You can place your personal ad in some of China’s metro stations
Since January, the Guangzhou Metro has allowed individuals to place lightbox advertisements in its subway stations. In April, a 27-year-old programmer did just that and shared his experience on Xiaohongshu. After quitting his previous job and struggling to find a new one, he saw that the metro was accepting personal ads. He spent ￥999 ($137.6) to rent a 3m x 1.5m lightbox at Zhujiang New Town station, displaying his photo, resume, and WeChat QR code. The ad, titled ‘Finding a Job and a Partner Isn't Easy,’ ran for five days and attracted a lot of attention from commuters who stopped to take photos. On the first day, over 120 people added him on WeChat, and within a few days, that number grew to over 400. Of these, over 50 companies were genuinely interested in discussing job opportunities, including some that had previously ignored his applications.
A note on Xiaohongshu/RED saying he might be the first one to place personal ad for job hunting in a metro station. Image: Xiaohongshu @向瑶函 Hans
A personal metro ad for job hunting and dating proposal. Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
For an average of ￥200 ($27.50) a day, individuals can place personal ads simply through Guangzhou Metro’s WeChat mini-program, leading more people to treat subway ads like their own WeChat Moments.
A personal metro ad for birthday celebration. Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
A personal metro ad for birthday celebration, saying ‘Anyone who is pointed at can leave work immediately. Don’t worry, it’s my birthday and I’m in charge today.’ Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
A personal metro ad for proposal, saying ‘please marry me.‘ Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
A personal metro ad for celebrating 17th wedding anniversary. Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
Influencer bloggers have caught on to the traffic and content value of subway ads. In March, a comedy legal blogger known as ‘Charming Lady xxx (俏佳人xxx)’ created a poster mimicking a classic sitcom scene and placed it in a subway station. The poster featured him pointing at people passing by with the question, ‘Do you know what you can't have for breakfast? Lunch and dinner.’ It wasn’t promoting anything, just showing her face to the public. She then turned this ad into a short skit and posted it on Xiaohongshu, where it received over 30,000 likes for one note. Image: WeChat Account 广告视频
This innovative approach by Guangzhou Metro has sparked ‘envy’ among people in other cities, prompting demands for similar services from their local metro operators. It turns out that cities like Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Hefei already have similar services, though not as convenient as Guangzhou’s mini-program.
Why are metro companies targeting the personal ad market? Similar to the retail industry's strategy of selling ‘near-expiry’ food items at discounted prices, it's about diversifying income sources and increasing revenue to manage external challenges. Moreover, as social media and short videos have given rise to countless personal brands, ordinary individuals’ need for public expression is increasing. The personal metro ads, which share many things in common with the iconic advertising displays in Times Square, New York City, allow individuals to engage with the world in a direct and entertaining manner.
