The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is set to introduce audio-based advertisements as a pilot project on six trains on the Violet Line, officials said on Tuesday, December 5. The advertisements shall be aired for one year starting this month on the trains running between Kashmere Gate and Badarpur Border, they said.
The new feature is thoughtfully designed to seamlessly coexist with essential service announcements to ensure that it enhances the overall metro experience for the passengers, they said. "Strategically placed between mandatory service announcements, these audio advertisements are set to bring a delightful and engaging dimension to the journey, offering passengers a welcome break from the routine," a DMRC official said. "Based on the feedback received for the pilot project, this revenue-generating avenue may be expanded to other lines as well," he added.
Audio-based marketing is a revenue mode which has immense potential in the Delhi Metro since these advertisements will have immediate reach to lakhs of commuters who travel by metro every day, the officials said.
Metro services in other cities, including Mumbai, are actively providing advertising opportunities to its partners and generating revenue, the official said. Taking to X, the Delhi Metro said, "DMRC is all set to introduce a new mode of advertising in its network. It will now be possible to air audio-based advertisements inside trains. This feature is designed to seamlessly coexist with essential service announcements, enhancing the overall metro experience for passengers."
During the Covid pandemic, Delhi Metro services had to be suspended for a significant amount of time and subsequently, the services could only be resumed in phases with a number of restrictions. Therefore, the revenue-generating streams available to DMRC were constrained to a large extent, the officials said. Now, the DMRC is taking a number of steps to further augment its revenues from non-ticketing sources so that it can continue to operate smoothly, they said.
Co-branding of stations and the launch of the 'Momentum 2.0' app are other such measures that have already been taken in recent times, they said. The concept of in-train audio ads was proposed by Pindrop Metro Tech Pvt. Ltd, a specially curated advertising solutions firm, part of the Pindrop Media Group, which has been founded by media personality Shammi Narang, they said. The firm has been providing in-train and in-station audio content to Delhi Metro for the last two decades and shall be implementing this new project in association with the DMRC, they said.
