Introduction
The KitKat Metro Audio Ad Campaign, executed in collaboration with Paytunes, marked a high-impact brand activation on Delhi Metro’s Violet Line. Nestlé KitKat strategically chose one of the busiest commuter corridors to engage students, professionals, and shoppers. The Violet Line, connecting heritage hubs, premium markets, and educational clusters, offered exposure to a diverse and high-value audience.
In a city where millions rely on the Metro daily, KitKat used in-train audio announcements to capture attention in a captive, distraction-free environment. The medium aligned perfectly with KitKat’s “Break the Loop” positioning, delivering the brand message at moments when commuters were most receptive.
Campaign Objectives
The key objectives of the campaign were:
- Enhance brand visibility among daily commuters in Delhi-NCR.
- Engage students and professionals in high-density metro stretches.
- Guarantee message delivery with unskippable audio ads.
- Drive KitKat’s ‘Break the Loop’ identity by tying into daily commuter routines
Campaign Execution
Media Format
- Medium: In-metro Audio Announcements
- Creative Duration: 20 seconds each
- Slots Purchased: 900
- Slots Delivered: 1,116 (+24% value additions)
Creative Approach
The campaign’s creatives were crafted to mimic the tone and style of real metro announcements, making them instantly familiar to commuters. This approach not only captured attention but also blended seamlessly into the daily travel environment. The messaging encouraged commuters to step out of the monotony of listening to the same old playlists and instead discover new songs on Spotify through KitKat’s “Break the Loop” packs. This smart integration of routine (metro travel) with disruption (new music discovery) made the message both relatable and impactful.
Routes & Target Stretches
The campaign was executed across 6 critical stretches of the Violet Line:
- Kailash Colony – Moolchand
- Lajpat Nagar – Jangpura
- Lal Quila – Kashmere Gate
- Janpath – Central Secretariat
- Central Secretariat – Khan Market
- Jangpura – Lajpat Nagar
Campaign Duration
Planned Tenure: 15 days
Actual Execution: 21 days
Train Sets: 602 and 610
Total Round Trips: 186 (88 on TS-602 + 98 on TS-610)
Between 8th August 2025 and 29th August 2025, in-train audio advertisements for Nestlé KitKat were played on the Violet Line (Line 6) of the Delhi Metro, specifically covering the Kashmere Gate to Badarpur section in both directions.
- On Train Set 602, the ads ran from 8th August to 29th August 2025, completing 88 round trips on the Kashmere Gate ↔ Badarpur route and delivering 528 ad plays.
- On Train Set 610, the ads ran from 8th August to 28th August 2025, completing 98 round trips on the same route and delivering 588 ad plays.
In total, the campaign covered 186 round trips across the Kashmere Gate–Badarpur corridor during the August 2025 cycle, resulting in 1,116 ad plays.
Performance & Delivery
- Total Ads Delivered: 1,116 (vs. 900 committed)
- Value Additions: +24% extra free plays
- Completion Rate: 100% (captive in-train environment)
- Daily Frequency: Multiple exposures per trip reinforced recall
- Audience Mix: Students, professionals, shoppers, and leisure travelers
Estimated Ridership – 21 Days
- The Delhi Metro Violet Line carried over 6.3 million riders during the campaign period.
- Central stretches like Lal Quila – Kashmere Gate and Janpath – Central Secretariat accounted for between 1.47 million and 2.1 million rides, representing some of the busiest segments.
- Residential and commercial routes such as Kailash Colony – Moolchand and Lajpat Nagar – Jangpura saw steady use, with total ridership estimated between 420,000 and 1.05 million riders.
- The Jangpura – Lajpat Nagar segment, benefiting from interchange access, handled an estimated 840,000 to 1.47 million passengers.
Key Results
- Strong Brand Recall
By targeting students and professionals in high-footfall metro stretches, KitKat successfully embedded itself as a top-of-mind snacking brand during commutes.
- Guaranteed Exposure
With zero ad skips and 100% completion rates, every play translated into a fully delivered brand message.
- Break the Loop Relevance
The campaign disrupted routine with a playful reminder to change the playlist, linking directly to KitKat’s “Break the Loop” identity and its collaboration with Spotify.
Key Takeaways
- Strategic Placement: Leveraging the Violet Line connected KitKat with a highly diverse audience including students, professionals, and shoppers, ensuring broad yet targeted exposure.
- High Engagement: The campaign capitalized on daily commuters’ dwell time, effectively turning a transit environment into a brand touchpoint.
- Audience Diversity: By targeting heritage hubs, premium markets, and educational clusters, KitKat reached both aspirational and mainstream segments simultaneously.
- Brand Visibility & Recall: The prominent placement within a busy metro corridor enhanced visibility, creating repeated brand impressions and reinforcing recall.
Listen to the Podcast Version of this Blog
Audio Attention in the Real Attention Economy
In today’s digital landscape, the battle for user attention is fiercer than ever. The average human attention span has fallen to about 8 seconds—shorter than ever before. Brands must not only grab attention but also sustain it long enough for their message to drive real impact.
The Problem: Fleeting Attention on Most Digital Platforms
- Banner and display ads on websites usually keep user focus for only 1.6–2.6 seconds before they are ignored or scrolled past.
- Short-form video ads and reels hold attention for about 7–9 seconds on average before users swipe away or skip.
- This fleeting engagement translates to lower brand recall and minimal action.
The Unique Edge of In-Train Metro Audio
In the KitKat “Break the Loop” campaign, only 20-second in-train audio announcements were deployed — no other media formats were part of the strategy.
The campaign delivered 1,116 ad plays against 900 purchased slots, with a 24% value addition, ensuring repeated exposure across 186 round trips on the Kashmere Gate ↔ Badarpur section. In a captive metro environment, every announcement reached commuters without the possibility of skipping, guaranteeing 100% completion.
Other formats often struggle:
- Banner ads are rarely noticed long enough to reinforce a message, leading to weak recall.
- Short-form video and reels may grab momentary attention but are quickly swiped away.
By contrast, in-train audio announcements command undistracted attention while commuters are seated or standing, making them an ideal medium to break through daily monotony. The KitKat campaign showed how metro audio ads can consistently connect with audiences in real-life moments, ensuring strong recall and message delivery at scale.
Conclusion
The Nestlé KitKat campaign on the Delhi Metro Violet Line, executed in collaboration with Paytunes, demonstrated the impact of captive audio advertising in driving both visibility and contextual relevance. By delivering 1,116 ad plays (24% beyond commitments) over 21 days, the campaign exceeded expectations and reached a wide commuter base across Delhi.
For daily metro riders, the familiar “Kripya dhyaan dein…” turned into something unexpected — a “Break the Loop” message from KitKat, nudging them to refresh their same old Spotify playlists. A simple interruption that showed how metro ads connect with people in real, everyday moments making the Delhi Metro, with Paytunes as a partner, a powerful medium for youth-centric engagement.