How To Advertise on Trams
How To Advertise on Trams
Key Takeaways: How to advertise on Trams
Anchor your tram advertising in fundamentals: To advertise in trams effectively, begin with clear objectives, a defined audience and one memorable message that fits the real context of routes, stops and journey moments.
Use the right formats, routes and tools: To make tram advertising genuinely effective, select the right mix of exterior wraps, interior panels and tram stops based on how your customers move through the city. Support your decisions with practical tools such as mapping, mobility data, analytics and simple promo codes where appropriate.
Partner with an integrated media agency: To advertise on trams without wasting time or budget, work with an integrated agency like One Day that can plan and buy the right tram inventory, negotiate on your behalf and connect your tram activity with digital, social and offline media so everything works together.
Tram advertising is one of the most efficient ways to stay visible in busy cities. When planned with clear objectives, smart route choices and creative built for real-world attention, it becomes a powerful tool for both local businesses and national brands. This guide explains exactly how to advertise on trams in a way that drives real results.
Why Advertise on Trams?
Trams sit in a unique position between classic out-of-home advertising and modern, data-informed media planning. They:
Travel predictable routes through dense, high value urban areas
Remain visible for longer than fast-moving road traffic
Reach commuters, shoppers, tourists and residents repeatedly
For small businesses, trams can behave like moving local billboards. For scaling and national brands, they offer consistent reach and frequency across an entire city.
The medium is the same for all advertisers. The strategy should change depending on your brand’s size, maturity and goals.
Start With the Marketing Fundamentals
Before choosing creative or formats, strong fundamentals should guide every tram campaign:
Objective: Are you trying to drive footfall, increase brand awareness, boost app installs, support recruitment or promote an offer?
Audience: Who exactly are you targeting? Commuters, students, families, tourists, professionals or B2B decision makers?
Context: Where and how do they see the tram?
Standing at a stop
Passing a junction
Stuck in traffic beside the tram
Sitting inside the carriage
Your message must match the moment.
Message: What single idea should they remember, and what is the simplest action they can take next?
For local businesses, a clear directional message works best. For national brands, the aim is mental availability across everyday journeys.
The Main Ways To Advertise on Trams
Exterior Tram Wraps and Panels
These include full wraps, supersides, rear panels and strip panels.
They are most effective when you:
Keep copy ultra simple
Use bold, distinctive brand assets
Design with movement in mind
You do not need coverage across the entire network. A few trams on the right routes can outperform wider but unfocused activity.
Interior Tram Panels and Digital Screens
Inside the tram, people are captive and often looking for something to read.
Ideal uses include:
Short stories or clear product messages
Offers, recruitment and event promotion
Sequential creative across multiple panels
Digital interior screens allow rotation by time of day or day of week.
Tram Stop Advertising
Stops often include 6-sheets, digital screens or nearby large formats.
Effective for:
Clear proximity messaging ("Two stops ahead", "Five minutes’ walk")
Short URLs or QR codes where people are stationary
Retail, events, food & drink and tourism activity
The strongest strategies often combine exterior, interior and stop placements on the same key lines.
Planning Tram Advertising Like a Marketer
Good tram advertising is not about simply appearing on a tram. It is about aligning formats with real movement patterns.
Useful Tools
Mapping tools such as Google Maps or Citymapper to overlay tram routes with your locations, competitors and key points of interest
Audience and mobility data to understand footfall, demographics and journey patterns
Your own CRM and analytics to identify responsive neighbourhoods
You should be able to answer:
Which lines matter most for your target audience?
When are these lines busiest for your ideal customers?
Where do these passengers go next (city centre, offices, retail, universities)?
This helps determine whether you need a targeted presence or a broad city-wide strategy.
Creative That Works on Trams
Regardless of budget, these creative rules always hold:
One message per execution – clarity beats complexity.
Brand first, offer second – use strong brand assets for recognition.
Clear hierarchy – headline, supporting line, logo or action.
Simple call to action – short URL, searchable brand name or clear location cue.
QR codes work best at stops or interiors, where passengers are stationary.
For smaller brands, prioritise clarity and branding. For established brands, creativity can be more expressive as long as branding remains unmistakable.
Measuring the Impact of Tram Advertising
Although often viewed as a brand-only channel, tram advertising can be measured meaningfully.
Useful indicators include:
Branded search and direct traffic, tracked during campaign periods
Location-based uplift studies, comparing exposed vs non-exposed areas
Promo codes, assigned to a specific route or city
Brand lift or customer surveys, useful for larger campaigns
Together, these data points help demonstrate real value to stakeholders and leadership teams.
How an Integrated Media Agency Like One Day Can Help
Planning and buying tram advertising requires navigating operators, formats, availability and pricing. It becomes even more effective when connected to the rest of your marketing.
As an integrated agency, we:
Plan tram campaigns in context with digital, social, search, TV, radio and experiential
Work with businesses of all sizes
Manage planning and buying end to end
Select the right routes and formats
Negotiate rates and oversee production
Ensure creative matches your wider positioning and funnel strategy
The result is not just “being on a tram”. It is turning trams into a meaningful, measurable part of your marketing system.
If you want to learn more about transport advertising, check our page about how to advertise on trains!
