Which Beijing bus line is best for advertising? A scientific guide to route selection

In Beijing, a super large city with a population of over 20 million, the public transportation system is like the lifeblood of the city, transporting over ten million passengers every day through the streets and alleys. For brands, bus advertising is one of the most efficient and flexible mobile media to reach urban audiences.

However, faced with over 1000 bus routes in Beijing, a core question troubles countless advertisers: which route is the best for Beijing bus advertising?

Should we choose Route 1 that runs through Chang'an Avenue or Route 300 that covers the Third Ring Road? Should we choose the shuttle bus that goes deep into the community or the tourist bus that passes through the scenic area? This article will systematically dismantle the value system of Beijing's bus routes and provide a scientific methodology for route selection.

1、 Understanding the functions of bus routes: Three types of bus routes in Beijing
Before choosing a route, it is necessary to first understand the basic classification of Beijing's bus routes. Different types of routes have vastly different coverage areas, passenger composition, and advertising value.

（1） Through type backbone line
This type of route runs on urban main roads, covering a wide range and running through multiple functional areas, making it the preferred choice for pursuing extensive exposure.

Representative routes: Route 1 (Chang'an Avenue through line), Route 300 (Third Ring Road).

Bus Route 1: Running on Chang'an Avenue, passing through core landmarks such as Tiananmen Square, Wangfujing, and Xidan, it is known as the "Shenzhou Road". As the most symbolic route in Beijing, the advertisement of Bus Route 1 has a natural brand endorsement value.

Bus route 300: runs along the main road of the Third Ring Road, connecting multiple functional areas such as government affairs, business, education, and residential areas, radiating a wide range of people. As the most classic circular bus in Beijing, Route 300 has a huge daily passenger flow, making it particularly suitable for advertisers who need to establish a wide brand awareness.

（2） Regional feeder lines
This type of route goes deep into specific residential areas or industrial parks, with relatively slow speeds and many stops. The repeat viewing rate of residents and merchants along the route is high, making it suitable for targeted marketing in specific areas.

Representative areas: Wangjing, Financial Street, Yizhuang, Zhongguancun, etc.

The advantage of regional routes lies in their deep cultivation. For example, routes passing through Zhongguancun can target technology enthusiasts, while routes passing through Financial Street can influence business elites. For store based brands (such as catering, education, decoration, etc.), choosing connecting routes that cover the surrounding community of the store often has more conversion value than the main routes.

（3） Tourism and cultural routes
This type of route passes through core scenic spots and cultural landmarks in Beijing, with passengers mainly consisting of out of town tourists and international visitors, suitable for brands such as tourism, cultural and creative industries, and high-end consumer goods.

Representative routes: Route 5, Sightseeing Route 3.

Bus Route 5: Known as the "Dragon Ridge Line", it passes through important landmarks such as Qianmen, Tiananmen Square, Beihai, Jingshan, Di'anmen, and Gulou, with a total length of 22 kilometers, making it one of the longest bus routes in the city. This route not only covers tourists, but also connects the cultural core area of old Beijing, combining cultural and commercial value.

Sightseeing Route 3: Designed specifically for tourists, it runs through the most representative cultural and tourist landmarks in Beijing. The passengers are mostly non local tourists, international visitors, and local cultural enthusiasts, with strong purchasing power.

（4） Brand Theme Route
Beijing Public Transport Group has launched more than 30 themed brand routes, including the "Watch the Central Axis" cultural route (routes 5 and 82), the "Ancient Capital Memory" Jingwei route (routes 107 and 141), and the "Far Mountain Call" for the people route. These routes themselves have topicality and cultural attributes, suitable for integration with industries such as culture, tourism, and cultural creativity, to create a fusion and dissemination of brand and urban culture.

2、 Select routes based on target audience: recommended routes for four typical scenarios
Scenario 1: Pursuing wide exposure throughout the city
Goal: Quickly increase brand awareness and reach the widest possible audience

Recommended routes: Route 1 (Chang'an Avenue), Route 300 (Third Ring Road)

Route selection logic: Route 1 runs through Chang'an Avenue, with significant political and cultural significance; 300 routes cover the entire section of the Third Ring Road, with a huge daily passenger flow. The two routes together form the "cross skeleton" of Beijing's public transportation, which is the first choice for pursuing exposure breadth.

Scenario 2: Targeting the Business Elite Population
Goal: To reach high-income white-collar workers and business professionals

Recommended routes: routes passing through Financial Street (such as Route 19, Route 45, etc.), routes passing through CBD (such as Route 113, Route 421, etc.), routes passing through Zhongguancun (such as Route 302, Route 320, etc.)

Line selection logic: Business people are concentrated in Financial Street CBD、 Core industrial areas such as Zhongguancun and Wangjing. By studying the route map and selecting the routes that cover these areas, precise access can be achieved.

Scenario 3: Targeting the Household Consumer Group
Goal: Reach out to community residents and attract traffic to local stores

Recommended routes: Regional connecting routes covering large residential areas (such as community routes in Huilongguan, Tiantongyuan, Tongzhou, etc.)

Logic of route selection: The route that goes deep into the community has slow speed and many stops, and residents along the route have sufficient time to watch advertisements, and it passes through repeatedly every day with high memory. For local lifestyle service brands such as catering, education, decoration, and retail, this is the most cost-effective choice.

Scenario 4: Attracting tourists and young people
Goal: Reach out to out of town tourists and young check-in crowds

Recommended routes: Route 5 (Central Axis Cultural Line), Sightseeing Route 3 (Tourist Line), Route 107 (Gulou Network Red Line)

Route selection logic: Route 5 covers the core attractions of the central axis, Route 3 is designed specifically for tourists, and Route 107 has become a popular check-in spot due to Zhao Lei's "Drum Tower". These routes themselves have topicality and are prone to social dissemination.

3、 Scientific methodology for route selection
Step 1: Clarify the audience portrait
Before opening the circuit diagram, ask yourself three questions:

Who is my target customer? (Age, occupation, income, consumption habits)

Where do they live? Where do you work? What areas are covered by daily activities?

What mode of transportation do they primarily rely on for their travels?

The clearer the answer, the more precise the route selection.

Step 2: Draw the target coverage area
Mark your core target area on the map: the one kilometer living circle where the store is located, the community cluster where the target customers reside, the city's core business district, etc. Connect these areas together to form your 'advertising firepower coverage zone'.

Step 3: Filter matching routes
Select bus routes that pass through the target areas. You can use the map app to search for route directions and station information, or request a route database from a professional advertising company.

Step 4: On site follow-up verification
Before finalizing the route, it is recommended to arrange an on-site car following experience. Choose different time periods to take the target route and personally experience the commercial atmosphere, pedestrian density, and road congestion along the way. You will find that some routes that look beautiful on the data may have greatly reduced advertising visibility due to the closure of expressways, construction barriers, and other reasons in the actual areas they pass through.

Step 5: Evaluate cost-effectiveness
Taking into account the value of the route, advertising format, and delivery cycle, calculate the cost per thousand people (CPM). A high priced main line may have a higher cost-effectiveness if it reaches 10 times more people per day than suburban lines.

4、 Practical Case Reference
Case 1: Choose the 300 double decker bus for the entire vehicle advertisement
Route value: Route 300 runs along the main road of the Third Ring Road, connecting government, business, education, and residential functional areas, with a diverse audience structure. Adopting a full body wrapping design, the colors are vivid and the composition is atmospheric, making it highly recognizable in dense traffic.

Reference quotation: 25000 to 100000 yuan/month

Suitable for brands: advertisers who need to establish long-term brand awareness in industries such as FMCG, real estate, education, Internet, and local services.

Case 2: Choosing Sightseeing Route 3
Value of the route: It runs through the most representative cultural and tourist landmarks in Beijing, with passengers mostly consisting of out of town tourists, international visitors, and local cultural enthusiasts, and a strong consumer base.

Reference quotation: 20000 to 100000 yuan/month

Suitable for brands such as high-end brands, cultural tourism projects, cultural products, etc. Advertisers who hope to integrate with urban culture and enhance brand tone.

Case 3: Choosing Bus Route 5 for Cultural Routes
Route value: Passing through core attractions along the central axis such as Qianmen, Tiananmen Square, Beihai, Jingshan, and Drum Tower, it combines cultural value and tourist flow.

Suitable for brands: tourism, cultural and creative, local lifestyle, cultural products, can be combined with Beijing's central axis culture to create a coordinated communication between the brand and the city.

5、 Common Misconceptions and Avoiding Pits Guide
Misconception 1: Only choose loop cars and ignore the "last mile" route
Loop cars have fast speeds, short exposure times, and most passengers are passing by. The routes that go deep into the community have slower speeds and more stops, resulting in higher repeat viewing rates among residents and merchants along the route, and may have stronger actual memory. It is necessary to make a balanced selection based on the target.

Misconception 2: Only focusing on the level of the route, ignoring the specific vehicle status
Similarly, for route 300, the age of vehicles in different fleets may vary. The old vehicles have rust stains on their bodies, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of advertising. It is essential to request media companies to provide specific vehicle photos or conduct on-site inspections.

Misconception 3: Short term advertising expecting miracles
Bus advertising requires cumulative effects. After 1-2 weeks of deployment, the vehicles have not yet covered the entire route, making it difficult to form effective awareness. It is recommended to invest at least one full quarter (three months) to achieve repeated outreach to the population along the route.

Misconception 4: Neglecting the combined value of in car media
The car body attracts pedestrians and affects passengers inside the car. The average travel time of passengers exceeds 20 minutes, which is a good opportunity for deep dissemination. The combination of "vehicle body drainage+in car persuasion" can greatly improve overall conversion efficiency.

Misconception 5: Failure to conduct advertising monitoring
It is necessary to require the agency to provide a "publication monitoring report", including vehicle number, operating status, advertising screen photos/videos, to ensure that the advertisement is published normally according to the contract.

6、Conclusion
There is no standard answer to which bus route is good for advertising in Beijing, only the answer that is most suitable for you.

If you want to pursue city wide exposure and brand height, Route 1 and Route 300 are the first choices; If you want to accurately reach business elites, Financial Street CBD、 The route value of Zhongguancun is the highest; If you are targeting household consumption, connecting routes to large communities are the most cost-effective; If you want to attract tourists and young people, cultural routes such as Route 5 and Sightseeing Route 3 have the best effect.

The key lies in scientific planning: clear goals, research routes, on-site verification, and reasonable combination. With the assistance of professional partners, every transit of Beijing public transportation becomes an accelerator for brand communication.