Is the meter down on auto-rickshaw advertising?

Autos have conventionally been a bantam supplement to more extensive ad campaigns. But where do the nippy three-wheelers stand in the current world of transit ads?

In 1998, when Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla wanted to promote their film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, the actors took to the streets of Mumbai to put up banners of the movie on auto-rickshaws. The incentive? Autos have the peculiar ability to reach pockets of the city that other vehicles can’t.

Now, that’s something advertisers have taken note of as well. Typically, autos are used supplementarily to add to a larger OOH campaign from a brand. A billboard and a whole lot of hoardings are often complimented by promotional banners on buses, trains, and rickshaws. But unlike other modes of transport, autos generally penetrate spaces of a city that are practically inaccessible to bigger vehicles. 

The perks of auto advertising also include economical expenditure. Anjum Tanwar, who is the executive vice president of Connect OOH, opines that autos are an effective, yet affordable outdoor advertising medium that can help brands target all age groups. 

“This transit medium of advertising on Autos makes sure that your brand’s ad gets maximum exposure in a cost-effective manner. Branding on Auto Rickshaws ensures that your brand message is conveyed to the people, whether they are travellers or pedestrians,” he says.

Autos hold a very special place in the hearts of commuters in India. Generally, the three-wheelers are looked at as wagons of comfort, ease of access, and an efficient mode of travel. This helps brands retain some of that positive mental association for their ads, according to Tanwar.

But some cities see more of it than others. Tanwar reveals, “Tier 2 and beyond cities are preferred markets for brands when it comes to Auto OOH ads.”

Of late, the auto advertising space has been dominated by a select few categories, with a lot of fantasy gaming presence, assumably due to recently concluded IPL tournament. Tanwar also highlights that autos as advertising vehicles are a perfect fit for small and medium-sized businesses. 

“Out of all forms of transit advertising, Auto Advertising is the most preferred mode among small and medium scale businesses as it is the least expensive mode of transit advertising. In the recent past, we have seen that categories like Health & Pharma, Gaming, FMCG, etc, have taken this transit medium in their marketing stride.”

Vikas Lokhande, chief GM - marketing and strategy, Khushi Ambient Media Solutions, is of the view that auto OOH advertising has become very hyper-local in its appeal.

“How brands leverage auto advertising is through rolling out campaigns in a specific location. This also has a potential to be very localised. An ad in a Marathi market would require communication of the same language. The medium isn’t necessarily used by large enterprises. It is usually the local retail players who opt for it to build awareness in the particular region.”

As per Lokhande, the medium isn’t very popular amongst big brands due to the lack of proper assessment tools to determine the efficacy of the ads. “These ads can’t be monitored like other mediums that are much more organised. It does, however, help advertisers to reach out to deeper markets.”

The auto ads are mostly used to spread awareness about the brand or a product launch, and aren’t drafted in ways to generate conversions. More importantly, Lokhande points out that the auto fits perfectly within the budget of local promoters, who can use the cost-effectiveness of the medium to build their companies. 

“For retail communication, the auto ads are usually dominated by local players such as schools, regional automobile dealerships, or any other retail-specific companies.”

In the tier 1 cities of the country, the traditional OOH has seen growing challenges from the new-age tech driven digital OOH infrastructure. Has that taken away from the appeal of traditional out of home advertising? 

Lokhande answers, “We have not reached that point yet. In tier 2 or tier 3 cities and beyond, we do not have much of digital OOH yet. The priority markets in tier 3 and tier 4 still see traditional OOH advertising, such as billboards.”