Their opinion on advertising
It's amazing how little research there is on the London commuter (LC). One of the most affluent and sought after audience groups for advertisers, but with probably the least amount of information available to planners and their clients.
This audience is constantly bombarded with advertising messages but how prevalent is ad avoidance? Which ones are achieving cut through?
A variety of methodologies were used to achieve the research including online questionnaires, travel surveys using PDAs and also ethnographic sections and interviews. 90% of the survey respondents lived within the M25.
Key facts:
- Buses and the Underground are icons of London, ahead of Nelson’s Column and other media such as the Evening Standard and Capital FM.
- The London commuter feels that there is too much advertising on TV and on the Internet but welcomes the advertising on Buses and the Tube, more so than any other media.
- Tube advertising with its captive environment provides a welcome and non-interruptive distraction. 87% of LCs prefer the Tube with advertising and ¾ have actually stood closer to a Tube poster to see it better.
- 73% of LCs also prefer buses to have advertising, which is far higher than the next most popular media with advertising, cinema at only 42%
- The problem of ad avoidance is highest amongst LCs on the Internet and radio, and is smallest for Tube and Bus.
- 58% of heavy Tube users have followed up a Tube ad, highlighting the Underground’s ability to drive response due to its captive audience and the dwell time with its media.
- Amongst all London commuters the Tube beats radio, the Evening Standard, Metro and all other outdoor formats for its response levels.
The PDA section gave a good highlight into people’s behaviour whilst on the Underground and it provided some interesting statistics:
- 91% of LCs notice when poster ads change on the Tube.
- People are a lot calmer than previously thought despite the stereotypical frenetic nature of the system.
- People generally felt that Underground site types had good positioning, were visible and very few people found them dirty.
For more detailed information, new research, media coverage and the latest transport statistics please refer to www.thelondoncommuter.com