First commercial advertising deal secured for Edinburgh Trams

The day has finally come – commercial advertising is here for Edinburgh Trams! A two year deal has been signed with C R Smith – an east Scotland double glazing/window manufacturer – which will see an incredible 18 trams wrapped in what is being described as a “highly visual campaign”. The first of the trams has already entered service in its new look with 266 receiving vinyls and being seen in use for the first time on 9th August.

If the first livery is anything to go by, as with previous adverts – all previously for Edinburgh Trams promotions and city based events – it seems that a full vinyl wrap will not be applied as seen on other systems across the UK. Instead adverts run the length of the tram above the windows and the third and fifth sections feature full height adverts.

The deal has been negotiated by a unique city partnership between Marketing Edinburgh, Transport for Edinburgh and Edinburgh Trams on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council. Edinburgh Trams was identified as a unique promotional platform by C R Smith to reach its customer base, with the new dramatic advertising expected to be seen on multiple occasions by local residents and tourists.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the advertising deal is that all 18 designs will be unique. The first designs revealed included a Musselburgh racehorse racing alongside a Falkirk Kelpie, the oldest stone bridge in the highlands at Carrbridge, arching over the Forth Rail Bridge and Glasgow’s cone crowned Duke of Wellington with the white and orange striped lighthouse at Peterhead.

George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, said: “This is a fantastic example of what partnership working between some of the Cities’ companies can achieve. It has been a great experience working with Marketing Edinburgh to secure CR Smith’s sponsorship. We look forward to a long commercial relationship with CR Smith and others who wish to advertise on Edinburgh’s trams. We have been using the trams since the start of the year to showcase some of the cities’ key events including rugby at Murrayfield, The Royal Highland Show and The International Festival. We look forward to wrapping the entire fleet.”

The subject of vinyl wrap liveries always brings out strong opinions but whatever you think of them they are here to stay in Edinburgh now and this deal is surely the biggest single sponsorship deal by one company on any UK tramway for many, many years.

This entry was posted in Edinburgh Trams. Bookmark the permalink.