How to plan a Tube advertising campaign

From first brief to on-air date is usually six to eight weeks, and most of the risk sits in the last fortnight of it. This is the sequence, and where campaigns typically slip.

The sequence

1. 1.Brief — audience, budget, window. Three things, and everything else follows from them.
2. 2.Plan — format mix, station list, panel counts and an indicative cost.
3. 3.Availability — the media owner confirms what is actually open for those dates.
4. 4.Booking — sites are held and the copy deadline is set.
5. 5.Artwork — supplied to specification, then copy clearance.
6. 6.Posting or play-out — proof of posting for paper, play-out reporting for digital.

Choosing the window

Two weeks is the standard burst and the unit most rates are quoted against. Four and six weeks are common for launches and usually attract a volume discount. Where the campaign has a fixed moment — an event, a sale, a product on shelf — work backwards from it and buy the run-up rather than the moment itself.

Trading periods

January and August are the softest months on the network and usually the best value. September and the Christmas run-in are the hardest to buy and carry the highest rates. If the campaign has no fixed date, this is the single easiest lever on cost.

Zone

Zone 1 carries a premium over zones 3 and beyond for the same format, driven by footfall and audience profile.

Trading period

January and August are the softest months. The Christmas run-in and September carry the highest rates.

Digital versus static

Digital costs more per site but buys flexibility: day-parting, multiple executions and shorter lead times.

Production

Poster print and posting is a meaningful share of media cost. Digital artwork is usually a fixed studio fee.

Duration

Two weeks is the standard burst. Four and six week bookings usually attract a volume discount.

Lead time

Booking six to eight weeks out protects both price and site quality. Late bookings pay for what is left.