In the latest edition of PML NI's Engage newsletter, Sonia Totten from our Belfast Sales Team, talks about Rail 6 sheets...
The rail audience in Northern Ireland is connected, highly mobile and increasing in numbers year-on-year. 11.2 million passenger journeys were made on NI Railways in 2012, a 5% increase on 2011.
Since 2011, JCDecaux has managed the contract for advertising at rail stations in Northern Ireland. This was a great addition to our large format portfolio across the province, but is an addition that fits perfectly into the wider global portfolio for JCDecaux. We have transport media in 30 countries worldwide. Transport hubs provide important consumer connections and railway stations are no exception.
167,000 consumer connections were made with NI Railways media in the past week. Rail passengers are at a point of high dwell time and are in a positive mindset when travelling. They readily look for information and are willing and open to consume and engage with messages. Not only that, rail passengers have ‘down time’ on their commute, which allows them to remain connected online via increased smartphone ownership.
• One in five NI Railways commuters couldn’t live without the internet on their mobile phone
Research from JCDecaux UK shows that 61% of commuters are influenced to buy something within a rail station and of these 27% are specifically influenced by the advertising in the station. 49% of adults make a purchase within a rail station at least once a week – including hot drinks, savoury snacks, food on the go, cold drinks and confectionary.
• 29% of adults in Northern Ireland say they often buy on impulse but the NI Railways commuter is 38% more likely than the average to agree with this
Our Rail 6 sheet panels are located in the busiest rail hubs in Belfast – Great Victoria Street and Central Station. In Greater Belfast, they deliver over 1 million audience contacts every. These are connected consumer contacts. Great Victoria Street station is a short walk to some of Belfast’s best shopping and entertainment venues – 3.8 million rail and bus commuters visit the station in a year. Central Station sees 1.9 million commuters per year, including those travelling on the Enterprise service to and from Dublin. 28,000 adults from the Republic have taken the train to Belfast in the past month.
Our Rail 6 sheets are eye-catching, backlit and scrolling panels. They are placed at key focal locations in rail stations for maximum visibility. Make the right consumer connections by simply adding them to your media schedule.
Sources: ROI TGI 2012, NI TGI 2012, Department for Regional Development provisional 2012 rail passenger journeys, JCDecaux UK Connected Commuter Research