Commuters represent a highly profitable and diverse audience that consists of travelers, residents, tourists, and many business professionals. This group can include individuals moving within a city, across the country, and even internationally.
This on-the-go audience frequents the same routes over and over, making out-of-home advertising highly effective in reaching them and instilling deep awareness, recall, and recognition through repeated exposure. Transit advertising directly reaches these audiences and is one of the most effective ways to reach them.
The opportunity to reach commuters is immense. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average one-way commute time in the United States is 27.6 minutes, and many urban areas can reach commute times of 45 minutes or more. This timeframe allows for a period where consumers are actively observing their surroundings and are able to be directly influenced by OOH.
The Arbitron National In-Car study notes that 71% of people purposely look at billboards while driving and 26% of those viewers remembered the billboard’s phone number. With such direct visibility and impressive notice and recall, messages have a profound effect on promoting conversions and scoring massive profitability.
Some of the best messages for these traveling audiences are typically ones associated with commuting and vehicles. Whether it’s an auto dealership ad placed along a major highway, a car insurance campaign featured on a transit shelter, or a travel accessory promotion on an airport display, brands have a multitude of ways to connect with commuters at the perfect times and when their attention is at an all-time high.
Different states in the U.S. are also not created equal in terms of their effectiveness in reaching commuters. In fact, states like New York, Maryland, and New Jersey have average commute times running from 31-33 minutes while South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana fluctuate between 17-18 minutes.
Formats offering daily and repeated impressions to commuters aid in driving familiarity and trust while solidifying purchase intent over time. Reach commuters with your messages, and you have the potential to spread your message globally. The opportunities are seemingly limitless.
