Features of Indoor advertising placement in the Russian subways

Basic Indoor Ad formats in Russian subway

Russia's subways carry three billion passengers a year. It is the largest advertising platform with a huge reach. The metro area is full of various advertising media, including billboards on escalators, digital city-formats at stations, light panels and lightboxes in lobbies and passages, stickers on turnstiles, navigation signs, and advertising on vending machines and in train cars. The metro is rapidly developing in both the capital and the regions. New stations are appearing, the number of trains is increasing, and passenger traffic is growing.

Moscow Metro audience

Let's take a look at the most common indoor advertising formats in Russian subways.

Digital city format in the subway

These are high-definition LED screens. They broadcast video clips. These structures are installed on subway platforms in places where large crowds of passengers wait for their trains. This format of placement allows for successful image and navigation advertising campaigns. The size of the advertising structure varies, but the most common are digital screens measuring 1.28×1.76 meters.

Digital city-format on the platform of VDNKh station of the Moscow Metro's Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line

Digital screens in the subway

Digital screens come in a variety of sizes. As with the city format, they are installed in the areas of the highest passenger traffic flow: lobbies, crossing points, metro entrances, and exits, and near stairs and escalators. 

5.12×1.66 m digital screen in the lobby of the St. Petersburg metro station

Advertising stickers in the subway

Advertising stickers are placed in subway cars. To maximize the effect of this format, the creative must be placed in an easily viewable and readable layout in places of frequent eye contact with passengers. It must be placed in a position that allows it to be seen by both seated passengers and those standing in the aisle of the car.

Advertising stickers in a Moscow subway carriage

Light boxes in the subways

These light boxes with built-in backlighting will attract the audience's attention even in the absence of daylight. This advertising design is the perfect choice for small and medium-sized businesses and large companies alike, offering an affordable cost of placement. One common example of advertising light box placement is along escalators leading to and from the subway. The depth of the subway in Russia is one of its defining characteristics. The descent to some stations can take up to five minutes, during which passengers can see the advertising on the light box unobstructed. 

Advertising on 0.615×0.915 mm light boxes on the escalator of St. Petersburg subway

Out-of-the-box advertising creatives in the subway

Let us consider non-standard ways of placing indoor advertising in the subway. 

In 2023, the Russian mobile operator MTS launched an advertising campaign in the Moscow subway in support of high-speed internet. The lobby of the Rizhskaya metro station was the chosen location for the advertising. The brand placed an unusual digital screen with curved shapes measuring 4x2.5 meters. The advertising design resembled a "flying carpet" and made a clear association between MTS Internet and this fabulous vehicle.

MTS digital non-standard shape display at the Rizhskaya station of the Moscow Metro

The subway of St. Petersburg provides another excellent example of a non-standard approach to indoor placement. They placed posters with access to the interactive library with QR codes, which allow you to read or download famous works of Russian classics. This creative was part of the In the Subway with a Book project. It was seen at six leading stations of the St. Petersburg subway. QR codes are an effective tool for outdoor and indoor advertising. They allow the audience to access quickly the brand's website.

Creative QR-code of the project "In the subway with a book" in the lobby of the St. Petersburg subway
 

Subway advertising reaches a huge flow of passengers of different ages and incomes every day. They are all potential buyers of goods and services, so they are of interest to advertisers.

Digital city formats, digital screens, light boxes, and stickers—there are plenty of ways to get your message out to potential buyers. Subway advertising is also prioritized in a huge selection of locations. There are half as many advertising opportunities inside any airport as there are inside the Russian subway. 

Do you want to order advertising placement in Russia, but don't know where to start? Will it be an Outdoor project or is it better to consider Indoor options? Maximize your budget and achieve maximum coverage with our expert guidance. We can answer all your questions. Contact our managers today by filling out the application form in the contacts. You will receive quick feedback with strategic suggestions. 

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