In autumn 2018, the market research company DemoSCOPE carried out an advertising impact study on behalf of VBZ TrafficMedia. The results show that public transport advertising is widely accepted in the city of Zurich and higher recall rates can be achieved.

570 people were interviewed in Zurich from September to October 2018. The topics of various adverts were tested. The campaigns selected were from national and regional clients in a variety of industries and were of varying duration and coverage.

You can discover the most significant findings from the study on this page.

Full wrap – truly memorable campaigns.

Question: Have you seen this full-wrap tram advert before?

Even though the fully wrapped TGV Lyria tram had only been on display for three weeks when the survey was taken, 47% of interviewees said they had seen it before.

And even without prompting, some full-wrap tram adverts are remembered by our passengers for years after the campaign.

Question: Which full-wrap tram adverts can you remember off the top of your head?

Tram rooftop advertising – achieving top results.

Question: Have you seen this tram rooftop advert before?

Up to 62% of interviewees could remember a specific advert topic. This shows that tram rooftop advertising is seen by a wide audience, from passengers to pedestrians at stops or on the pavement.

Bus rear advertising – advertising that makes an impression.

Question: Have you seen this bus rear advert before?

Bus rear advertising can achieve awareness of over 30% within a short period. Longer booking periods can achieve even higher recall rates. Bus rear advertising is not only aimed at passengers, but also at pedestrians and drivers behind the bus, meaning it can reach these target audiences effectively as well.

Hanging displays – catching passengers’ eyes.

Question: Have you seen this hanging display before?

Significant results can also be achieved with hanging displays. Over 70% of regular passengers can recall a specific topic. The impact can be increased with a longer campaign period and greater coverage.

Dispensers can also be used to achieve increased awareness. Over 50% of our passengers say they have taken an item from a dispenser at least once.

Question: Have you ever taken a map or brochure from a dispenser attached to a hanging display?

Transparent window decals – eye-level advertising.

Question: Have you seen this transparent window decal before?

Transparent window decals are always within passengers’ field of vision, and can achieve recall rates of over 40% even with a small number of adverts and a campaign period of just two months.

Conclusion – an overview of the findings.

• Public transport advertising reaches its audience, whether it’s on the inside or outside of trams or buses.
• Full-wrap tram adverts can achieve a high level of prompted awareness in a short time.
• Some full-wrap tram adverts are remembered by our passengers for years after the campaign.
• Hanging displays also achieve excellent results.
• Dispensers continue to be used by more than half of interviewees.
• Transparent window decals and bus-back advertising also achieve high levels of awareness.

You can find further results of the advertising impact study in our brochure. Or you can get in contact with us if you would like us to present the study to you in person.