BEIJING, May 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- In this age of the information explosion when urban consumers are exposed to 3,000 to 5,000 advertisements every day, the challenge to advertisers is how to get their messages out effectively. Brand positioning seems a good solution. EPIN Media tapped into a niche market with a unique positioning as China's largest railway mobile media.
China's railway market consists of more than 1.5 billion travelers moving among more than 6,000 stations every year. The number of travelers is expected to triple by 2020. This growing market has special needs for information and entertainment during their long and winding trips, which cannot be met by traditional media.
Extensive research of the railway market led to EPIN Media's notion of mobile media and positioning itself as China's largest railway mobile media. To achieve such a goal, it innovatively blended technology with media by integrating audio, video, network and mobile technologies to create a new on-the-go medium. EPIN Media has been committed to offering passengers all sorts of services, such as emails, news browsing, instant messengers, and TV programs.
This innovative positioning interested a variety of organizations, such as Xinhuanet.com, weather forecasting authority China National Meteorology Centre, and music giant Rock Records Co., Ltd. Also, Enlight TV Production Co., partnered with EPIN Media by sharing a few of its exclusive flagship products, including Pepsi Music Billboard, Top TV Series and Style.
Brand success is more than just unique positioning. EPIN Media also incorporated traditional media in its services to meet the diverse needs of passengers as well as advertisers.
Tailored to a Mobile Audience
Railway mobile media caters to a mobile audience who is characterized by its "mobility, receptivity, and action." Mobility is the most distinct feature, as passengers are moving on the rail. Receptivity shows that confined space brings forth greater receptivity in the audience. Action indicates consumers' strong motivation to shop on the road.
Another defining characteristic of the mobile audience is its purposefulness. Passengers' trips are purposeful actions, either for business or personal pleasure. They desire to acquire all kinds of necessary information about their destinations. This need was fulfilled in the past through radio and magazines on the train.
More than 85 percent of passengers showed interest in travel information, and more than 48 percent of travelers watched LCDs on the train as channels for city guide information, a latest survey by AC Nielsen showed. This spoke of railway passengers' large demand for information about cities along the rail.
EPIN Media's platform is designed to meet such needs, with a variety of media products through audio, visual, and Internet technologies. For example, a show titled City Guide briefs passengers on features and services of cities on the road, such as tourist information, city history, transportation systems, lodging, catering, entertainment, shopping, and souvenirs. Many travelers have stopped by cities introduced by this show, which boosted local tourism. Cities benefiting from the show include Shanghai, Tianjin, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan, Ningbo and Guilin.
Customized Branding Strategies
EPIN Media launched a special product to promote clients' brands. Client companies designate the coverage area and medium form to more effectively market their brands. Take Tsinghua Tongfang Computer as an example. Railway passengers who may have no knowledge about the company, or are loyal customers, or are potential customers, are able to have first-hand experience with its products.
LCDs installed on the train run commercials sponsored by Tsinghua Tongfang Computer, enhancing brand retention. Other interactive Web programs help to promote the brand. Passengers may participate in games via their cell phones. Winners receive Tongfang products or store discounts. First-hand one-on-one interaction with the brand gives passengers unique experience of the brand, but also reduces advertising budget of the company.
To maximize effectiveness of such exclusive "brand trains," EPIN Media relies on railway station information monitors and LCDs on the train. These monitors and LCDs cover not only the trains running from station to station, but also particular cities nationwide.
EPIN Media also takes advantage of high seasons of railway transportation, such as Spring Festival break and school summer break. Last year, the railway system transported 149 million passengers during the Spring Festival, and 230 million in the summer break. Seven million more travelers rode the rail during Spring Festival this year.
