Anyone who uses the metro or waits for a taxi or bus has noticed advertisements for new residential developments in transport environments at least once. Developers have long turned metro systems and public transport stops into full-fledged advertising platforms—and not by chance. Daily mass traffic, linkage to specific districts, and regular contact with the message make this channel particularly effective for promoting residential real estate in the DOOH format.

Transport advertising works at the intersection of habit and attention. People travel along the same routes every day and therefore encounter the same images again and again. That is why Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) and video advertising in the metro and at stops allow not just “showing” a project, but gradually building brand awareness and trust in the developer.

Why real estate advertising goes into the metro

The metro means millions of pairs of eyes every day. In large cities, underground transport carries from several to seven million passengers per day. Among them are active city residents aged approximately 20–50—that is, potential homebuyers or people who make decisions for their families. Such a concentration of the target audience is difficult to achieve in other offline channels.

A separate value of the metro is time. A passenger does not pass by advertising at speed, as when driving a car. They stand on the platform, ride the escalator, wait for transfers. In these moments, attention naturally shifts to visual media, and the advertising message has a chance to be read and comprehended.

Advantages of the metro for a developer

Large-scale reach makes it possible to quickly increase awareness of a residential complex. Advertising at popular stations provides thousands of contacts daily, creating a sense of the brand’s presence in the urban space.

Repeated contact plays a key role in real estate sales. The same advertisement seen every day on the way to work gradually becomes embedded in memory. Large purchases are not made impulsively—they require time and multiple touchpoints. The metro naturally provides this regularity.

Another important advantage is the possibility of more detailed communication. In the transport environment, people have several minutes to examine the offer: the project’s location, mortgage terms, special promotions, or the advantages of the district. Here, urban advertising ceases to be purely image-based and begins to work as a tool for explaining value.

Geographic targeting within the city

The metro and public transport stops allow very precise work with location. A developer can choose stations near the property or those districts where the desired audience lives. Advertising a new residential development near neighboring neighborhoods appeals to the logic of “living nearby,” while placement in the city center appeals to the idea of comfortable housing outside the noise, but with good transport accessibility.

In this context, digital displays for transport are being used increasingly actively. They make it possible to change creatives depending on the time of day, passenger flow, or even weather conditions, enhancing the relevance of the message precisely at the moment of contact.

From image to action

Modern transport advertising for real estate is no longer limited to a beautiful building render. More and more often, it includes a clear call to action in outdoor advertising: QR codes, short URLs, invitations to open house days, or limited-time offers. This turns passive viewing into the first step in the sales funnel.

That is why the metro, stops, and other transport touchpoints have become an integral part of the media mix of major developers. Posters at stations, branded passages, escalator panels, and digital screens create a continuous background in which a future buyer becomes familiar with the project long before an actual inquiry to the sales office.

Bus stops: advertising at the doorstep

If the metro provides large-scale reach at the level of the entire city, advertising at public transport stops works as a local, targeted tool. Bus shelters are located directly within residential neighborhoods—next to homes, shops, and residents’ everyday routes. In such an environment, digital signage becomes an organic part of the urban space, and advertising is perceived not as an intrusive message, but as a familiar visual landmark.

For the developer, this format is especially valuable due to its maximum proximity to the property. Most often, advertising is placed at stops located near the new residential complex. Local residents see the message every day, and people who deliberately travel to view the property encounter the advertising already on the way. This approach creates the feeling that the project is already part of the district, rather than an abstract offer “somewhere in the city.”

A stop is a waiting space where people spend several minutes in a relatively calm mode. It is here that advertising gains time for full contact. Passengers examine visualizations, read key messages, and remember the name of the residential complex. In digital format, content can change throughout the day, and ad delivery is managed through a DOOH software platform, which makes it possible to adapt messages to the real rhythm of the city.

An important advantage is the integration of advertising into the district’s navigation. When stops, road structures, and approaches to buildings are designed in a unified visual style, a potential buyer literally moves “following the advertising”—from transport to the sales office. In this logic, the stop ceases to be just a medium and becomes part of the customer journey. This enhances trust and creates a sense of scale and stability of the project.

From a financial point of view, advertising at stops is often more affordable than classic billboards. For local developers, this is an opportunity to work with specific neighborhoods without excessive costs. This format is especially effective in cities without a metro, where surface transport is the main channel of urban movement. Through a Supply-Side platform, inventory can be sold flexibly and selectively—only in the required areas and time slots.

The digital format of stops opens access to a programmatic approach. The use of DSP for DOOH makes it possible to manage display frequency, test different creatives, and work with audiences more precisely. At the same time, measurement of DOOH effectiveness moves from the level of intuition into the realm of data: reach, repeated contacts, and overall dynamics of interest in the property are analyzed.

Taxi Top: mobile outdoor advertising in the flow of the city

Outdoor advertising on taxis differs fundamentally from static formats in that it is constantly in motion. Vehicles with advertising screens circulate between residential districts, business centers, shopping zones, and transport hubs, forming a dynamic brand presence in the urban environment. That is why DOOH advertising in the Taxi Top format works well for awareness and contact frequency throughout the day.

The key medium in this format is the Taxi Top LED display mounted on the roof of a vehicle. It is clearly visible in traffic flow, at intersections, traffic lights, and in traffic jams, where the attention of drivers and pedestrians is naturally focused on the surrounding movement. In the evening and at night, the brightness and contrast of the screen further enhance the presence effect, ensuring stable visibility of the message.

The technical component of this format plays no less an important role than location. Content on the screens is managed through screen management software, which makes it possible to centrally update creatives, set display schedules, and control correct playback. Each vehicle uses a digital signage player, which ensures stable operation of the display even in difficult urban conditions—during movement, vibrations, and temperature changes.

Of particular value to advertisers is remote content management. It allows messages to be changed in real time, adapting advertising to the time of day, city districts, or specific marketing objectives. For example, during the day image-building messages may be broadcast, and in the evening—promotional offers with a clear call to action. Such flexibility makes Taxi Top not just a medium, but a full-fledged communication channel.

From the point of view of the urban ecosystem, the Taxi Top format is increasingly developing toward responsible use of resources. Modern operators implement eco-friendly solutions for digital signage, reducing energy consumption of displays and using LED panels with optimized brightness and automatic regulation. This makes it possible to combine advertising effectiveness with the requirements of sustainable urban development.

As a result, Taxi Top advertising organically complements other outdoor advertising formats. It is not tied to a single point, but constantly expands the contact zone, working where the city moves. For brands, this means flexibility, scale, and a modern digital approach that matches the rhythm of a large city.

Creative: what is shown in transport advertising for housing

In the residential real estate sector, the presentation of a property is of decisive importance. In the transport environment, advertising operates under conditions of limited time and high competition for attention, so every element of the creative must be carefully thought out. According to Western studies in the field of outdoor advertising, messages that combine a clear visual and a comprehensible benefit demonstrate 45–55% higher memorability than neutral or detail-overloaded layouts. That is why DOOH networks in the metro and at stops are becoming a key environment for the first contact with a future buyer.

Most often, the focus is on visualizing a dream. High-quality renders of buildings, well-maintained courtyards, green areas, and scenes of everyday life create an emotional image that is easily perceived even within a few seconds. Studies of digital outdoor advertising show that emotional visuals increase the intention to learn more about a project by an average of 30–40%. When such content is broadcast via an LED screen, it attracts attention much more effectively than a static poster, especially in the evening.

The second important emphasis is location and convenience. Messages such as “5 minutes to the metro” or “near a park and a school” work as a quick relevance filter. According to passenger behavior studies, about 60% of people in transport pay attention to advertising that directly relates to their daily route or area of residence. It is precisely this contextual linkage that makes transport advertising for housing understandable and practical.

No less significant is the price offer or a clearly formulated benefit. In advertising for residential projects, starting prices in euros are often indicated, for example: “Apartments from €85,000” or “Installments up to 24 months.” Analytics show that the presence of a specific price or financial condition increases the likelihood of visiting a website or scanning a QR code by 20–25%. For the real estate market, this is critical, as the number often becomes the first step toward serious interest.

A separate role is played by the project name and the developer’s brand. Repeated contact with the name of a residential complex in the transport environment creates a familiarity effect. According to the results of OOH campaign studies, repeated exposure to the same brand within a week increases the level of trust in it by an average of 15–20%. For new projects, this is especially important, as transport advertising helps them gain a foothold in the city’s information space more quickly.

An important element of the creative remains a contact for quick response. QR codes, short links, or special offers for passengers simplify the path from viewing to action. Campaigns that use interactive elements demonstrate 25–35% more interactions than classic formats with a phone number or website address. Thanks to a centralized video management system, developers can promptly change creatives and test different engagement scenarios.

Digital DOOH advertising for the developer

Transport advertising is actively becoming digital. Screens in carriages, panels on platforms, and modern stops form a unified DOOH network environment, which is managed through software for DOOH networks. Such centralization allows not only control over content, but also optimization of campaigns based on data.

The video format significantly enhances effectiveness. Animations and short clips demonstrating a residential complex increase average gaze retention time by 40–50% compared to static images. Additionally, contextual DOOH advertising is used, where content is adapted to the time of day or location, which can further increase message relevance by 10–15%.

At the same time, despite all technological capabilities, the psychological aspect remains key. The buyer must not just see the advertising, but imagine themselves in a new apartment. The transport environment is ideally suited for this moment: during a few minutes of travel or waiting, a person can be inspired by the image of future housing and take the first conscious step toward a viewing or consultation.

Advision is a content management system for remote control, media planning of video and audio content broadcasting, and a supply-side platform for monetising advertising time. We also implement a Wi-Fi tracking system to measure quantitative indicators of the advertising audience. We help Digital Signage owners and DOOH advertising operators earn money from advertising, automate work processes, and build a reliable media infrastructure using AdTech and MarTech software solutions.

Contact us if you want to increase your profits and implement the latest technologies to solve your problems!