Outdoor ASIA - July 2018

August 2018^105

T

he Chennai Metro project has indeed been a boon

for the city’s OOH market, which used to grapple

with the scarcity of media formats. Before the project

came into being, the local OOH business missed out

on huge investments from brands due to absence of

large size hoardings. But the CRML Metro upped the

ante for business growth with modern advertising

spaces covering the city from one corner to the other.

Commenced in 2016, JCDecaux India, which came out

as a sole concessionaire with a 10 year contract, not only

opened the door for automobile & IT dominated market

but also gave reliable space for advertising to brands.

Currently, there are 26 stations in Phase 1 covering 45

km and connecting city’s major destinations, including

international and domestic airports.

As per the data of June 2018, CMRL has a ridership of

45,000 a day, including 4,380 people who use Chennai

Airport Metro Station every day. This is followed by

Thirumangalam, where average commuter rate is

4,040 with 3,534 people taking the Metro at CMBT.

Vadapalani and Chennai Central see an average of

3,369 and 3,239 riders, correspondingly. Segregating

the travelers profile, JCDecaux website showcased that

there are about 69% commuters belonging to working

class; 22% commuters are airport passengers, out of

which 58% are men and 42% are women.

“As the Metro network is expanding and more people

are choosing it as their preferred way of commuting,

it has become a well-established medium to reach

masses and a preferred advertising format for brands

Chennai Metro

to target their audiences.

Metro rail media is certainly

growing with its highly captive

environment,” says Pramod

Bhandula, Executive

Chairman, JCDecuax India.

Apart from automobile

and IT industries, BFSI,

entertainment, retail and

government bodies are heavily relying on Chennai

Metro to reach out to their intended audience. The

average duration for the Metro display ranges from

the pre-decided campaign duration to even up to 3

months. As of now, there are only stickering media

options available on Chennai Metro but train branding

is emerging as a huge visibility property for the brands.

Brands like Fanta & VIVO have garnered the attention of

audience through these mobile avenues.l

TRANSIT MEDIA