How long does it take for bus advertising to have the best effect? 1 week, 1 month, or 6 months? We've figured it out for you

Have you ever encountered such a situation—— 
I gritted my teeth and approved the budget, selected the route, and made five revisions to the design. Finally, I waited until the day the advertisement was published. 
In the first week, you had to take a closer look at that bus stop every day and feel happy. 
In the second week, I got busy and forgot about it. 
In the third week, the supplier sent monitoring photos, and you can't even remember what kind of car was being deployed on this line. 
In the fourth week, the advertisement was published. You ask yourself: Is this money worth it or not? 
The answer may be: it's not worth it, it's because you invested the wrong time. 
How long is the best time to advertise on public transportation? This question may seem simple, but 80% of beginners are stuck here. 
Short throw, turn off the heat as soon as the water is hot, half the money is wasted. 
The investment is too long, and the next few weeks will be fatigue exposure. The second half of the journey is like burning money. 
Today's article will thoroughly discuss this matter. 
Not moving theories or delving into mysticism is like two friends drinking tea and chatting - helping you calculate this account clearly. 

Chapter 1: Let's first understand - how to calculate the time account of bus advertising? 
Before answering 'how long to invest', we need to first clarify a more fundamental question: 
What exactly does the money for bus advertising buy? 
Not buying 'one car', not buying 'one route'. 
You bought this car on this line, running back and forth every day, and being seen by countless pairs of eyes along the way. 
So the time account of bus advertising needs to be calculated from three dimensions: 
Dimension 1: Coverage period. 
A bus running for 4 weeks and 8 weeks does indeed double the total number of people covered. 
But there is an easily overlooked detail here: the increase in population is rapidly declining. 
In the first week, a large number of people who had never seen this car before saw it for the first time every day. 
In the fourth week, everyone who should have seen it has seen it, and there are very few new "beginners" added every day. 
In the 8th week, those people are still running on the road, and the exposure of cars is increasing, but where are the new people? 
This is the first law of time for bus advertising: exposure increases linearly, and the marginal reach of new arrivals decreases. 
Dimension 2: Memory cycle. 
The first time a passerby sees your car, a blurry color lingers in their mind. 
The second time I saw it, I started to notice the brand name. 
On the third and fourth occasions, I became curious about what this brand was selling. 
On the fifth or sixth time, when passing by that store, you may take a second look. 
Psychological research shows that it takes an average of 3-5 effective touchpoints for unfamiliar brands to go from "seen" to "remembered". 
In the context of public transportation, for the same pedestrian, this reach frequency takes 2-3 weeks to complete. 
This is the second time law of bus advertising: the memory effect curve is S-shaped - climbing in the first 2 weeks, reaching its peak in weeks 3-5, and then entering the plateau period. 
Dimension three: Fatigue cycle. 
Your car is very beautiful, with bright colors and brilliant creativity. 
But no matter how good the advertisement is, watching it continuously for a month will also enter a "visual blind spot". 
In the first week, passersby exclaimed, 'Wow, this car looks great.'. 
In the fourth week, passersby said, 'Oh, it's this car again.'. 
In the 8th week, passersby no longer noticed it - the brain automatically classified it as' background '. 
This is the third law of time for bus advertising: the creative shelf life is usually only 4-6 weeks. 
Chapter 2: How long should I invest in the four common advertising targets? 
After discussing theory, let's go into practical combat. 
When you advertise on public transportation, you have to point out something. The duration of investment is completely different depending on the different images. 
Scenario 1: New product launch, I want the whole city to quickly know that I'm here! 
Recommended cycle: 3-4 weeks. 
This is the job that bus advertising excels at: short time, high density, and loud volume. 
Three weeks is the bottom line. Too short, many people haven't even noticed you before the event ends. 
Four weeks is the upper limit. No matter how long, the novelty of the new product has passed, the advertising is still running, and the marginal benefits have sharply declined. 
Suggestion: It's best to divide these 4 weeks into two stages. 
In the first two weeks, use the "brand exposure version" screen to let everyone know you first. 
Change to a "promotional version" screen for the next 2 weeks, giving people who see the advertisement a reason to take action. 
Scenario 2: For regular brands, I want the target audience to remember me for the long term! 
Recommended cycle: Starting from 8-12 weeks, it is recommended to frame by quarter/year. 
This is a game from another dimension. 
You're not going to 'explode', you're going to 'occupy' the space. When residents, white-collar commuters, and students on this route mention your category, the first thing that comes to mind is you. 
This kind of mental occupation requires frequency, not single intensity. 
The passing line is 8 weeks, and it takes effect from 12 weeks. Annual advertising is necessary to truly accumulate brand assets. 
Small suggestion: Long term advertising must be updated. 
The same car, the same group of people, without changing the screen for 3 months, the next 1.5 months are basically equivalent to running for nothing. 
Changing the visuals every 4-6 weeks - even if it's just changing the color scheme or slogan - can effectively break visual fatigue. 
Scenario 3: Short term promotion, I want to boost my performance this month! 
Recommended cycle: 2-3 weeks, must be stuck in the activity time window. 
The logic of promotional advertising is completely different. 
It's not about making consumers "remember you", it's about making consumers "come now". 
So its advertising cycle must be strictly aligned with the promotional activity cycle. 
Preheating the publication one week before the event, saturation coverage for two weeks during the event, and immediate publication after the event ends. 
One more day is a waste of budget. 
Small suggestion: Do not invest in full body painting for promotional advertisements, as it is too expensive and changing the painting is also troublesome. The combination of double-sided body stickers and rear stickers has a higher cost-effectiveness and a more flexible cycle. 
Scenario 4: Local service provider, I want everyone within 3 kilometers to know me! 
Recommended cycle: 4-8 weeks, deep cultivation in the region+cyclic deployment. 
You run a restaurant, a barber shop, or a tutoring class. Your business is located in this area, and your customers live in this area. 
You don't need people all over the city to know you, you need people on the route to your doorstep to see you repeatedly. 
Strategic suggestion: Invest for 4-6 weeks each time and 2-3 rounds per year. 
Don't invest for half a year at once, as the homeowners will be visually fatigued in the following months. Splitting into several waves and changing different creative themes each time can actually achieve better results. 
Chapter 3: A Formula to Help You Calculate Your Optimal Cycle 
If you're still unsure after looking at the above, it's okay, let's go to the ultimate weapon—— 
A simple cycle calculation formula: 
Basic weeks=3 weeks+additional weeks 
Three weeks is the "cognitive threshold" for bus advertising. Less than this number, most people don't even remember your name. 
How are the extra weeks calculated? Look at three bonus points: 
+1 week: Your brand has no visibility in this city. 
(Starting from scratch requires more time to accumulate) 
+1 week: You applied for double-sided car body stickers, not full body painting. 
(Weak visual impact, requiring longer exposure to compensate) 
+1 week: Your target audience is family decision-makers. 
(Home decoration, education, automobiles and other categories with decision-making cycles require repeated outreach) 
+Week 0: You are participating in a promotional activity. 
(Short and fast, finishing work after finishing, one more day is a waste) 
-1 week: You are investing in the city's golden route. 
(Extremely high foot traffic, able to outperform others for 6 weeks in 3 weeks) 
For example: 
A new consumer beverage brand with no popularity in Hangzhou, limited budget can only invest in double-sided car body stickers, targeting young white-collar workers (with a short decision-making cycle). 
Calculation process: 
3 weeks (basic)+1 week (zero visibility)+1 week (double-sided stickers)+0 weeks (fast-moving consumer goods)=5 weeks 
Suggested cycle: 5 weeks. 
Do you think it's not that difficult? 
Chapter 4: The 4 cycle traps that beginners are most likely to fall into 
Trap 1: Test mentality, only invest for 2 weeks to see the effect. 
This is the most common and regrettable mistake made by beginners. 
I will test the waters for 2 weeks first, and if the effect is good, I will follow up with the investment 
Sounds very rational, doesn't it? 
The problem is that there is no visible effect after 2 weeks. 
In the first week, most people just noticed this car. 
In the second week, they started matching the car with your brand. 
The effect hasn't come out yet, the advertisement has been published. 
You came to a conclusion using 'ineffective', but this conclusion is based on incorrect experimental design. 
Correct approach: Please also test the water for at least 4 weeks. This is the minimum time unit required to receive genuine feedback. 
Trap 2: Long term advertising without changing the artwork throughout the entire process. 
I signed a six-month contract, and the first three months had good results, but in the last three months, I felt like no one was watching anymore 
Nonsense, looking at the same face every day would bother you too. 
Bus advertising is not elevator advertising. 
There are only a few people in the elevator, you can slowly grind them. The bus runs on the road every day and sees the same group of commuters. 
If the same group of people watch the same picture for 6 consecutive weeks, their memory curve will inevitably turn downwards. 
Correct approach: If the cycle exceeds 6 weeks, it is necessary to plan for a paint change. 
Even changing the color scheme, slogan, or spokesperson posture can effectively reset the audience's attention. 
Trap 3: Rush during peak season, zero during off-season. 
The habit of many local service provider friends is to invest heavily before May Day, National Day, and Spring Festival, and not to spend a penny on it during normal times. 
And the result? As soon as the peak season advertisement stops, the customer flow immediately drops back. The peak season will come again in the second year, and everything will start from scratch. 
Bus advertising is a compound interest game, not a simple interest game. 
This year you invested for 3 months, and next year you will continue to invest for another 3 months. The year after next, your brand will become an "old acquaintance" on this line. 
The asset value of this familiar face is more valuable than the effect of your single placement. 
The correct approach: Even if the off-season budget is cut in half, maintain the lowest frequency of continuous exposure. A cliff like suspension of investment will accelerate the loss of brand assets accumulated earlier. 
Trap 4: Only counting the advertising cycle, not the production cycle. 
The event will start next Friday, and I will publish it this week. Is it still possible 
there's not enough time. 
Bus advertising takes at least 5-7 working days from finalization, production, approval, installation, to official launch. 
If it rains, the installation will have to be postponed. 
The planned 3-week advertising cycle, due to production delays, actually only lasted for 2 weeks. 
Correct approach: Add an additional week to your planned deployment cycle as a production and security buffer period. It's better to have the advertisement published in advance and wait for you, than to have the advertisement still in the warehouse after the event starts. 
Chapter 5: The True Words of a Experienced Person 
I have been in this industry for almost ten years, serving hundreds of clients who have invested in bus advertising. 
There is a pattern that has never changed: 
80% of customers who sign an annual contract on their first investment will not renew in the second year. 
80% of customers who only invest for 2 weeks for the first time will never invest in bus advertising again. 
On the contrary, those customers who invested 4-6 weeks for the first time, carefully reviewed, invested 8 weeks for the second time, and invested in quarterly boxes for the third time gradually became long-term fans of public transportation advertising. 
Why? 
Because neither of the first two types of people gave enough time for bus advertisements to prove themselves. 
The first type of person gives too much time, but that is blind, not scientific. 
The second type of person gives too little time and turns off the heat as soon as the water is heated, saying, 'This pot of water won't boil.'. 
There is only a third type of person who uses scientific cycles to obtain real returns, and then makes rational long-term decisions based on real returns. 
How long is the best time to advertise on public transportation? 
The answer is: long enough to verify the effect, short enough to avoid fatigue waste. 
For most brands, this balance point is 4-8 weeks. 
Four weeks is the admission ticket, allowing you to obtain real performance data. 
8 weeks is a watershed, allowing you to truly begin accumulating brand assets. 
At the end: For you who are struggling with the cycle 
If you are still struggling with the question of 'how long should I vote for?' at this point, my suggestion is: 
Starting from 4 weeks. 
This is the cycle with the highest fault tolerance. 
Four weeks is enough to introduce your brand to 80% of the regular customers on a route. 
Four weeks is enough for you to obtain statistically significant scanning, searching, and in store data. 
4 weeks, controllable budget, low cost of trial and error, even if the effect is not ideal, it will not cause any physical harm. 
After running for 4 weeks, review the data: 
Is the scanning volume exceeding expectations? The next round of funding will be increased to 8 weeks. 
Has the search index significantly increased? Consider making it a quarterly fixed placement. 
It doesn't seem like there's much splashing? Don't jump to conclusions for now - is it because you chose the wrong route, or is there a problem with your creativity? Optimize with problems in mind, rather than leaving with biases. 
The most regrettable thing is not investing in the wrong cycle, but investing in the right cycle but not persisting. 
If you still feel uncertain, especially when it comes to your first investment, you don't know which line to choose, what period to set, or how to judge the effect—— 
Why don't you talk to friends from Tianci Media. 
They have been running in the field of bus advertising for over a decade, serving thousands of brands. They have a clear understanding of what cycle matches what target, what route produces what effect. 
You don't need to become an expert in bus advertising. 
You just need to find a partner who is willing to stand from your perspective and help you calculate the accounts clearly. 
Then, give bus advertisements a fair chance - at least 4 weeks. 
Let it run a complete cognitive cycle within your budget. 
It will tell you in its own way whether it's worth it or not.