How to advertise subway cars in Shanghai? From selecting routes to publishing, one article to understand

The Shanghai Metro, the world's longest urban rail transit system, has an average daily passenger flow of over 10 million people. A subway train shuttling between People's Square, Lujiazui, and Jing'an Temple is itself a mobile gold mine of traffic.

Many brands want to ask: How to advertise subway car bodies in Shanghai? Who to ask? How much? What qualifications are required? Don't worry, this article is not convoluted. It breaks down the whole thing into 6 steps, and after reading it, you can get started on your own.

Step 1: Understand what "subway car advertising" actually refers to
In industry terminology, "subway body advertising" usually has two meanings, with significant differences in price and effectiveness. Be sure to distinguish clearly before advertising.

1. Outsourced train charter (with film covering on the outside of the train body)
Appearance: The entire body of the subway train is wrapped in advertising images, like a moving giant poster

Location: Outside the train (excluding doors and windows)

Visual effect: extremely stunning, visible to passengers waiting at the platform and residents along the line

Single column/monthly price: approximately 300000 to 800000 yuan (depending on the route and duration)

Suitable for: large-scale brand events, city level marketing

2. Train charter (all media inside the carriage)
Appearance: The interior walls, doors, windows, floor, and hanging handles of the carriage are all covered with advertisements

Location: Inside the train

Visual effect: Immersive experience that passengers cannot avoid throughout the entire journey

Single column/monthly price: approximately 150000 to 400000 yuan

Suitable for: Most brands, especially consumer brands targeting commuting white-collar workers

Attention: Many novices think that "car advertising" can only be posted on the outside, but in fact, the best value for money is the interior charter - it has low cost and long exposure time (the average passenger ride is 25 minutes).

Step 2: 5 core variables that affect prices
To understand how to advertise subway cars in Shanghai, it is necessary to first understand how the prices are structured.

Variable 1: Line level
The Shanghai subway line is divided into three levels:

S-level golden line: Line 2 (Pudong Airport → Hongqiao), Line 1 (People's Square → Shanghai Railway Station), Line 10 (Xintiandi → Hongqiao) - a single contract car/month 500000~800000

A-level backbone lines: Line 3, Line 4, Line 8, Line 9, etc. - single line 300000 to 500000 yuan

B-class trunk lines: suburban lines such as Line 5, Line 16, and Line 17- with a single line of 150000 to 300000 yuan

Variable 2: Form of Delivery
Outsourced charter is about 50% to 100% more expensive than in-house charter

In the chartered car, the full car sticker (including floor and windows) is 30% more expensive than ordinary side stickers

Variable 3: Number of placements
Single column advertising: highest unit price

3-5 columns: 10% off

More than 10 columns: get a discount of 7-8%

Variable 4: Advertising duration
Minimum investment starting from one month

Discounts can be negotiated for more than 3 months, and some agents can offer a "buy 3 get 1 free" policy

Variable 5: Production and publication costs
External charter car film: about 50000 to 100000 yuan/train (special car film+manual construction)

Internal charter car sticker: about 30000 to 60000 yuan/train

Step 3: Practical Guide -6 Complete Steps for Shanghai Metro Vehicle Advertising Placement
If this is your first time operating, follow the steps below and you won't get stuck.

Step 1: Clarify the advertising goals and budget
First, answer three questions:

Which groups of people do you want to cover? (White collar workers, tourists, residents?)

Core coverage area? (Lujiazui Financial District, Nanjing Road Business District, Zhangjiang Science and Technology Park?)

What is the total budget? (For beginners, it is recommended to start with a chartered car and test the waters with 300000 to 500000 yuan.)

Step 2: Filter the target route
Match subway lines based on your area and population. For example:

Financial white-collar workers: Line 2 Lujiazui → Century Avenue section, or Line 9 Caohejing → Xujiahui section

Hit young fashion crowd: Line 10 Xintiandi → Shaanxi South Road, or Line 13 Nanjing West Road → Huaihai Middle Road

Targeting residential households: Line 8 Yangpu → Pujiang Town, or Line 11 Jiading → Disneyland

Step 3: Get a quote and search for vacancies
You can directly contact the advertising company under Shentong Metro (DeGao Metro Advertising), but the official quotation for individual passengers is relatively high and the schedule is tight (golden routes often require booking 3-6 months in advance).

A more efficient way is to find a professional agency platform. Tianci Media is one of them. Tianci Media is a professional subway advertising platform that has deep cooperation with Shanghai Shentong Degao and multiple subway media operators. It can help you:

Get a channel price 10%~25% lower than the official price

One click query of available train schedules for each line

Provide free route combination suggestions and audience portrait analysis

Step 4: Design the image and submit it for review
The review of subway advertising materials is very strict and must pass the compliance review of Shentong Metro. Common red lines:

Do not use the red cross (which may be mistaken for a first aid sign)

No flickering or reflective materials are allowed (which may affect driving safety)

No political, religious, or vulgar content is allowed

Medical and financial products require additional qualifications

It is recommended to find a design company with experience in subway advertising and create images according to the official template. The audit cycle is about 7-15 working days.

Step 5: Signing, Payment, Scheduling
The contract must specify:

Specific route and train number (such as "Train 02041 on Line 2")

Publication date and withdrawal date

Daily operating hours (usually 5:30-23:30)

Fault compensation clause (if the train is suspended for more than 3 days due to maintenance, a proportional refund will be issued)

The payment is usually 50% upon signing the contract and 50% upon acceptance of the publication.

Step 6: Acceptance and monitoring
Within 3 days after publication, request the other party to provide:

Real photos of each train (from all angles inside and outside the train)

Daily Operation Certificate (Train Scheduling Record)

If possible, take that train yourself and confirm on-site that the screen is intact and there are no bubbles in the film.

Step 4: Real Budget Cases - Three Common Scenarios
Case A: A new type of tea beverage brand (budget 500000)
Goal: To cover young white-collar workers

Option: hire a car and put it into line 10 (passing Xintiandi and Hongqiao Road)

Quotation: 250000 yuan/month

Production cost: 40000 yuan

Total cost: 290000 yuan/month

Effect: Daily coverage of about 80000 passengers, average travel time of 20 minutes for passengers, high brand memory

Case B: A domestic new energy vehicle (budget of 1.5 million)
Goal: Expose high-end audiences throughout the city

Option: Outsourced charter bus, take 2 trains of Line 2 (East West artery)

Quotation: 550000 yuan/train/month x 2=1.1 million yuan/month

Production cost: 80000 yuan/column x 2=160000 yuan

Total cost: 1.26 million yuan/month

Effect: Daily coverage of over 300000 people, stunning visual effects, suitable for creating topics

Case C: An online education platform with a budget of 800000 yuan
Goal: To reach the family customer base

Option: Internal charter bus, take 3 trains of Line 8 (passing through Yangpu, Hongkou, Pudong residential areas)

Quotation: 180000 yuan/train/month x 3=540000 yuan/month

Production cost: 35000 yuan/column x 3=105000 yuan

Total cost: 645000 yuan/month

Effect: Daily coverage of about 150000 people, high cost-effectiveness, suitable for long-term advertising

Common Misconceptions Reminder
Misconception 1: Thinking that "car advertising" can only be posted on the outside
In fact, the cost-effectiveness of internal chartering far exceeds that of external chartering. Passengers stay in the subway for an average of 20-30 minutes, and the reach depth of advertisements inside the train is much higher than that of external taxis that flash by.

Misconception 2: Only focus on Line 2 and Line 1
The gold line price is extremely high and the schedule is tight. For most brands, choosing A-level routes that pass through your target area (such as Line 9 and Line 8) is actually more cost-effective - half the price and more targeted audience.

Misconception 3: Finding Shentong Metro on Your Own is More Cost Effective
DeGao Metro Advertising is the exclusive operator of Shanghai Metro, offering almost no discounts on individual fares. And professional agency platforms can get lower prices due to their year-round package volume. Platforms like Tianci Media can also help you with free line selection analysis, saving enough money to cover production costs.

Misconception 4: Ignoring the audit cycle
Subway advertising takes at least 30-45 days from signing the contract to actual launch (scheduling+design+review+production+publication). If you are in time for events such as Double 11 and Spring Festival, please start 3 months in advance.