A subway train company in China has launched in-system personalised billboards in an attempt to boost its financial fortunes, and inject some fun into the lives of commuters.
The billboards appeared in subway stations operated by the Guangzhou Metro Group in southern China’s Guangdong province.
People can customise the content through a programme on WeChat.
Prices range from 380 yuan (US$50) to 999 yuan depending on the duration and location of the display.
The content is screened before being uploaded to ensure compliance with the law.
Jobseeker Xiang Yaohan showcased his resume at Zhujiang New Town station in Guangzhou, which hosts about 400,000 commuters every weekday.
He included a QR code of his WeChat account, playfully writing: “Scan the code to learn about my drifting first half of life.”
Xiang said that within a day, about 120 people had added him on WeChat, far exceeding his expectations. By the end of June, more than 50 companies had contacted him.
Another young man named Li Jiayu used the billboard to find a girlfriend.
He wrote that he had graduated from Chung-Ang University in South Korea and that he enjoys photography and psychology.
Li told Southern Weekly that despite more than 200 girls adding him as a friend, he had not yet found “the one”.
The billboards also feature some amusing advertisements.
In March, a man, surnamed Tang, mimicked the popular US television legal series Better Call Saul with the tagline “Better call Tang”.
On the billboard, he imitated the character Saul Goodman’s gestures, including pointing directly at the camera.
“My billboard will be at Tiyu Xilu station for five days. It doesn’t mean anything, just to satisfy my vanity,” Tang wrote on Xiaohongshu.
Many people also use billboards to share good news with commuters.
A young woman, surnamed Jiang, said her birthday ad made by her friends appeared every 90 seconds in the station, and that it made her “feel like the happiest girl in the world”.
Others announced their marriages and shared the joy of their wedding days.
Data shows that Guangzhou Metro Group’s revenue dropped from 640 million yuan (US$88 million) in 2021 to 336 million yuan last year.
The company opened the personalised billboard services in January hoping to diversify and increase revenue.
The billboards have sparked widespread attention on mainland social media.
“This should be popularised nationwide. It’s a win-win strategy. The metro company profits, and we share the joy of life,” one online observer said.
