The smart one advertises on the e-train
SBB offers targeted online advertising opportunities according to Wemf criteria
SBB offers precisely targeted online advertising opportunities according to Wemf criteriaBy Patrick Hediger The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are proving that they are also at the cutting edge on the Internet. The new advertising options for the timetable information service at sbb.ch offer advertisers targeted advertising.
If you don't have 240000 francs to spare for advertising on an SBB Re 460 locomotive, the SBB timetable information pages on the Internet offer an interesting alternative. According to SBB, over 200,000 timetable inquiries are made online every day. So it may well be worth running a branding campaign. Especially because it is clear which means of transportation should be used: The smart ones travel by train.
But that's not all. Swiss Federal Railways is now offering targeted online advertising by Wemf area. Thanks to the connection queries, SBB now has detailed geographical information at its disposal to further boost online advertising.
Internet advertising on the sbb.ch timetable information website was launched in September 2000, and there was a real surge at the beginning. However, after a decline in online advertising in February and March of this year, things are steadily improving.
Nevertheless, it can happen that users currently see SBB's own banners instead of paid banners. According to Daniel Fässler, SBB Online Advertising Project Manager, this is due to the fact that web advertising is not running at full capacity and SBB's own banners are therefore also being displayed due to the high traffic. The high popularity of the timetable query at sbb.ch is confirmed by MMXI, as www.sbb.ch is regularly one of the top Swiss sites. According to MA Comis 2001 by Wemf, access to timetables and flight schedules is the fourth most popular web content among Swiss Internet users at 74%.
Targeted online advertising also possible by time of day
SBB has not failed to notice that online advertising is in the doldrums, but with the new advertising opportunities it hopes to be able to slice off a slice of the still existing Swiss online advertising pie. By targeting online advertising according to Wemf areas, SBB wants to offer advertisers the opportunity to integrate their online advertising into traditional advertising campaigns and thus achieve an accelerated advertising impact.
Users of sbb.ch can be targeted not only according to Wemf areas, but also according to other geographical and demographic criteria. For example, the advertising banners are only displayed in the online timetable information if a timetable query is related to the predefined geographical and/or demographic criteria.
For regional campaigns, criteria can be booked down to station or town level. It is also possible to select predefined packages such as city, agglomeration, canton, Wemf economic region and economic area as well as packages such as tourism and commuters. In addition, further targeting criteria such as language, date, time of day and the like can be taken into account for an extra charge. Daniel Fässler on the importance of the new advertising options: "Advertisers are given another tool and can also use a tried and tested means of advertising through the Wemf areas."
Additional income from hotel bookings
SBB not only earns money online with advertising, but also thanks to hotel bookings. Since August of this year, users have been able to book a hotel online at their chosen travel destination in addition to checking the timetable. By working together with Switzerland Destination Management, SBB can offer its customers direct added value. SBB receives a commission for every booking made. Very pleasing booking rates have been achieved so far, with initial expectations being massively exceeded.
If you don't have 240000 francs to spare for advertising on an SBB Re 460 locomotive, the SBB timetable information pages on the Internet offer an interesting alternative. According to SBB, over 200,000 timetable inquiries are made online every day. So it may well be worth running a branding campaign. Especially because it is clear which means of transportation should be used: The smart ones travel by train.
But that's not all. Swiss Federal Railways is now offering targeted online advertising by Wemf area. Thanks to the connection queries, SBB now has detailed geographical information at its disposal to further boost online advertising.
Internet advertising on the sbb.ch timetable information website was launched in September 2000, and there was a real surge at the beginning. However, after a decline in online advertising in February and March of this year, things are steadily improving.
Nevertheless, it can happen that users currently see SBB's own banners instead of paid banners. According to Daniel Fässler, SBB Online Advertising Project Manager, this is due to the fact that web advertising is not running at full capacity and SBB's own banners are therefore also being displayed due to the high traffic. The high popularity of the timetable query at sbb.ch is confirmed by MMXI, as www.sbb.ch is regularly one of the top Swiss sites. According to MA Comis 2001 by Wemf, access to timetables and flight schedules is the fourth most popular web content among Swiss Internet users at 74%.
Targeted online advertising also possible by time of day
SBB has not failed to notice that online advertising is in the doldrums, but with the new advertising opportunities it hopes to be able to slice off a slice of the still existing Swiss online advertising pie. By targeting online advertising according to Wemf areas, SBB wants to offer advertisers the opportunity to integrate their online advertising into traditional advertising campaigns and thus achieve an accelerated advertising impact.
Users of sbb.ch can be targeted not only according to Wemf areas, but also according to other geographical and demographic criteria. For example, the advertising banners are only displayed in the online timetable information if a timetable query is related to the predefined geographical and/or demographic criteria.
For regional campaigns, criteria can be booked down to station or town level. It is also possible to select predefined packages such as city, agglomeration, canton, Wemf economic region and economic area as well as packages such as tourism and commuters. In addition, further targeting criteria such as language, date, time of day and the like can be taken into account for an extra charge. Daniel Fässler on the importance of the new advertising options: "Advertisers are given another tool and can also use a tried and tested means of advertising through the Wemf areas."
Additional income from hotel bookings
SBB not only earns money online with advertising, but also thanks to hotel bookings. Since August of this year, users have been able to book a hotel online at their chosen travel destination in addition to checking the timetable. By working together with Switzerland Destination Management, SBB can offer its customers direct added value. SBB receives a commission for every booking made. Very pleasing booking rates have been achieved so far, with initial expectations being massively exceeded.
