Zeroing in on Transit Advertising

Vehicle advertising offers broad market coverage results in low-cost ad repetition, lots of impressions

OSHKOSH, Wis. — One of my favorite ways to market commercial laundries is via the transit billboard.

Transit billboards—on buses, trucks, delivery vans, taxis, subways and light rail trains—can advertise in places where stationary billboards can’t.
But, like stationary billboards, these ads can extend for a few days, weeks or months, and target specific geographic areas, such as those dense with hospitals or hotels.
Typically, the vehicles that carry these transit ads tend to follow specific routes and offer strategic placement either outside and/or inside the vehicles to capture the attention of passengers, other drivers, businesses and pedestrians along the street.

They can also deliver your message in the same neighborhood or proximity as other competing commercial laundries, and in and around bustling medical parks or hospitality-rich areas.
Transit billboard exposures can serve multiple goals. At CCS, we employ them for short-term, special-event promotions and long-term brand awareness. Broad market coverage results in relatively low-cost ad repetition and lots of daily impressions.

Remember that good negotiation can bring extra value. Oftentimes, newbie advertisers can procure special deals, rates or packages, and with them more bang for their advertising buck.
Read on for some tips on transit advertising …

Location: There are different placements for ads, depending on who you want to target. Do you want to target the people getting on a bus or train at stops located near hospitals and medical clinics, driving in traffic or pedestrians on the street?
For example, if you want to target traffic, advertise on the driver’s side or tail of the vehicle. If you wish to target passengers, advertise near the exterior passenger door or inside.

Quick Read: Less is more, especially when it comes to transit advertising. Moving ads are a quick read, so keep the message simple, short and sweet. Your message should be clear, easy to read from near and far, and, most importantly, easy to remember.

Colors That Stand Out: The ad should pop off the vehicle. Don’t design an ad that’s the same color as the vehicle itself. Know the colors of the vehicles you are advertising on and design your graphic and message accordingly.

More Visuals: Make your design memorable by using graphics that “wow” the viewers. Use more graphic elements and less words. Incorporate elements of the vehicle into your design, or go to the extreme and extend your design outside the standard advertising space.

Size: Deliver maximum exposure with your ad. Remember that your ad needs to be visible to drivers and pedestrians, so make sure to size it appropriately. Command your audience’s attention with large, creative ad elements.

Type of Ad: Wrap advertising differs from transit billboards because wrap advertisements typically envelop all of the vehicle, or a large portion of it. Many commercial laundries with pickup and delivery services will use a full van wrap to advertise those services.

Transit billboards are large flat surfaces, like traditional billboards, that adhere to vehicles and can be changed out as necessary.

Quality Designer: Don’t go price shopping on the internet for some random person to design your laundry’s transit billboard, and don’t do it yourself. Choose a qualified, local vendor who can design and install the ad on your behalf.

Frequency: Determine the length of time your ad is to run based on your goals. If you’re advertising a promotion, it might only run a few weeks or months.

If you’re advertising hospital or hospitality laundry service, it can run for months or years. Just be sure to freshen it up now and then so it doesn’t get stagnant.

At CCS, we’ve found transit advertising can create interest, reinforce a brand and garner new customers looking for better, more convenient service.