Railways roll out message on a ticket, Axis gets contract

New advertising and branding opportunities on railway reservation charts and both sides of the railway reservation ticket, now in all-colour

Soon after initiating advertisements on the side of coaches in some sectors, a resurgent Indian Railways is clearly embracing advertising and branding opportunities. And what better advertising platform than the powerful railway ticket, carefully preserved and often glanced at during a long journey?

Axis Ad-Print-Media India, a Mumbai-based print media company, has bagged an exclusive two-year contract from Indian Railways to advertise on reservation tickets and reservation charts.

Here’s how it will work: both sides of the multi-coloured ticket will offer advertising and branding opportunities for advertisers. However, this will be only for long-distance journey tickets. While the tickets will be initially issued at all reservation counters of Central Railway, Mumbai, this will be later replicated in other zones as well.

Also, upper class passengers, which include First Class, A/C Three Tier and A/C Second Tier, will now get their tickets in newly-designed envelopes that will carry ads and banners. Finally, similar opportunities will be presented to advertisers for the ubiquitous reservation chart, also multi-coloured now, with messages from brands.

Axis Ad-Print-Media specialises in printing multi-colour computer stationary with an RBI-approved security printing plant. The company is already handling marketing contracts for printing electricity bills of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh and HP LPG bills on an all-India basis.

Says Pradeep Gupta, Director, Axis Ad-Print-Media India, “Some of the known FMCGs and brands such as Hindustan Lever, P&G, Garnier, Idea, Pfizer, Ranbaxy, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Wipro have already accepted our medium to reach out to consumers in a unique way. Rail ticket advertising is designed in such a way that to ensure the attention of the ticket holder. Hopefully, this media will be well appreciated and noticed by the masses.”

Axis Ad-Print-Media has already started advertising on railway tickets and reservation charts since June 8 this year. They have signed up with brand Garnier for the current month and will be soon signing up with other advertisers for the coming months.