It looks as if there are some things more certain than death and taxes – new adverts in Edinburgh! The past few months have seen a major influx of new contracts and two trams not previously pictured here are 255 and 267 which have seen changes to the vinyls that they now carry. In both cases they are not full vinyl wraps but are in the more traditional “Edinburgh” style.
For 255 it’s a case of an update of advert as it is still advertising Forever Edinburgh but with a revised design. Whereas its advert last time (applied October 2020) was the same on both sides this time it has a different advert on each side – one of which is more colourful than the other!
This is just the third advert to have been carried on the tram, the first was for CR Smith between October 2017 and March 2020 with that followed by the first Forever Edinburgh in October 2020.
267’s new advert looks familiar as its for Hello Fresh and is identical to that previously carried on 251 (January-June 2023). Previously 267 had been advertising the Edinburgh Festival so its probably no surprise that its due a change of adverts.
This is now the eighth advert on 267: CR Smith (September 2017-June 2019), EE 5G (June-August 2019), Spotify (August-December 2019), Johnnie Walker Visitor Attraction (September 2021-December 2022), St James Quarter Christmas shopping and dining (December 2022-January 2023), Tennent’s Lager (January-July 2023), Edinburgh International Festival (July 2023-September 2023).
This is the plainer side of the new advert for Forever Edinburgh on 255. The other side is far more colourful but that’s currently shielded from the public so you’ll have to take our word for that!
Another look into Gogar Depot where we spot 267 with its new adverts for Hello Fresh. (Both Photographs by blackpool_trams, 15th September 2023)
I must protest against the defacing of trams by advertisements, and wonder incessantly why apparently buses are spared from this. Not only in the UK of course but everywhere. Always the trams are defaced this way, never, or almost never the buses. It is quite awful. Stop this practice.
Advertising on trams is an interesting topic and something that divides opinion. It does go back to the earliest days of tramways so it could be argued that it is more authentic to see adverts on trams than not.
Personally I hate contravision or adverts over the windows on modern trams, but otherwise prefer full wrap adverts to strip adverts which get lost on the very long modern vehicles. Nottingham and Manchester have had some stunning and colourful full advert trams.
Some of the period advertising on classic tram cars is very nice, and Blackpool wouldn’t be Blackpool without advert cars!
But this isn’t true. Buses are wrapped in almost every city in the UK with many having all the windows covered in contravision.
This is an important revenue stream for all transport operators especially as passenger numbers continue to recovered from Covid.
I would suggest that the vast majority of customers don’t care what colour their bus or tram is, as long as it turns up when it’s meant to and their fare is considered value for money.