Coach Advertising: Detailed Service Update

Coach advertising is a method for investors to extend the journeys of their brands. Going beyond the scope of a single province or city, coach advertising creates communication campaigns with brand journeys stretching across many provinces from North to South.

1. What is coach advertising?

Coaches are among the most popular means of transportation in Vietnam. This is a system of vehicles serving long-distance trips, interprovincial routes, and even journeys from the North to the South. Compared to airplanes or trains, coaches are cheaper, offer a wide variety of routes, and allow convenient travel at many times of the day, so they are increasingly favored.

The types of coaches vary depending on the routes they serve. They include 16-seater, 29-seater, 45-seater coaches, seated coaches, and high-class sleeper coaches. All of these vehicles are being utilized for coach advertising.

Coach advertising services are now being exploited in many forms both outside and inside the vehicle. Advertising brings brands to appear in all 63 provinces nationwide, from major cities to remote areas of the country.

2. Forms of coach advertising

With larger vehicle sizes, the positions and advertising formats become more prominent and impressive. The most popular and common forms of coach advertising today include:

2.1. Advertising on the coach body

This is the most widely implemented form of coach advertising and is synchronized across almost all coach operators and routes that offer advertising. The advertising maquette is applied on both sides of the coach body with large sizes and impressive designs. They create large mobile billboards that appear throughout long routes, promoting the brand in many provinces.

The decals used for coach advertising are outdoor PP specialized decals. Therefore, brands can rest assured of colorfastness and sharp image quality. The advertising appears on the outside of the coach body, traveling throughout the coach’s journey, reaching customers in many provinces and expanding communication coverage.

2.2. Full-glass coach advertising

Full-glass coach advertising is a format exploited after body advertising but has attracted great attention since its launch. This is because it is the form of coach advertising with the largest display size.

The advertising decal is applied from the lower body area up over the entire glass area. The part under the body uses PP decals, while the part on the glass uses perforated decals so as not to affect passenger visibility. With skillful color transitions in design, even though two different decal materials are used, the overall maquette still ensures standout appeal without mismatch.

A larger advertising area means that images and messages can be presented more creatively and attractively. However, full-glass coach advertising is only implemented on certain routes and with certain coach operators, not as widespread as body advertising.

2.3. LCD advertising inside the coach

LCD advertising is a coach advertising service exploited on premium sleeper coaches. LCD screens or entertainment monitors on the coach, at each sleeper berth, are used. All screens installed on coaches are high-resolution LCDs, displaying sharp images and videos.

The implementation is similar to LCD screens in elevators. Ads are displayed in various formats such as images, videos, with vivid sound. Each advertising spot lasts from 5 to 15 seconds and is programmed to display sequentially and repeatedly.

2.4. Organizing luxury roadshows on 45-seater coaches

Besides long-term rental formats mentioned above, brands can also hire coaches to run roadshows or dedicated advertising events. Specifically, this is organizing luxury roadshow advertising on 45-seater coaches.

Compared to the above forms, the impressiveness of luxury advertising is undoubtedly the highest. Here, the entire exterior area of the coach is fully used for advertising. Decals will be applied to cover both sides, the rear and the front area (except the windshield). In addition to 2D flat decals, brands can also design 3D advertising with raised letters or lightbox signs to enhance recognition and create a striking impression.

Routes and advertising times are adjusted according to the company’s requirements, usually lasting from 3 to 7 days. The giant advertising coach will appear on busy streets and during peak hours to achieve the highest number of views for brands.

However, due to the large advertising area, legal procedures related to luxury roadshows can be quite complicated. Therefore, they need to be implemented by experienced advertising companies.

2.5. Advertising on shuttle buses

Shuttle buses are used to pick up and drop off passengers to bus stations or stops on fixed routes that large coaches cannot reach. Usually, shuttle buses are 16-seater vehicles, and investors can now take advantage of them for advertising.

Although the size is not as large as a coach, the advertising area is maximized. The maquette will be applied in a full-glass format, covering the body and extending onto the glass.

A characteristic of shuttle buses is their ability to move easily in city centers—something large coaches find difficult to do. Although their routes are not too long, shuttle bus advertising has the advantage of reaching a huge number of viewers, with repeated exposure many times a day, building brand awareness.

3. Popular coach routes and reputable operators for advertising

Normally, companies choose to advertise on coaches operating on routes over 100 km. In particular, routes traveling between North and South or between tourist cities are always prioritized.

Businesses can consider popular advertising routes such as: Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi – Hue, Hanoi – Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City – Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City – Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City – Quy Nhon.

Large and reputable operators with diverse routes, continuous operation, and a stable customer base include: Phuong Trang, Thanh Buoi, Hoang Long.

4. Advantages of coach advertising

• Impressive image display: Advertising images and content are presented on large decal areas at eye level, attracting road users. Their size is far superior to advertising on buses, taxis, or private cars.

• Wide coverage: Campaigns scale across many provinces. On routes hundreds of kilometers long, product and brand images are continuously delivered to thousands or millions of viewers.

• Diverse customer groups: With long routes and travel times, the customer group exposed to this advertising is extremely diverse. The number and segment of viewers are almost unlimited.

• Continuous operation: Sixth Sense Media selects popular routes and reputable operators with continuous coach operation. This ensures investor ads are active every day.

5. Coach advertising rates

Cost is one of the top priorities for companies in communication. For coach advertising, budgets depend on each company’s chosen route, advertising format, number of vehicles, and duration. The longer the advertising period and the more vehicles, the better the discounts and offers.

In addition, businesses should work directly with agencies that exploit coach advertising to avoid extra intermediary costs.

Rates vary between operators, ranging from 55,000,000 VND to 115,000,000 VND per coach for 6 months. As for luxury roadshow advertising on 45-seater coaches, costs are higher, including items such as coach rental, design, production, legal permits, management, and operation.

For detailed quotes and specific discounts per operator or route, please contact Hotline: 0934 519 516 for the fastest support.

6. How to implement effective coach advertising

Coach advertising is an effective, cost-efficient out-of-home method that many businesses overlook. However, to maximize effectiveness, companies need to implement it properly.

Regulations for coach advertising

• Advertising on coaches must comply with regulations for advertising on transportation.

• Positioning: Ads are not allowed on the front, rear, or roof of coaches.

• Area: Ads must not exceed 50% of the two side panels allowed for advertising.

• Content: Must comply with general advertising regulations, not promoting prohibited products or content that violates cultural norms.

• Complete advertising notification procedures before deployment.

Organizing campaign scale

• Route: Choose routes that align with your target areas. Select reputable operators to ensure both vehicle quality and frequency.

• Number of vehicles: Deploy on at least 5 vehicles, ideally 10, to ensure wide coverage and high frequency.

• Duration: Although ads can run from 3 months, 6 months or more is recommended to achieve desired results. Longer terms also bring better rates.

Designing coach advertising

• Like other out-of-home formats, audiences only have about 5–7 seconds to absorb the ad. For moving viewers, time is even shorter. Therefore, designs should be simple, creative, and highlight the main image and message.

• Avoid excessive information. Use high-contrast colors, large and clear fonts for best readability.

Construction and maintenance

• Ads must be installed by professional technicians following proper procedures to ensure durability.

• Dry decal application offers better adhesion and aesthetics but takes more time. Weather can affect installation schedules.

• During the campaign, periodic inspections are needed to monitor decal quality and ensure ads are displayed on schedule.

7. Coach advertising with Sixth Sense Media’s nationwide service

Sixth Sense Media partners with many major operators and coach management units nationwide. We provide full-package advertising services on coaches, supporting and accompanying businesses from start to finish.

With over 15 years of experience in media and transport advertising, Sixth Sense Media has all the necessary conditions to be your trusted partner. Experience, dedication, infrastructure, and skilled staff—let us go with you to success!

Sixth Sense Media JSC

Hanoi Office:
3rd Floor, No. 6 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Tel: (0243) 237 3692
Hotline: 0982 513 898

Ho Chi Minh City Office:
459 Su Van Hanh Street, Ward 12, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 88 589 489
Hotline: 0934 519 516

Email: contact@ssm.vn