Mumbai — Metro Lines 1, 2A & 7 Branding: station concourse takeovers & platform screen door ads
3 min read
What we know: Line 1, 2A & 7 (Mumbai Metro) station branding + PSD opportunities
A) Key Stations & Branding Deals
- LIC – Andheri Metro Station (Line 1)
- LIC has acquired the station branding rights for Andheri Station, which is one of the busiest stations on Line 1.
- The deal includes branding inside the station and of the train, and visual dominance across multiple touchpoints.
- Andheri is also an interchange between Metro Line 1 and the Mumbai Local network (Western, Harbour, Central lines). That increases footfall and visibility.
- Fevicol – Marol Naka Metro Station (Line 1)
- Fevicol has acquired exclusive station branding rights at Marol Naka Station. This gives them presence over the station architecture, entries/exits, concourse areas.
- Motilal Oswal – Malad West Station (Line 1)
- Motilal Oswal Financial Services obtained the station branding rights at Malad West. Includes inside station branding, train wrap visibility, presence in station maps / announcements.
- Station Advertising Offerings
- There are digital screens & backlit panels at major concourse points (ticket counters, entrances) on the metro stations of Line 2A, Line 7 and others.
- For example, Mandapeshwar Station has digital screens, platform boards, sticker spaces etc. Pricing is listed by TheMediaAnt.
B) Platform Screen Doors (PSD) – what’s going on
- Newer Metro lines (including Lines 2A & 7) are being designed/operated with platform screen doors. PSDs are being used in some stations already.
- The PSDs serve both safety and visibility functions. They also present high-value ad surfaces because commuters wait right at them.
Reach, Frequency & Cost-Efficiency: What We Know & What to Estimate
| Metric / Factor | Observed / Published Data | Implications for Advertisers |
|---|---|---|
| Footfall / Ridership | Andheri (Line 1) is among the busiest stations. One article says >20% of daily Line 1 commuters pass through Andheri. | High baseline audience; station branding here delivers large impressions. |
| Station Branding Rights Costs | Specific numbers are often not publicly disclosed. But from Mandapeshwar / Pahadi Eksar, some costs for digital screens, static panels etc. are known (see below). | Pricing can be high for premium stations, but rates per panel/screen are much lower when aggregate reach is factored. |
| Panel / Sticker / Screen Rates | – Mandapeshwar Station: non-lit boards ~ ₹ 1,65,000 per month for a package across platforms; stickers ~ ₹ 5,50,000/month for many sticker spots. – Digital screens (station concourse / platform) are available at certain daily rates (depending on screen size, visibility). For example Mandapeshwar & Pahadi Eksar digital screen daily ~ ₹ 14,666. | You can do a rough cost per impression: high-visibility stations cost more, but get more eyeballs. |
| Platform Screen Door Ads Premium | From SmartAds listing for “Platform Screen Doors” under Mumbai Yellow Line (2A / 2B) non-traditional advertising: ~ ₹ 1,200,000 per station per month minimum for PSD plates (size ~7 ft × 4 ft) in that offer. | PSD ads are premium real estate: visibility very high, dwell time prolonged (commuters waiting), so cost-efficiency (in impressions per rupee) can be strong if budget allows. |
What Drives Cost vs Return: What Advertisers Should Know
- Station importance & footfall: Stations that are interchanges or in commercial & residential dense areas cost more but deliver far more impressions.
- Number of entry/exit gates / concourse breadth: If concourse is large with multiple paths, more panels/screens needed to cover “blind zones.”
- PSD vs non-PSD visibility: PSDs have captive audiences waiting; people stand facing them. Ads are seen in full, less obstructed by barriers etc.
- Tenure: Longer runs (months / years) are more cost‐efficient. Also higher upfront installation or creative cost but better amortized.
- Creative simplicity & legibility: PSDs & concourse panels often viewed quickly; text/image must be readable at distance, under station lighting.
Typical Use Case / ROI Estimation
Here’s a hypothetical campaign on Line 2A / 7 using PSD + concourse takeover:
- Suppose you buy PSD plates at 1 station for ₹ 12,00,000/month. Also take concourse screens + wraps in that station for another ₹ 8,00,000. Total investment ~ ₹ 20,00,000.
- Assume that station sees, say, ~100,000 entries/exits per day (peak + off-peak). With visibility of PSDs and concourse dominance, you may get say ~70,000 “view exposures” per day (some double exposures etc.). Over 30 days = ~2.1 million exposures.
- That gives a CPM (cost per thousand exposures) of ₹ 20,00,000 / 2,100 = ~ ₹ 950–₹ 1,000. Might sound high compared to exterior train wraps, but the engagement / brand premium is correspondingly higher.
- If instead multiple stations are activated, or if you can negotiate better rates, CPM drops further and reach multiplies.
What We Don’t Yet Fully Know / Gaps
- Exact footfall numbers for many Line 2A / 7 stations (for all hours) are often not published, which makes precise reach modeling harder.
- PSD ad inventory (how many positions, which stations have them live, their cost) is still emerging; many stations might have PSDs structurally, but ad plates/screens may not yet be activated.
- Turnaround / creative changes may have lead times (approval, printing, mounting) which affect speed of execution.
