What Is Escalator Branding, & Why Is It Becoming So Popular?

Outdoor advertising has perhaps seen it all; the market has transformed across many levels over the last ten years and continues to do so. Just as customers think, this is as innovative as it gets, there emerges a new and clever medium that attracts attention and sometimes entertains.

One such interesting marketing idea that many brands have been inclining towards lately is escalator branding. With its dynamic nature, versatility, and potentially varied opportunities, it is fast becoming a popular marketing channel leveraged by companies across industries.

Here is a look into what escalator branding is and how it can help your business.

What is Escalator Branding?

The term “escalator branding” has now come to mean a blanket name that entails a range of advertising opportunities surrounding the escalator – a tool or device that the average customer uses on a daily basis.

Originally, escalator branding involved installing graphics and copy over the steps or body of an escalator to advertise a brand. The space was discovered as a highly potent and impactful means to reach out to customers and grab their attention.

However, today, the lines have blurred because there is more than one way to brand an escalator. Escalator branding now entails installing graphics or ads not just over the steps but also the the railings, the side panels, and its landings. Some brands use a combination of these techniques to create cohesive and engaging advertisements with backlit posters, railing covers, glass bannister graphics, and outdoor floor stencils, that provide customers with a little something to keep busy, while they ascend or descend.

Irrespective of the part of the escalator being used for branding, the innovative marketing avenue is increasingly becoming popular among companies owing to its simplicity and wide reach.

The Benefits of Escalator Branding

Escalator branding carries undeniable popularity because of its versatility, dynamic nature, and sheer audience reach. Apart from these obvious benefits, the tactic offers more benefits to brands that leverage creative thinking.

Here are some

Access to a Wide Audience

The primary benefit of advertising on an escalator is its exposure to a wide audience. The device is typically installed in areas of heavy footfall, such as malls, subways, parking lots, train stations, and other busy buildings. For the same reason, an ad displayed on an escalator potentially reaches the eyes of a few thousand prospects, giving brands a massive push in the right direction.

Additionally, escalators provide a much bigger impact than an ordinary ad on the wall that customers pass by. On average, people spend at least 30 seconds riding an escalator. Combined with the time they take to approach the escalator from a distance and get on it, there is a solid chunk of time during which they stand still and possibly soak in their surroundings, leaving enough room for a brand to push an advert.

Versatility

Escalator branding, having evolved from just using the steps, is a highly versatile and opportunity-filled advertising medium that allows brands to think out of the box and bank on ad types that offer higher ROIs. For example, in addition to the steps, brands can also use the escalator walls in subways or train stations to display interesting posters. For subway stations or other underground spaces, brands can use backlit posters to enhance visibility.

The escalator landing can also be a potential ad space with custom-branded outdoor floor stencils. This way an investment in escalator branding would entail a combination of avenues like backlit poster printing, floor stencils, and body graphics, the outcome of which can be more leads and subsequent higher revenue.

When choosing to invest, it is important to entrust the job with a premium customisation-friendly printing company that offers comprehensive options so that you can maximise your results.

This is why, at BPC we provide a range of thoughtful and convenient customisations not just in backlit poster printing, but also in outdoor floor stencils, and other forms of signage. We prioritise customer convenience and satisfaction over anything else so that brands can extract maximum value for their money with us.

Unique Creative Potential

If there is one thing that sets escalator branding apart from other modes of advertising, it is how the physical implementation of the avenue opens an infinite window of opportunities for brands to leverage cleverly. The unique shape of the steps combined with their movement means that brands get to brainstorm and utilise creative designs that work only in this type of dynamic space. For the same reason, marketers can max out their potential and generate ad designs that demand attention.

For example, ads can incorporate graphics that play on the motion of the stairs, creating the illusion of an animated painting or stop-motion imagery. The parallel spaces on the escalator steps can be used to create holistic graphics that can be viewed as a single unit from a distance. Marketers can also use the rolling steps to create “grand reveal” graphics as they emerge and sink into the frame to tell a story as well.

Shareability

Last but not least, is the factor of shareability. In the age of social media, creative and attractive visuals, needless to say, take centerstage. An interesting ad on the subway escalator or the parking lot is bound to be shared. The more creative, attractive, and clever the ad is, the more likely it is to be shared. Once it does, it creates a snowballing effect that amplifies the branding far beyond its original reach and visibility. The possibility of going “viral” gets real, and advertisement generates massive responses in many ways.

Wrapping Up

Escalatory branding, a fairly new innovative marketing avenue promises an impact and reach like no other. From providing exposure to thousands of prospects to offering versatile advertising opportunities and creative potential, the medium benefits businesses in more than one way. When used in conjunction with other promising advertisements like wall posters, glass panel imagery, and outdoor floor stencils the impact is even higher. It is no wonder more brands are quickly joining the bandwagon to create clever escalator ads.

For all types of complementary premium escalator branding services like backlit poster printing, and other signage, contact BPC.