Bus Advertising vs MTR Advertising: A Comparison of Two Popular OOH Advertisings

12/01/2023 Optimize your media budgets

Have you ever experienced one of these situations: You had to wait for a few trains at the MTR before you could get on because it was too crowded, or you were pushed up against the door for the entire journey on the bus because there was barely any space left? This is because 10 million journeys on public transport are taken by Hong Kong citizens daily, according to the Transport Department. The population of Hong Kong is 7 million, and the patronage of public transport is larger than the number of people in the city. MTR and buses are the most common public transportation. In this article, we will explore the difference between MTR advertising and bus advertising when it comes to their opportunities and potential.

Bus Advertising

Hong Kong has 2 main independent bus service companies, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) and Long Win Bus (LWB), both under Transport International Holdings Limited. The other one is Templewater Bravo Holdings Limited which owns Citybus, New World First Bus, and New Lantau Bus Company. For all bus service companies, there are 3 types of advertisement, bus-body advertising, bus-interior advertising, and bus shelter advertisement. We will discuss the details of the format and price of each type of bus advertising later in this article.

Bus advertising in Hong Kong is one of the most popular OOH advertising because of the high number of patronages. In January 2023, an estimated 144 million bus rides were taken. This number can help advertisers estimate the exposure of all bus advertisements.

MTR Advertising

The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) has in total of 11 lines, excluding the Airport Express and the Light Rail:

Island Line
Kwun Tong Line
Tsuen Wan Line
Tseung Kwan O Line
Tung Chung Line
Disneyland Resort Line
East Rail Line
West Rail Line
Ma On Shan Line
South Island Line
Airport Express

MTR advertising can generally be categorized into station and train advertisements. Station advertisements include MTR poster ads and MTR sticker ads. Train advertising includes interior and exterior advertisements.

MTR is the single largest transportation used by Hong Kongers, with a whopping 4.1 million trips taken by passengers each day. OOH advertising with MTR can bring major advantages by the sheer number of exposures from passengers. MTR posters can be hoisted by the railroad, in the concourse, as well as beside escalators so MTR advertising spaces are definitely not lacking.

Bus Advertising Format and Price

As mentioned above, bus advertising includes bus-body advertising, bus interior advertising, and bus shelter advertising. Let’s look at each type of advertising format and analyse the benefits of bus advertising in Hong Kong.

Bus-body Advertising Cost

Super Whole Bus Bus-body advertising rates: $5,650 -$9,160 per week
Driver Side Bus-body advertising rates: $1,425-$6,725 per week
Pedestrian Side Bus-body advertising rates: $975-$2,600 per week
Back Side Bus-body advertising rates: $425-$1,925 per week
Front Side Bus-body advertising rates: $675-$1,075 per week

Bus-interior Advertising Cost

Entrance: $475-$2,000 per week
Stairs: $550-$1,825 per week
Interior: $550-$1,450 per week
Ceiling: $575-$2162 per week

Bus Shelter Advertising

Flagship Domination
Scrolling VIP Panel
3-Sheet Panel/Digital Panels
Digital Frame
Mega Panel

Bus advertisements on bus-body can be shown to more than just the passengers as they can be seen by pedestrians. Also, as the vehicles move around the city mobile, the ads are seen in numerous areas by both pedestrians and bus riders, therefore maximizing exposure.

Interior bus advertising in Hong Kong also has the advantage of being more personal to the passengers. Double-deck buses have 63 seats and advertisements could be placed on almost all the backs of the seats. When passengers sit down, they will have their own space and the first thing they will see is you personally advertising to them. This gives more of a sense of intimacy.

Citybus

KMB & LWB

Advantages Over MTR Advertising

Bus advertising is more widespread than MTR advertising. Its target audience is not just its passengers. Bus-body advertisements are on the exterior of the bus and could be seen by anyone passing by, at home, or in their office if they have a view of the streets. MTR advertisement, on the other hand, mainly focuses on passengers since most of the advertising spaces are inside the train or in the MTR stations which are underground. Even on the rare occasion when there are exterior advertising spaces on the train, the speed of the train makes it harder to view the ads.
In a full-capacity situation, there is a much higher chance for bus passengers to see and read an advertisement than MTR passengers. The capacity for the current ADL Enviro 500 Turbo bus is 150 and there are 98 seats in total. This means that most passengers will get an unblocked view of the back-of-the-seat advertisements. In comparison, each MTR car has 45-52 seats when their total capacity is about 313. This means that most passengers will be standing and crowded together, blocking the view of most advertisements.

MTR Advertising Format and Price

Station Advertisement

MTR Poster/Lightbox: $360- $399,000 per week (4 sheet-12 sheet package)

MTR Lightbox 4-Sheet

MTR Escalator Crown Panels

MTR Sticker: $5,200- $554,400 per week (per zone)

Train Advertisement

In-train: $25,200- $120,800 per week

Airport Express Full Train Domination

Train-body: $84,000 per week

MTR advertisements can be categorised into station advertisements and train advertisements. MTR stations have ample advertising spaces, from screen doors to escalator sides or even long corridors. Every so often, you could see multiple advertisements from the same business. This can help passengers familiarise themselves with your business and leave a more memorable impression.

The different shops and services of MTR retain passengers in the stations and increase the interaction between the passengers and your advertisement. The MTR stations feature to-go restaurants and various shopping options like clothing boutiques and cosmetic stores. That combined with air conditioning and seats, passengers may spend more time in the stations, thus giving them time to look around and spot your MTR ads.

Advantages Over Bus Advertising

The biggest edge MTR advertising has over bus advertising is the large number of passengers. The Hong Kong MTR currently has the highest transit patronage in Hong Kong, this gives you the ability to advertise to almost anyone.
When passengers wait for their trains on the platforms, they directly face the ad panels inside the railway tunnel, unlike the bus station where patrons stand with their backs facing the ads. This helps increase the exposure and impression of your ads.
There is less distraction for MTR advertising. MTR, like most underground railway systems, passes through tunnels so there is essentially nothing to look at when the train is travelling. When there is no view to look at, either the passengers have to provide their entertainment or the only thing to look at will be the MTR advertisements. On the contrary, the street views during a bus ride can distract passengers from your ads.

Bus Advertising and MTR Advertising USP (Unique Selling Points)

Bus Advertising Unique Selling Points:

A mobile OOH advertising method with a wider audience scope
More personal advertisements to passengers
Less crowded cars allow passengers to read advertisements easily

MTR Advertising Unique Selling Points:

Constructed stations give more advertising spaces
Shops and services attract people to stay in the station
Public transport with the largest number of patronage in Hong Kong
Advertisements facing waiting passengers on the platforms
Less distraction in views increases the likelihood of passengers looking at advertisements

Source: https://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/transport_figures/monthly_traffic_and_transport_digest/2023/202301/index.html

https://www.td.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_4885/chart21.pdf