Transit media
Encyclopedia
Transit media is a form of out-of-home advertising
that uses vehicular platforms to establish a mobile brand presence.
Typically, transit media campaigns are employed in denser urban environments to maximize brand exposure to both pedestrian and on-road traffic. The medium has traditionally been limited to featured advertisements on buses and trams, but in recent years has extended to various sub-categories, such as dedicated car, van or truck advertising.
Recently advertising on the exterior of buses has pushed conventional boundaries of static media with the introduction of LED Displays. This allows the site owner to generate higher revenue as they can rotate ads and also schedule ads by GPS Location allowing advertisers to target their audience more effectively. The first of these bus displays made by a UK based company called Litelogic where introduced into London on buses owned by CBS Outdoor. More recently Titan has taken the plunge introducing them to New York and Chicago.
The most commonly used passenger vehicle in transit media fleets is the smart car
made by Mercedes Benz. Other popular vehicle models used are the Mini
(iconically used by the Red Bull
energy drink company) and the VW Beetle.
The medium offers a balance between the visual impact of traditional billboards and the flexibility of smaller, more mobile signage
. For example, an individually branded car might be casually driven around a city for the majority of the time, but can just as quickly be integrated into a multi-vehicle convoy or parked arrangement.
In addition to offering a high degree of visibility, transit media often supports promotional activities. Campaigns commonly involve some degree of interactivity, either through sampling or the distribution of promotional materials.
and the UK's City Car Club
will be branding parts of their fleets. Depending on the popularity of the car share service, advertisers benefit through (i) increased exposure, as car share vehicles, in order to be viable, must be driven for multiple hours per day; (ii) increased density in a given location, a critical success factor for CSOs and (ii) exposure to more drivers per car than a privately owned car.
Out-of-home advertising
Out-of-home advertising is made up of more than 100 different formats, totaling $6.99 billion in annual revenues in 2008 in the USA. Outdoor advertising is essentially any type of advertising that reaches the consumer while he or she is outside the home...
that uses vehicular platforms to establish a mobile brand presence.
Typically, transit media campaigns are employed in denser urban environments to maximize brand exposure to both pedestrian and on-road traffic. The medium has traditionally been limited to featured advertisements on buses and trams, but in recent years has extended to various sub-categories, such as dedicated car, van or truck advertising.
Recently advertising on the exterior of buses has pushed conventional boundaries of static media with the introduction of LED Displays. This allows the site owner to generate higher revenue as they can rotate ads and also schedule ads by GPS Location allowing advertisers to target their audience more effectively. The first of these bus displays made by a UK based company called Litelogic where introduced into London on buses owned by CBS Outdoor. More recently Titan has taken the plunge introducing them to New York and Chicago.
The most commonly used passenger vehicle in transit media fleets is the smart car
Smart car
Smart car may refer to:*Intelligent car, a car with artificial intelligence*Smart , the automobile brand...
made by Mercedes Benz. Other popular vehicle models used are the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
(iconically used by the Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
energy drink company) and the VW Beetle.
The medium offers a balance between the visual impact of traditional billboards and the flexibility of smaller, more mobile signage
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
. For example, an individually branded car might be casually driven around a city for the majority of the time, but can just as quickly be integrated into a multi-vehicle convoy or parked arrangement.
In addition to offering a high degree of visibility, transit media often supports promotional activities. Campaigns commonly involve some degree of interactivity, either through sampling or the distribution of promotional materials.
Innovations
Given the urban-centric focus of transit media campaigns and thus transit media fleets, it is not surprising that car sharing organisations (CSO), which primarily operate in high-density urban areas, are increasingly offering advertising on their fleets. While still a fledgling practice, particularly amongst smaller CSOs such as Australia's Charter Drive, larger operators such as Canada's AutoshareAutoShare
AutoShare is a car sharing company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The service was launched in October 1998 with 16 initial members and three cars. As of June 2009, AutoShare has over 10,000 members and over 200 cars, available for use 24 hours per day...
and the UK's City Car Club
City Car Club
City Car Club is one of the leading car club operators in the UK. Established in 2000 and with over 500 vehicles, it is the oldest and one of the largest Car Clubs operating at a national scale in the country. Operating a range of low-emissions vehicles, it uses the now standard technologies of...
will be branding parts of their fleets. Depending on the popularity of the car share service, advertisers benefit through (i) increased exposure, as car share vehicles, in order to be viable, must be driven for multiple hours per day; (ii) increased density in a given location, a critical success factor for CSOs and (ii) exposure to more drivers per car than a privately owned car.
See also
- Driven mediaDriven mediaDriven media is the practice of covering or wrapping any vehicle in vibrant, custom-designed vinyl sheets, turning a vehicle into a mobile billboard. The purpose of this is to provide advertising impressions...
- Wrap advertisingWrap advertisingWrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals...
- Bus advertisingBus advertisingIn bus advertising, buses and their related infrastructure is a medium commonly used by advertisers to reach the public with their message. Usually, this takes the form of promoting commercial brands, but can also be used for public campaign messages...
- Mobile billboardMobile billboardA mobile billboard is a device within the marketing practice of advertising on the side of a truck or trailer that is typically mobile. Mobile billboards are a form of Out-Of-Home Advertising. Radio, static billboards, and mall/airport advertising fall into the same category...
- Aerial advertisingAerial advertisingAerial advertising is a form of advertising that incorporates the use of aircraft, ballons or airships to create, transport, or display, advertising media. The media can be static, such as a banner, logo, lighted sign or sponsorship branding...