Use Bus Advertising to Transform Your Brand's Visibility
Stop blending in. Stand out, captivate audiences, and achieve unmatched visibility with our proven bus campaigns.
Buses are flexible advertising media, meaning that whatever your campaign objective, a bus can deliver it. By its nature, bus advertising is unmissable. Consumers don't have to "turn it on", "download an app", or "turn over the page" to see it, meaning that 94% of the population sees bus advertising. (Source TGI)
Bus advertising is quite simply the UK’s most-seen media. Whether you’re considering a local, regional or national campaign, our buses give you the greatest reach and brand mileage.
Buses are hard-working and highly effective, averaging over 100 miles per day. The movement of a bus draws attention to and delivers the frequency of your advert, throughout the day, to a constantly changing audience. From 6 am commuters to 12 pm shoppers to 9 pm socialisers… bus advertising is ever-present whether you are a pedestrian, motorist, or commuter.
Bus advertising also reaches audiences when they are in a receptive mindset, offering high levels of response, with over 80% of the people who see bus advertising responding to it.
Another key advantage of bus advertising is that 74% of people believe that buses are a valued and important part of the community. This allows businesses advertising them to build a positive relationship with the local population. (Sources: Robert Quayle Qualitative Study & Road to Enlightenment Study)
Watch Our Videos on Bus Advertising:
Bus Advertising Tips From The Ark Media
Bus Advertising Frequently Asked Questions
Can I advertise on specific buses in a specific area?
Bus advertising is available in almost every city, town or village in the UK. You can’t advertise on a specific bus route number. However, you can advertise on buses that cover a specific geographical area.
How much does it cost to advertise on a bus?
The cost of bus advertising varies depending on the format of the advert (mega rear, t-side, wrapped bus or single deck sides), the number of buses and the duration of the advertising campaign. Our bus media specialists know how to create strategic bus advertising campaigns that will deliver your brand and message to a targeted audience, quickly and inexpensively.
Is it effective to advertise on a small number of buses?
Our advice on local/geo-targeted campaigns is to take a high or medium share of bus advertising in your chosen geographic areas. It is vital to ensure that the correct share of voice is achieved in order for your campaign to be effective. It is much more effective to go big in a small area than small in a big area.
Is bus advertising effective?
Bus advertising is highly effective when done well, giving you the greatest reach and brand mileage. It is ever-present whether you are on foot or in a car. Bus advertising is a cost-effective way to deliver an impactful message to your target audience, constantly reminding them of your business/brand.
Bus advertising effectively delivers results, whether it’s about driving sales online or in-store, generating new revenue by retaining existing customers or acquiring new ones. It offers high levels of response with over 80% of people who see bus ads responding to them. (Source Route)
What bus advertising formats are available?
Bus advertising is available in several formats. Exterior bus adverts are available on the side or the rear of the bus, depending on who you want to target. Take a look at each format to see the benefits.
How can I measure how effective bus advertising is?
Using our planning technology systems, we can provide you with predicted campaign delivery results, showing how bus advertising can play an integral role in building brand awareness, broadcasting your message and driving traffic to your website.
How do you advertise on a bus?
- Select the cities/towns that you would like to advertise in.
- Look at the available bus ad formats and select your preferred options.
- Calculate your budget.
- Think about your start date and the duration you would like the campaign to run for.
- Contact our experts who will help plan your campaign in the most effective way to reach your target audience within your given budget.
How many people will see my bus advertising campaign?
We use Route, the independent industry audience measurement provider, to give us a calculation of the number of people who will see your bus advert, the number of times they will see it, and where they will see it.
Watch our quick 2-minute video which explains in more detail how Route works
How Many People And Impacts Will Your Outdoor Advertising Campaign Have?
Bus Rear Panel Advertising
Boost Your Brand Visibility with High-Impact Bus Ads.
Both eye-catching and impactful, bus rear ads deliver an unprecedented city centre presence and work effectively within all budgets. Being the highest-reaching format, bus rears get your message across to nearly 71% of the UK in just one fortnight. (Source Route)
On average, bus rear ads have a 48-second 'dwell time’, exposing consumers to your message for longer and giving them longer to absorb your ad. This extended exposure, along with the fact that buses cross the city/town centre up to 16 times a day, seven days a week, means that bus rear ads encourage a direct response (call to action) and give consumers a greater time to remember details and recall of your message/brand. Bus rears will drive consumers directly to your website, saving you money on pay-per-click and increasing your search engine optimisation traffic - helping your brand become stronger online.
Bus rears are very effective for communicating with both motorists and pedestrians. With motorist impacts at 65%, it is the only bus advertising format that physically sits straight in front of a driver, giving your campaign unrivalled immediacy on the road (Source Route). A bus rear is a perfect size to fit a motorist’s windscreen.
Watch our quick video on bus rear advertising:
Bus Rear Panel Frequently Asked Questions
How do you advertise on the back of a bus?
Here are 5 short steps to help you…
- Select the cities and towns that you would like to advertise in.
- Calculate your budget.
- Think about your start date and the duration you would like the campaign to run for.
- Consider your target audience.
- Contact our experts who can help you decide which bus routes will reach your audience, how many bus rears you will need to run an effective campaign and how best to design your advert in order to have the greatest impact.
How much does it cost to advertise on the back of a bus?
Bus rears provide great value for money. At £208 per panel (rate card) for 4 weeks, they’re one of the most cost-effective broadcasters in OOH, with a national campaign having a cost-per-thousand of just £3. We have some fantastic volume offers when you book a campaign running over 8 or 12 weeks.
Can I advertise on bus rears in a specific area?
Bus rear advertising is available in almost every city, town or village in the UK. We select buses based on the routes that they take on a daily basis. You can’t advertise on a specific bus number however, you can advertise on buses that cover a specific geographical area.
Is bus rear advertising effective?
Bus rear advertising is highly effective when done well, giving you the greatest reach and brand mileage. Bus rear advertising is ever-present whether you are on foot or in your car and is a cost-effective way to deliver an impactful message to your target audience, constantly reminding them of your business/brand. Bus effectively delivers results, whether it’s about driving sales online or in-store, generating new revenue by retaining existing customers or acquiring new ones. Bus rear advertising offers high levels of response with over 80% of the people who see bus advertisements responding to them. (Source Route)
Bus Side Panel Advertising
Engage Locally, Impact Broadly with Bus Side Advertising.
Looking for a powerful way to promote your brand that reaches a wide audience? With options like Single-Deck Sides for local messaging and Double-Deck Sides for urban visibility, your message can travel far and wide. And for even more impact, innovative formats like Double-Deck T-Sides can take your campaign to the next level. By leveraging the movement and visibility of buses, you can drive consumer action like never before. You can read on to see how we leverage each format to its maximum result.
Watch our quick video on side panel bus advertising:
Single-Deck Sides
Single-deck buses have a tendency to travel along suburban routes, keeping local communities connected. This makes single-deck sides perfect for localised messaging. Single-deck sides also cover busy city centres, meaning your campaign will also reach active shoppers and commuters.
On average, a single-deck bus travels over 100 miles per day, making it the workhorse of the bus family. A two-week national single-deck side campaign reaches 79% of all adults, giving each adult an average of nine opportunities to see the advert (Source: BusAds).
Single-deck side advertising is a cost-effective way for you to communicate with your target audience on a street level. Their size and length (10ft or 13ft) mean that they demand the attention of both drivers and pedestrians, engaging with consumers at eye level whilst giving them time to absorb your message.
Single-deck side adverts are always on - unlike other advertising formats you can’t turn them off, switch them over, or throw them away. A single-deck bus is on the road on average 16 hours a day, 7 days a week - giving your brand message maximum exposure.
Single-Deck Sides Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to advertise on a single-deck side?
Single-deck sides only cost on average £150 per panel for 2 weeks, making them an extremely cost-effective way of reaching audiences across local communities and city centres.
Is advertising on a single-deck side an effective form of bus advertising?
Yes, advertising on the side of a single-deck bus is a highly targeted, high-frequency method of reaching your target audience whilst they are in their local area. Having high-frequency and repeated exposures ensures that your brand message is absorbed and retained.
Double-Deck Sides
Placed on double-deck buses, these 20ft pavement-facing adverts are positioned high up, reaching above the clutter of busy streets and demanding attention from both pedestrians and motorists.
The movement of a bus and the visibility of a double-deck side draws attention and delivers your advert at a high frequency throughout the day.
Double-deck sides have a huge city centre presence - placing your brand in the right place at the right time, prompting impulse purchases on the high street.
Double-Deck Sides Frequently Asked Questions
How effective is double-deck side bus advertising?
Bus double-deck side advertising is highly effective when done well. It is important to have a simple and clear message. Artwork needs to be visually strong (high contrast and simple).
Can I advertise on double-deck sides in specific areas?
Double-deck side advertising is available in almost every city, town or village in the UK. We select buses based on the routes that they take on a daily basis. You can’t advertise on a specific bus number however, you can advertise on buses that cover a specific geographical area.
Double-Deck T-Sides
Double-deck T-Sides are the most recognisable high street bus format due to their unique shape and size, giving stature to a brand at a fraction of the production cost of TV or radio. With a strong visual presence, they command the attention of both pedestrians and motorists, allowing you to successfully communicate your message.
T-Side advertising targets consumers on the driver’s side of the bus. The deep drop in the T is there as it fills the bus staircase- going to the top deck- therefore creating the T shape.
Bus double-deck T-Side advertising targets those out shopping - via mobile. Did you know that 94% of pedestrians now have smartphones? Having a strong high street presence means that T-Side advertising can lead to increased engagement and a clear path to purchase, prompting impulse purchases and driving consumers to your websites within seconds of seeing your advert.
A national T-Side campaign delivers a huge audience comparable to that of a national TV broadcast campaign, making it one of the best solutions on the market for getting your brand seen in one fortnight.
Double-Deck T-Sides Frequently Asked Questions
How effective is T-Side bus advertising?
A two-week national campaign reaches 78% of all adults who all see the ad fourteen times over that two-week period (Source: BUSADS).
Wrapped Bus Rear Advertising
Maximise Your Brand's Impact with Unmissable Bus Ads
Big, bold and unmissable, Wrapped Bus Rears (Sometimes called Mega Rears) are a great creative canvas that will showcase your offer or service to pedestrians and in-car audiences. Wrapped Rears can be bought on both single-deck and double-deck buses.
Single-deck buses connect local communities, meaning your impactful campaign will reach consumers in the suburbs, close to their homes. Double-deck buses tend to spend more time in city centres, reaching active shoppers and commuters. 1 in 3 people in targeted cities recalled at least one Wrapped Bus Rear. (Source Dipsticks)
The impact of a Wrapped Bus Rear comes down to its sheer size. Standing 4 metres high (more than twice the height of a roadside 6-sheet) means that a double deck Wrapped Rear will not be seen by and only grab the attention of the car behind but all the surrounding cars and pedestrians, maximising your impact.
Bus rears have an average dwell time of 48 seconds, meaning that consumers are exposed to your ad for longer. This extended exposure gives the consumer more time to absorb the message and embed the advert details in their memory, encouraging a direct response.
Wrapped Bus Rears are generally taken over a 6-to-12-month period as they act as a brand builder and a direct response tool for your message.
Watch our quick video on Wrapped Bus Rear advertising:
Why Bus Advertising Works - Wrapped Rear
Wrapped Bus Rear Frequently Asked Questions
Who can I target with a Wrapped Bus Rear advertising campaign?
Nearby motorists cannot miss a Wrapped Bus Rear, and due to their huge size, they are more likely to be noticed by pedestrians than their lower counterparts.
How much does a Rear Bus Wrapping campaign cost?
Wrapping the rear of a bus costs approximately £2,000 per bus for the year. The media costs vary depending on the campaign's duration and the number of buses.
Can I advertise on a bus with a Wrapped Rear in specific areas?
Wrapped Rear Bus advertising is available in almost every UK city, town or village. We select buses based on the routes that they take daily. You can’t advertise on a specific bus number; however, you can advertise on buses that cover a specific geographical area.
Why should I choose a Bus Wrapped Rear Campaign?
Wrapped Bus Rear advertising gives you creative freedom – so your brand has the opportunity and freedom to create engaging, hard-working visuals to captivate your target audience and make sure your message is seen on a busy street. Wrapped Bus Rears have the capability to make your advertising campaign work to its maximum potential, being seen by motorists waiting in traffic, pedestrians on the high street, and passengers waiting for the bus.
Wrapped Bus Advertising
Wrapped buses literally drive brands/messages into the public domain, and unlike other media formats, they are unmissable. Who wouldn’t want to see their company brand wrapped around a bus?
Being one of the most visually stunning and impactful OOH formats, wrapped buses get the talkability and PR that all brands seek, allowing them to stand out from the crowds even on the busiest of roads. Think of the most engaging centre-spread ad you have ever seen in a magazine and imagine it 20ft high and moving. Wrapped buses are simply show-stopping. 78% of the public agree that wrapped buses are not to miss, which is not just testament to the impact they have on audiences, but also how positively they resonate with audiences on the high street (Source Dipsticks).
Wrapped buses give a brand instant credibility and prominence. 71% of advertisers consider sharing standout OOH campaigns on social media (source Social OOH), whilst 78% of the public agree that wrapping a bus is a great way to launch a brand (Source Dipsticks).
Another benefit of a wrapped bus is that it travels mainly through busy city centres, often reaching places where large roadside formats are scarce. Wrapped buses reach a near 55/45 split between pedestrian and in-car audiences, making them perfect for all objectives (Source Route).
Watch our quick video on wrapped bus advertising:
Wrapped Bus Frequently Asked Questions
Is wrapping a bus expensive?
Bus wrapping is the most expensive form of bus advertising. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective way to amplify your message and make a bold statement, you can simply leave the windows of the bus unwrapped or you could consider wrapping the rear of several buses.
How much does it cost to wrap a bus?
There are two charges when it comes to wrapping a bus. The first is the production cost, which depends upon whether you are wrapping a double-decked or single decked bus and whether or not you are wrapping the windows. The second charge is the cost of media which can be paid monthly- generally over a year to make it more cost-effective.
How effective is bus wrap advertising?
Bus wrapping is highly effective when done well, giving the advertiser a chance to be truly individual with a moving billboard right in the heart of the city. The large scale of the message and high distinctiveness ensures instant visibility and brand recognition. Bus advertising offers high levels of response with over 80% of the people who see bus advertisements responding to them (Source Route).
How do you design a bus wrap?
With our experience in designing bus wraps, we can help you stand out from the crowd. Talk to our design team about how best to utilise this unique format and ensure that your bus ad engages with your target audience.
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