First ScotRail rolls out train ads through Viacom

by Juliette Garside, Media Week 05-May-06, 14:00

Viacom Outdoor has introduced advertising to the busiest commuter trains in Scotland in a deal with First ScotRail.

The company has installed 700 A3 wall mounted panels to 50 trains that link Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.
First ScotRail, which has not sold advertising space on its trains before, carries six million passengers a year between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Peter Williams, head of marketing at First ScotRail, said: "The average time spent by customers travelling on a train is 42 minutes, making the panels an ideal opportunity to expose brand advertising messages."

Viacom signed a contract with parent company First Group in 2004, and already operates advertising on station platforms.
The outdoor company announced this week that advertising revenues for its rail division grew by 72% year on year. Around 60% of the growth was organic, with the rest coming from new contracts.