Bus advertising... any thoughts?

[webtrekker]

I'm just wondering if anyone has tried advertising their business on buses, or have bought products or services as a direct result of an advertisement on a bus.

I've no idea of the cost of this kind of advertising, but it seems to me that it hits a wide audience, from all walks of life, some of whom are regular travellers and many of whom travel on an 'as and when required' basis. So, you could be advertising to clothes shoppers, gift shoppers, tourists, workers and other business owners who may be looking for workwear with their corporate logo, or promotional items.

The regulars may see your ad nearly every day, if it's inside the bus, which can't be a bad thing.

Any thoughts or experiences?

[pw66]

Can cost a lot of money, if you are considering back/side of the bus positions. Might be effective if you have a good local bus company who operate in your immediate area. If not you could be paying for advertising on a route that goes mile out of your area, and will be competing for space with some very large ad campaigns.
Interior adverts can be cheaper, but again you would want to be on a busy commuter route for it to be effective.
As with any advertising it takes time for any benefit to filter through to your turnover.

If you have a good local radio station - the kind that gets listened to in every office and workplace - look into advertising with them. It will probably be cheaper ( but never cheap).

Go to your local reference library and ask if they have a copy of BRAD ( British Rates and Data). It will give you the rates for all bus,radio, train, taxi and press advertising in your area.

[harlequeen]

Twenty years ago my previous company purchased an add which sat above and along the side windows of a bus - it cost £3000 then, don't know what it would be now. I didn't think it was all that successful to be honest.

[webtrekker]

Ah well, so much for that idea then! :biggrin: I just thought it would provide better returns than the poor returns obtained via websites and social media.

[pisquee]

As you said, the bus audience is VERY broad, and so you are effectively broadcasting to all and sundry - how can you effectively communicate to such a broad mix of demographics effectively and economically, different demographics are going to want different product types- some are going to want wedding photos on 1 mug, others are going to be businesses wanting 100 polo shirts embroidering - to be effective you need to target your niches with the right products in the right way - figuring out social media advertising where you can really target very tight niches with specific adverts for each market type, this way you will spend the money only on your ideal/target/usual customer.