How KFC Captured 7 Million Metro Riders with Paytunes’ High-Impact Violet Line Audio Campaign

 

 

Introduction

The KFC Metro Audio Ad Campaign, executed in collaboration with Paytunes, marked a high-impact brand activation on Delhi Metro’s Violet Line. KFC 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, KFC used in-train audio announcements to capture attention in a captive, distraction-free environment. The medium aligned perfectly with KFC’s positioning as an indulgent food brand, delivering its message at moments when commuters were most receptive and often thinking about their next meal.

 

Campaign Objectives

The key objectives of the campaign were:

• Enhance KFC’s brand visibility among daily commuters in Delhi-NCR.
• Engage students, professionals, and families in high-density metro stretches.
• Guarantee message delivery with unskippable audio ads.
• Drive recall by positioning KFC as a top-of-mind quick-service restaurant during commute hours.

 

Campaign Execution

Media Format

• Medium: In-metro Audio Announcements
• Creative Duration: 20 seconds each
• Slots Purchased: 150
• Slots Delivered: 231 (+54% value additions)

 

Creative Approach

The creatives were crafted in the familiar tone of metro announcements, ensuring commuters were instantly engaged. By blending into the rhythm of travel updates, the campaign captured attention without disrupting the environment. The messaging reinforced KFC’s appeal as a quick, delicious solution for hunger cravings, reminding riders to try KFC on their way home, to college, or after work.

 

Routes & Target Stretches
The campaign was executed across 3 critical stretches of the Violet Line:

• Kailash Colony – Moolchand
• Lajpat Nagar – Jangpura
• Lal Quila – Kashmere Gate

 

Campaign Duration

• Planned Tenure: 10 days
• Actual Execution: 18 days
• Train Set: 610
• Total Round Trips: 77
• Total Ad Plays: 231

 

Between 27th May 2025 and 13th June 2025, in-train audio advertisements for KFC were played on the Violet Line (Line 6) of the Delhi Metro.

 

• On Train Set 610, the ads ran across 77 round trips, with each trip delivering 3 plays (1 per section), totaling 231 ad plays.
• Against 150 purchased slots, KFC achieved 54% extra free plays, maximizing reach and value.

 

Performance & Delivery

 

 

• Total Ads Delivered: 231 (vs. 150 committed)
• Value Additions: +54% extra free plays
• Completion Rate: 100% (captive in-train environment)
• Daily Frequency: Multiple exposures per trip reinforced recall
• Audience Mix: Students, professionals, families, shoppers, and leisure travelers

Estimated Ridership

The campaign reached an overall ridership of over 7 million across 18 days.

 

Kailash Colony – Moolchand:

• Weekday ridership ranged from approximately 60,000 to 80,000 passengers.
• Weekend ridership increased to around 90,000 to 120,000 passengers.
• During festive periods, ridership peaked at approximately 120,000 to 150,000 passengers.

 

Lajpat Nagar – Jangpura: 

• Weekday ridership was approximately 80,000–110,000 passengers.
• On weekends, ridership increased to around 120,000–150,000 passengers.
• During festive periods, ridership peaked at approximately 150,000–190,000 passengers.

 

Lal Quila – Kashmere Gate: 

• On weekdays, ridership was around 100,000–130,000 passengers.
• During weekends, it ranged from 140,000–180,000 passengers.
• In festive periods, ridership peaked at approximately 180,000–220,000 passengers.

This high footfall ensured extensive exposure for the KRBL India Gate Basmati Rice campaign across key stretches of the Delhi Metro Violet Line.

 

KFC Audio Ad Execution in Delhi Metro

 

 

Key Results

Strong Brand Recall
By targeting busy stretches, KFC positioned itself as a go-to dining option for hungry commuters.

Guaranteed Exposure
With unskippable audio and 100% completion rates, every announcement delivered the brand’s message effectively.

Meal-Time Relevance
The campaign disrupted routine travel with timely reminders of KFC’s irresistible taste, tapping into hunger moments during long commutes.

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Placement: Leveraging the Violet Line connected KFC with a wide commuter base, ensuring broad yet targeted exposure.
• High Engagement: The campaign capitalized on captive audiences, turning metro dwell time into a brand interaction.
• Audience Diversity: By targeting high-footfall stretches, KFC reached both aspirational and mainstream segments.
• Brand Recall: Frequent plays across 18 days created repeated brand impressions, cementing recall at scale.

 

Audio Attention in the Real Attention Economy

In today’s digital landscape, capturing user attention is increasingly challenging.

The Problem: Fleeting Attention on Digital Platforms

• Banner ads: 1.6–2.6 seconds before users scroll past.
• Short-form videos: 7–9 seconds before users swipe away.

 

The Unique Edge of In-Train Metro Audio
In the KFC Metro campaign, only 20-second in-train audio announcements were deployed — no competing formats diluted attention.

• Delivered 231 ad plays against 150 purchased slots (+54% value addition).
• Repeated exposure across 77 round trips ensured strong message delivery.
• Captive environment guaranteed 100% completion with no skips.

Unlike digital banners or short-form content, which struggle to sustain focus, metro audio announcements command undivided attention during travel, ensuring high recall and impact.

 

Conclusion

The KFC campaign on the Delhi Metro Violet Line, executed in collaboration with Paytunes, demonstrated the unmatched impact of captive audio advertising. By delivering 231 ad plays (54% beyond commitments) over 18 days, the campaign exceeded expectations and successfully reached a wide commuter base, with an overall ridership of over 7 million during this period.

For daily metro riders, the familiar metro announcement turned into a mouthwatering invitation from KFC, reminding them that crispy, flavorful chicken was just around the corner. A simple yet powerful interruption that highlighted how metro audio ads connect with audiences in real, everyday moments, making the Delhi Metro, with Paytunes as a partner, a proven medium for high-impact brand engagement.

 

Also Read one of our Case study on Timezone × Paytunes: Multi-City Digital Audio Campaign