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    • Why I Love Being a Copywriter
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    • The Advertising Museum Tokyo: Copywriting Fun
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    • Underground Ads - Creative Advertising in England
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    • The Creative Advertising Bible: The Value Of Great Guerrilla Ad Campaigns (With Examples)
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    • SEO Copywriting: How Does Search Engine Optimization Factor Into Copywriting?
    • Show and Tell: 7 Ways to Write Strong Video Copy
    • Short, Sweet, and It Sells: How to Trim the Fat From Your Sales Copy
    • Digital VS Print Ad Copy: How to Write the Difference
    • How to Craft the Ultimate Product Description
    • B2B VS B2C Sales Copy: 6 Crucial Differences You Should Know About
    • The Next Big Idea: Creative Advertising Ideation
    • Email Marketing: 12 Tips for Getting It Right
    • Landing Pages and Lead Magnets: Everything You Need to Know
    • How to Do Better Creative Advertising: Why and How It Works
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    • Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Keep You from Writing Great Copy
    • How to Design Great Digital Ads
    • Ad Campaigns: Nike Just Do It
    • Copywriting Examples: Google Ads
    • Best Copywriting Resources: Magazines, Organizations and More
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    • Copywriting Grammar Review: When to Use Commas
    • Our Top 10 Conversion Rate Optimization Copywriting Tips
    • Urgent, Useful, Unique, Ultra-Specific: How to Boost Your Copywriting with the Four U’s
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Apple 1984
    • Great Ad Campaigns: “Mikey Likes It”
    • Great Ad Campaigns: "When EF Hutton Talks"
    • Great Ad Campaigns: "We Make Money the Old Fashioned Way"
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Daisy
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Absolut Vodka
    • Top San Francisco Ad Agencies
    • Top 6 1960s Ad Campaigns and What You Can Learn From Them
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Underground Ads - Creative Advertising in England

Getting creative advertising campaigns seen by the right people is one of the biggest challenges facing any marketing expert. Therefore, before you even think about copywriting or design, you must find the right placements for your campaigns. When looking at opportunities in England, the London Underground stands out as one of the most attractive prospects by far.

Why Advertise on the London Underground?
While the numbers have declined slightly as a result of the pandemic, the London Underground normally welcomes over two million travellers (and often upwards of 4.5 million) every single day. Other key reasons to embrace creative advertising and copywriting through underground ads include;
  • A massive 95% of commuters spend at least 45 minutes on the underground each day.
  • One in four travellers spend at least 45 minutes standing on platforms.
  • Ad campaigns can be shown on trains, platforms, and digital signs throughout stations.
  • The London Underground network connects 270 stations.
  • Up to six in 10 commuters notices when ads change on the TfL network.
When combined with the demographic data, such as the fact London commuters earn nearly double the UK average salary, it's clear that underground ads offer great potential. However, marketing on the network doesn't come cheaply, which is why you must go the extra mile to unlock its full potential through creative advertising.

Examples of Great Advertising on the London Underground
Creative advertising on the London Underground should incorporate engaging copywriting and eye-catching visuals. Meanwhile, the most influential campaigns will display individual ads on ticket barriers, concourse areas, escalator panels and LED panels, large format station platform and tube tunnel posters, and on the trains themselves.

When done well, underground ads have a massive impact on their audience. The key is to ensure that the creative advertising tactics ensure that the brand's message is both powerful and memorable. Need some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing? Here are five hugely successful campaigns that should do the trick.

CV-Library
The CV-Library advertising campaigns are a natural match for the London Underground network. After all, a high percentage of the foot traffic comes from commuters on their way to/from work. Therefore, anyone that has had a bad day at the office is already in an ideal mindset to consider the prospect of looking for a new job or career.

Adverts shown on station LED displays, and large format platform posters are perfectly placed to hit the audience at the right time while the simple but bold color schemes present a professional yet welcoming appeal. The copywriting succeeds for several reasons, with the main features being;
  • The simple question introduces the pain point in a concise yet non-intimidating manner.
  • Answers to the question create a positive vibe that workers can take control of their situations.
  • There are clear CTAs, such as visiting the website or uploading a CV.
Overall, the adverts grab the attention of audiences at the right time and ease them into taking action.

Predator (Book Campaign)Books are regularly promoted on the London Underground for many reasons. Once again, the demographic is perfect because most commuters are educated to a good level. Crucially, the fact that they are reading adverts shows that they're bored and could benefit from having an outlet to pass the time. The Predator book advertising campaign in 2016 was one that achieved great results.

The imagery and design of the large format poster instantly grab the attention of anyone standing on the platform waiting for a tube train while the image of the book removes any confusion about what the product is. The copywriting elements are minimal, but create a big impact for these reasons;
  • There are two quotes to verify the success and quality of the book.
  • The tagline is evocative and encourages the reader to feel curious.
  • It throws you straight into the heart of the novel.
Meanwhile, the fact it's available at WH Smith's, which is found at several stations, is another effective feature.

This is Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook made the London Underground network a key feature of its campaign in 2019, targeting well-paid commuters in moments where they are most likely to feel that a vacation is needed. Most of the ads displayed images of destinations and tranquil settings like swimming pools with the main tagline of 'This Is Thomas Cook'. Simple, effective, and straight to the point.

The most telling feature of the campaign sold the idea of making memories and providing a relaxed atmosphere. This was represented well by the small amount of text copy. In most cases, it was limited to details about prices to the destination. It worked well because;
  • Readers could focus more on picturing themselves on holiday.
  • The information on tube placements included details of the nearby London departure points.
  • Campaigns were launched just as the summer period was coming to an end.
The campaign subsequently underlined the impact that even small amounts of text can bring. It also showed the importance of timing.

CBS Outdoor
Creative advertising that holds a user's attention and gets people talking will always perform well. The CBS Outdoor game of identifying 150 brands showed the power of using the full London Underground, as well as the power of social media through the #150brands hashtag. This was when Twitter was still in its relative infancy too.

The game was highly successful because it required minimal copy while it actively encouraged readers to hunt other brand adverts. In turn, they were participating and interacting with the adverts. In turn, the campaign was also able to;
  • Keep readers seeing the name CBS Outdoor.
  • Associate the company with quality and trust due to the 150-year presence.
  • Feel like they were getting added value from the brand for free.
The fact that it served as a competition showed that ad campaigns on the London underground could also promote two-way interactions, which has been a growing concept in the years since.

Conclusion
Ad campaigns on the underground provide some truly phenomenal opportunities to hit a huge audience when they are most engaged with the content. With the right copywriting habits and creative input, their impact on brand awareness and conversions could transform a business forever.

FREE COURSE
  • Home
  • Courses
    • Copywriting 101
    • How to Create an Advertising Portfolio From Scratch
    • Direct Response Copywriting
    • 360 Copywriting Online
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
    • Copywriting Lessons from David Ogilvy
    • 9 Copywriting Lessons from Robert Collier
    • 9 Copywriting Lessons From John Caples
    • 8 Copywriting Lessons from John Powers
    • Scientific Advertising: 10 Copywriting Lessons from Claude Hopkins
    • A Review of Current AI Copywriting Tools
    • Top San Francisco Ad Agencies
    • Learn How To Write Conversationally To Engage Your Audience
    • Top Skills for a Copywriter
    • Launch A Career In Advertising With These Top Portfolio Schools
    • UX Copywriting and Short Copy ​
    • Discover How To Write Killer Copy That Converts
    • What is Copywriting? >
      • What Alternative
    • 10 Great Headlines from Classic Ads
    • Why Tone Can Make or Break Your Copy
    • How to Use Statistics, Facts and Quotes to Craft Compelling Copy
    • Great Copywriters Use Verbal Imagery to Tell a Story
    • Master the Art of Headline Writing!
    • Here’s How to Get Portfolio-Building Copywriting Gigs
    • What Volkswagen’s ’Think Small’ Teaches Copywriters
    • 5 Brands with Amazing Copywriting Teams
    • Master Hard and Soft CTAs for Superior Sales Writing
    • The Ultimate Checklist for Blog Copywriters
    • 10 Mistakes Even Experienced Copywriters Make
    • Read These 4 Books to Become a Better Copywriter
    • Sales Writing: How to Create Attention Grabbing Headlines
    • How to Create Persuasive Sales Copy
    • Proven Copywriting Methods Emotional Advertising
    • How to Write Good Copy : Preparation Techniques
    • Copywriting Secrets: 8 Powerful Ways to Add Proof and Credibility
    • Copywriting Cheat Sheet: Write Powerful Copy Quickly and Easily
    • Copywriting Insights: How to Test Ad Copy for Best Results
    • Write Effective Ad Copy: No Fail Secrets and Tips
    • What Never to Do When Writing Compelling Copy for Sales
    • How to Write Copy That Sells – Use Benefits
    • 7 Ways to Improve Your Copy Immediately
    • A Day in the Life of a Copywriter
    • Coffee, Copywriting, and Freedom
    • Copy is Everywhere
    • Direct Response Copy Sells
    • The Pros and Cons of Copywriting Part–Time
    • Three Tips to Write Copy that Converts
    • Two of the Biggest Mistakes Beginning Copywriters Make
    • Why Copywriting Makes a Great Second Career
    • Why I Love Being a Copywriter
    • Landing Pages that Work - Copy that Converts
    • The Next Big Idea: Creative Advertising Ideation
    • Copywriting Certificates: Online Copywriting Classes
    • The Advertising Museum Tokyo: Copywriting Fun
    • How to Tell a Great Brand Story
    • 20 Great Headlines from Classic Ads
    • Top London Ad Agencies
    • The Top 10 Best Copywriting Books
    • Copywriting Courses & Resources
    • Copywriting Formulas to Write Faster: AIDA, Problem Solution and More
    • Sales Letters: Broken Down by Parts
    • Copywriting Research Tips, Tricks and Secrets
    • How to Grow Your Email List
    • What is Creative Advertising
    • Ideation and How to Find the Next Big Idea
    • Creative Advertising Methods and Madness
    • Paths to Becoming a Copywriter
    • Great Print Ads - Creative Advertising That Rocks
    • Great Outdoor Ads - Creative Advertising That Works
    • Underground Ads - Creative Advertising in England
    • 10 Great Email Subject Lines
    • Email Marketing Types: Long, Short, Creative and More
    • Email Copywriting Tactics
    • How to Grow Your Email List
    • Autoresponder Copywriting: How to Do It Write
    • Copywriting Examples: Social Media
    • 6 Free Copywriting Courses
    • Where You Can Get a Copywriting Certificate Online: Copywriting Training
    • Top American Ad Schools
    • 10 Ad Schools for College Graduates
    • These Direct Response Letters And Campaigns Delivered Great Results - Yours Can Too
    • How To Break Into Advertising
    • The Creative Advertising Bible: The Value Of Great Guerrilla Ad Campaigns (With Examples)
    • Content Writing Vs. Copywriting: What's the Difference?
    • SEO Copywriting: How Does Search Engine Optimization Factor Into Copywriting?
    • Show and Tell: 7 Ways to Write Strong Video Copy
    • Short, Sweet, and It Sells: How to Trim the Fat From Your Sales Copy
    • Digital VS Print Ad Copy: How to Write the Difference
    • How to Craft the Ultimate Product Description
    • B2B VS B2C Sales Copy: 6 Crucial Differences You Should Know About
    • The Next Big Idea: Creative Advertising Ideation
    • Email Marketing: 12 Tips for Getting It Right
    • Landing Pages and Lead Magnets: Everything You Need to Know
    • How to Do Better Creative Advertising: Why and How It Works
    • Where to Take Copywriting Classes in the San Francisco Bay Area
    • Why San Francisco Business Owners Need to Know Copywriting
    • How to Break Into the Copywriting Industry
    • What Everybody Should Know About Online Advertising Portfolio
    • Copywriting for Beginners: 10 Quick Tips
    • Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Keep You from Writing Great Copy
    • How to Design Great Digital Ads
    • Ad Campaigns: Nike Just Do It
    • Copywriting Examples: Google Ads
    • Best Copywriting Resources: Magazines, Organizations and More
    • How to Practice Copywriting
    • How to Build a Brand With Copywriting
    • Copywriting Grammar Review: 10 Common Grammar Mistakes
    • Copywriting Grammar Review: When to Use Commas
    • Our Top 10 Conversion Rate Optimization Copywriting Tips
    • Urgent, Useful, Unique, Ultra-Specific: How to Boost Your Copywriting with the Four U’s
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Apple 1984
    • Great Ad Campaigns: “Mikey Likes It”
    • Great Ad Campaigns: "When EF Hutton Talks"
    • Great Ad Campaigns: "We Make Money the Old Fashioned Way"
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Daisy
    • Great Ad Campaigns: Absolut Vodka
    • Top San Francisco Ad Agencies
    • Top 6 1960s Ad Campaigns and What You Can Learn From Them
    • Top 10 1970s Ad Campaigns and What You Can Learn From Them
    • Top 7 1980s Ad Campaigns and What You Can Learn From Them
    • Top 10 1990s Ad Campaigns and What You Can Learn From Them
    • Why Does Creative Advertising Matter?
    • How Can AI Copywriting Tools Make Me a Better Copywriter?
    • Why Should You Enter Advertising Contests as a Copywriter?
    • 10 Tips for Writing Captivating Social Media Copy
    • Tips for Improved Direct Response Copywriting
    • Copywriting Pro-Tip: Highlighting Benefits Over Feature