Because of this, transit is becoming an increasingly attractive space for advertisers. Many of the advertisers driving this trend come from a surprising place: technology companies and startups. Brands such as Samsung, Lyft and Casper stand at the forefront of the latest innovations in technology and occupy a largely digital space, but they are increasingly drawn towards ads in public transportation. Why might this be the case? In one word: exposure.
For instance, according to Intersection’s proprietary data, 98.5 percent of Chicagoans, 95 percent of Philadelphians and 96 percent of Seattleites are reached by transit media. Only a handful of traditional digital media channels have this level of visibility, despite their modernity. In addition, other digital media is more easily ignored, fast-forwarded, or skipped over.
Tech brands are taking note of this opportunity to grab people on the go. For example, Grubhub, the online food ordering service, increased brand awareness with Chicago Transit Authority commuters by transforming the Chicago and State Headhouse into a giant rotating salmon avocado roll complete with chopsticks. Samsung executed a station domination in Philadelphia’s 30th Street SEPTA station with an advertisement on the floor (pictured below) stating, “We’ll keep your work stuff safe no matter where you drop your phone.” Sonos, the smart home sound system, promoted the launch of their new speaker integration with Amazon Alexa in San Francisco’s Powell BART station and Seattle’s Sound Transit University Street station, making a splash in Amazon’s hometown and reaching retail-minded customers right before holiday season. Some of the top media markets that we work with have shown more than 90 percent year-over-year ad revenue increases in transit OOH from tech companies.