The Benefits of Advertising in Railway Stations

According to official Network Rail figures, 1.7 billion people travel by train every year in the UK. A a result, Railway Stations represent a huge opportunity for you to target a diverse audience with creative advertising campaigns. Here’s how you can maximise the benefits of advertising in railway stations.

Target different audiences by advertising in Railway Stations

Train stations are a hotspot for different types of travellers, including:

• Commuters
• Business people 
• Students
• Families

The list is extensive and railway advertising is an effective way to reach travellers with creative, well-positioned adverts.

In particular, a high volume of railway passengers tend to be in the ABC1 category (i.e upper to lower middle class) and male – two key demographics shown to have a higher disposable income. 

One way to maximise the benefits of railway advertising is to take advantage of longer dwell times as passengers wait for trains, which will work in favour of your campaign.

Passengers often look for a distraction when waiting for a train. An eye-catching, well-placed advertising campaign can provide that distraction.

For example, train station waiting rooms tend to be a hotspot for advertising, or in proximity to an on-platform coffee shop, as passengers enjoy a beverage while waiting for a train to arrive.

If your budget allows, a huge billboard at a station entrance or on the platform will certainly attract attention.

Railway advertising is particularly effective if you’re targeting commuters. According to figures from the Office of Rail and Road, 94% of train commuters recall ads.

What makes railway advertising even more appealing, is that it doesn’t matter what industry sector you’re in. 

Hundreds of different business types, whether independent stores, national chains or huge multinational companies, have found value in railway advertising including:

• Retailers
• Charities
• Entertainment venues
• Recruitment agencies
• Job sites
• Bakeries
• Opticians
• Railway service providers
• Airport parking companies
• Travel agents

The list goes on.

Build local, regional or national campaigns

Railway advertising enables you to create local, regional or national campaigns.

The UK is home to 2,563 train stations. That’s excluding the 270 London underground stations and 181 heritage railways.

Benefit from railway advertising campaigns that are super-targeted to a specific town, city or region, or you can create a broader campaign that spans hundreds or even thousands of different train stations for a national advertising campaign.

In some cases, even a local railway advertising campaign can cover multiple stations. For example, cities like Liverpool, Birmingham and London have more than one train station, enabling you to reach a wider audience in the same city.

Railway advertising gives you great flexibility, enabling you to start local and expand your campaign to a national level.

You can use one station to test engagement levels and gradually increase to 10, 50, 100, right up to 2,563.

Log in to view which train stations are available on Bubble.

Use different types of advertising in Railway Stations

Put your brand front and centre of millions of people each and every month using multiple ways to advertise. 

Whether it’s six sheets, billboards or digital signage, there are several ways to create an effective railway advertising campaign.

Railway digital signage advertising is becoming increasingly popular among advertisers, mainly because of its flexibility and the return on investment it brings.

If you’re setting up a local, regional or national campaign, railway digital signage advertising allows you to change or update content in minutes.

On a national level, digital signage makes railway advertising easier on a practical level. If you’ve got printed billboards across 200 stations, the time and cost associated with changing or updating your can be significant.

With digital signage, you can switch-up your entire national railway advertising campaign, almost instantly from one central, remote point. You can also time your advert to reach your target audience, with minimal waste. For example, if you’re a coffee brand, you’re likely to want to target commuters on their way to work in the morning. With digital outdoor advertising in railway stations, you can set your ad to run only in the mornings and maximise your return on investment.

Book one of Bubble Outdoor’s new, railway advertising bundles  

Hand-picked by Bubble Outdoor’s planning team, our railway station advertising bundles are designed to be a budget-friendly, but effective, way to deliver tactical campaigns in these high-traffic areas by delivering your ad across multiple screens within one Railway Station. In fact, Bubble is the only place where you can click-to-buy these ready-made campaigns! Learn more about them here or if you’re ready to get started log in and start searching here.