Rail tickets set for a makeover

Ever thought that railway tickets could be in funky colours or perfumed? Soon the railway ticket will be sought after, not just when the ticket checker comes calling.

Advertisers are looking at the ticket as a serious advertising medium. A leading consumer goods manufacturer intends to add the fragrance of its largest selling soap brand on railway tickets. Others are planning scratch card options to reach out to the consumers.

According to sources, consumer goods companies such as Dabur, Colgate and Hindustan Unilever are exploring fragrance techniques to promote their products. Dabur is considering the new advertising medium for its Gulabari brand, while HUL is looking at promoting Breeze. When contacted, a Dabur spokesperson conceded that the company does not undertake branding initiatives on railway tickets, but would be open to these avenues in the future. The railways, earlier this year, introduced branding on reservation tickets of central railways.

It would now extend the concept to the Northern, Western, South Western and Konkan railway. The additional routes will provide a much wider advertising spectrum for the companies. The Northern Railway alone sells about 50 lakh monthly tickets, while Western Railway's monthly ticket sales are close to 30 lakh tickets. The cost per contact is roughly Rs 1 and this compares well with any direct marketing initiative.

The FMCG makers, Hindustan Unilever and GSK Consumer are already undertaking branding activities on the Central Railway for the shampoo brand Clinic Plus and antacid Eno. Pradeep Gupta, director, Axis Ad Print Media said, "The railway tickets are a good medium for companies to undertake below-the-line promotions as they can talk directly to the focused audience."