centres and airports. Advertising in a virtually 'ad free' zone
targets motorway drivers, city dwellers and air travellers. This
advertising network offers five different buying routes - National,
London Commuter, Scottish and South Wales.
There are just two examples available on coaches and include;
Rears
Rears on Inter-urban coaches, like those on buses, are 10% larger
than standard bus Rears; these allow more scope for creative
and have extra impact, reaching motorway travellers as well as
city drivers.
Mega Rears
Covering the entire rear of a coach, they are the largest form
of advertising available in a virtually ad-free zone.
Visit www.Viacom-outdoor.co.uk for extensive information, rate
cards, colourful examples of what is available and lots of
telephone numbers should you feel the urge to spend money.
In the next advertising feature, the Tourism Network will be
looking at campaign evaluation, with tips and ideas on how to
make sure you are getting the most of your marketing budget.
Outdoor media is a pretty straightforward medium to access and
evaluate
Mary
Tebje
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