Train stations have been given a facelift. Within the government's 30-year plan to recapitalise the public transport industry, train stations, such as Johannesburg's Park Station, Pretoria Main Station and Durban Station have become nodes where numerous modes of transport, and people, come together. A mass influx of people to stations occurs on a daily basis and when it comes to advertising, these consumers are a captive audience.
The Umjanji Media Consortium, led by Provantage, was awarded the full advertising rights to all PRASA sites, providing clients with the opportunity to tap into this vast and expansive commuter market. The highly sought-after sites include interior and exterior train station branding, platform branding, activations and electronic and static advertising boards. The offerings are aligned to the large-scale infrastructure development and upgrading of PRASA facilities as part of the R25 billion recapitalisation programme and the media platforms are now in line with high-level scenarios such as airports. The various advertising offerings will be visible to 1,4 million* rail passengers daily at the top 80% of stations.
Economically active commuters
PRASA sites are a perfect fit for advertisers wishing to reach consumers in the LSM5-8 grouping, which constitutes the bulk of rail commuters. Considering that commuters travel twice a day in these high dwell time environments, PRASA sites are unrivalled in terms of providing opportunities for focused messaging and relevancy, coupled with the ability to match messages to dwell time. Commuters spend 80 minutes per day on platforms and 68 minutes per day on trains, providing substantial time for brands to engage with this target market. With high frequency rates, long dwell times, massive audiences and the fact that 76% of them are household purchase decision makers, the OOH opportunities within PRASA sites provide the perfect platform through which to reach this highly sought after segment of the market.
Massive audiences
Train station environments offer advertisers a remarkable audience as well as a variety of zones where numerous types of media are available. These zones include:
Entrances and exits - all commuters pass through these areas.
Concourse areas - large dwell times, retail, socialising and public transport areas.
Platforms - prolonged dwell times.
Walkway lightboxes - highly visible and eye-catching.
Ticket offices - where commuters wait in queues.
*Source: PRASA 2012: Monthly average ticket sale, unduplicated 2010 - 2012
For more info on how to advertise at PRASA sites, contact Jean Coetzee on az.oc.egatnavorp@naej or 0861 776 826 or go to www.provantage.co.za.
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