Russ Curry, Ministry of New Media
JCDecaux UK has been awarded the five year Merseyrail outdoor advertising contract by Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd, following a competitive tender. Merseyrail is the commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region in the UK.
Under the contract, JCDecaux UK will develop, maintain and sell the portfolio of 600 advertising sites including 6-sheets, 48-sheets and escalator ad panels across stations on two train lines (the Wirral and Northern lines), providing Merseyrail with a significant income to be reinvested back into the rail network.
Helena Kavanagh, Chief Partnership Officer at JCDecaux UK told us “JCDecaux UK submitted an extremely high-quality bid that shares our vision for the future development of our advertising portfolio. We have every confidence that working together post-COVID-19 we will maximise advertising opportunities across the network, providing a valuable revenue stream to Merseyrail that in turn will benefit our passengers”.
From 2021, JCDecaux UK will digitise the advertising in the busiest locations, installing state-of-the-art 75” digital 6-sheet screens in the four city-centre stations: Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Central, Moorfields and James Street.
According to pre-Covid-19 figures, the self-contained network operates over 600 regular services a day, every 15 minutes, to 68 stations throughout the Liverpool City Region, including 4 underground stations in the city centre that receive services every few minutes.
Spanning 75 miles of track, the network provides easy access for people to work, shop and visit the centre of Liverpool and the wider region, carrying over 100,000 passengers on an average weekday, or 35 million passengers a year according to pre-Covid-19 figures.*
As a major business and tourist destination, Liverpool is a key city for brand advertisers and so we are very pleased to have been awarded this important contract. We look forward to working with Merseyrail to develop this powerful platform for brand messaging that will enhance the passenger journey with relevant and engaging content.
By digitising the 4 busiest stations, there will be a new opportunity post Covid-19 for brands to reach customers at multiple touchpoints across the city as they commute, shop and socialise via screens in rail, roadside and retail locations
Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail said “The digitisation of our major stations will transform the ability for brands to deliver timely and compelling content that will keep our passengers informed, as well as being a powerful communications channel for local and national brands”
Liverpool is a UNESCO world heritage city and is ranked at number six on the list of the most visited UK cities, noted for its culture, architecture and music including the home of the world-famous Beatles. Liverpool and the surrounding region is the UK’s second largest regional economy estimated at £12 billion**. With 1.5 million residents in the city and 2.5 million people across the wider region, Liverpool is the fastest growing city outside London.**
*(source Merseyrail) **(source InvestLiverpool).
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