Article - 'Your Attention Please' - Hongey..

"Your attention please..."

With the sudden monsoon showers that Mumbai has received, an average local train commuter has to spend a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes waiting at railway stations. Interestingly, few media brands have tapped this 'wait' as an advertising opportunity.

Sony Entertainment Television rolled out a railway announcement activity for Kaun Banega Crorepati on September 7 and 8, after an overwhelming response that the channel received for a similar activity conducted for its last season. This activity was a marketing push for KBC's launch episode. Considering the stardom that Amitabh Bachchan has amongst the masses, this activity led to a lot of word-of-mouth publicity. Sony also did this activity last year for Indian Idol.

The channel leveraged this medium for the launch of its latest offering 'Honge Judaa Na Hum', a romantic fiction show, too. Around 70 announcement spots were used across all western and central railway stations in Mumbai. RWP Promotions executed this activity for Sony Entertainment Television.

Commenting on the rationale behind leveraging this medium, Danish Khan, Senior Vice President and Marketing Head, SET India stated, "Local trains are the backbone of every common Mumbaikar's travel plan. It is one destination wherein we can reach out to a large number of captive audiences who fall under our target group."

Early last month 'Ek Tha Tiger' also went beyond poster and billboard advertisements and rolled out campaigns at railway stations in Mumbai, wherein the film's lead actor Salman Khan promoted the film at 125 local railway stations in the form of announcements. A 15-second sound clip was played at stations.

Apart from this, Mumbai local railway stations recently saw the presence of huge LCD screens, which has grabbed the eye balls of many commuters.

The announcement advertising format, which is out of home, is driving mass attention. It is currently being looked upon as a cost effective medium of communication. Though now it is only incorporated by media brands and for film promotions, many other mass brands can grab the attention of a captive audience using this catchy marketing tool.