What is a rail 4 sheet poster?
At MEERKATworks we know that there are few formats as long lived, iconic and cost effective in the world of outdoor advertising as rail 4 sheets. They are hard-working and pack considerable punch for their size. Despite having been a staple in the industry for many decades, they remain an adaptable and powerful means of communicating to audiences within high footfall, travel spaces.
The 4 sheet – also known as the ‘quad’ or rail four sheet poster – is primarily used in and around train stations. The name derives from the way the posters were originally printed on four separate sheets each measuring 20×30 inches. The sheets would then be joined together to create the end poster with a total size of 40×60 inches, or 1016 x 1524mm. Modern printing techniques allow for printing on a single sheet, but the name remains popular for this size of poster.
Impact of 4 sheet poster advertising in railway stations
The four-sheet may have been overshadowed in recent years by shiny new digital media, but it is still a versatile and impactful advertising format. As expert media planners and buyers, we recognise the humble 4 sheets as invaluable for communicating to audiences within premium rail environments, particularly on train platforms.
According to the 2024 Rail Factsheet, in the financial year ending March 2024, there were 1,612 million passenger rail journeys in the UK. Figures vary based on timing and placement, but estimated Impacts for a medium weight 2-week campaign on Rail 4 sheets based on ROUTE data are impressive:
- 25.3 million impacts across London
- 43.4 million impacts Nationally
Geo targeted OOH campaigns
Rail 4 sheet campaigns can be strategically planned for localised, geo-targeted campaigns. The MEERKAT team carefully select relevant stations and platforms within the target area to ensure that advertisements are seen by the right people as part of their daily journeys.
Advertising at Brighton Station
Brighton is where MEERKATworks was founded, and it remains an important MEERKAT burrow. Our local station is a busy, high footfall environment which provides a premium, high impact advertising space for several of our clients. We always enjoy seeing their advertising campaigns when we are out and about catching trains. Below are side-by-side 4 sheets for the University of Sussex and Lightning Fibre at Brighton Station which were planned and bought by the MEERKATs.
A brief history of poster advertising
The history of the 4 sheet, and printed poster advertising more generally, can be traced back to antiquity. Its production and use have evolved over time with the development of technology, artistic movements and societal changes.
Early printed posters
In ancient Egypt, papyrus was used to make wall posters containing advertising sales messages, but it was only in the 15th century that the invention of the printing press allowed for mass production of written materials. According to the V&A, some of the earliest known examples of printed poster advertisements were produced by William Caxton who introduced the printing press to British shores in 1476.
Lithography and the Golden Age of poster advertising
By the 19th century text-based posters printed from woodblocks were part of everyday life. However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that advances in printing – particularly the development of lithography and, in 1866, French artist Jules Chéret’s game-changing ‘three stone lithographic process’ – allowed brilliantly coloured, picture and text-based posters to be produced cheaply and easily. The ability to combine word and image in an attractive and economical format finally allowed the lithographic poster to usher in the modern age of advertising.
Artists of the era, like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), experimented with these new lithographic processes, widely popularising the advertising ‘art’ poster with bold, dramatic designs. In the following decades designers from all around the world developed the role of the poster in daily commercial life. Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, for example, is famously associated with the growth of advertising posters for theatre announcements, cigarette papers and chocolate in the ornamental, nature-centred Art Nouveau style.
Art Deco advertising and propaganda posters
The 1920s and 1930s brought with them more angular, technology-inspired, Art Deco advertising posters, such as the streamlined travel designs of A.M.Cassandre. These in turn were followed by the propaganda advertising posters of the World Wars. The recognised power of the poster during wartime to persuade and communicate such needs as raising money, recruiting soldiers, increasing production, went on to inform the flourishing advertising industry worldwide. By the 1950s most posters were printed using the mass production technique of photo offset and the use of photography in posters became increasingly prevalent.
Posters as secondary advertising
The poster as a communicative tool began to decline in the post war years. The popularity of other media such as mass-market magazines, radio, and later television, all cut into marketing budgets. Posters continued to be produced and used to effectively advertise products, but they were no longer considered a primary form of advertising.
Poster innovation and use 1960s onwards
The second half of the 20th century onwards has seen renewed poster popularity and innovation. For example the 1960s posters enjoyed a new golden age with the regeneration of Art Nouveau approaches and creation of psychedelic graphic styles. In the 80s, the V&A note how American artists such as Keith Haring and Gran Fury harnessed the power of the poster as a tool of mass communication in the AIDS crisis. They further describe the parallel trend towards increasingly controversial poster imagery by brands, like Benetton, who played with the medium to confront political issues and expose social prejudices.
The role, appearance and underlying production methods of the poster have evolved continuously over more than a century to meet the changing needs of society. While the poster is less central to the media landscape than it was 100 years ago, it continues to evolve as computerisation, the internet and digital media revolutionize the way we communicate.
Rail 4 sheets in summary
- iconic and visually impactful
- modest entry level cost
- high footfall spaces
- good dwell times due to environment
- geo targeting – can be purchased by station, line or region
- highly cost effective
Like what you’ve seen?
MEERKATworks is an independent media planning and buying agency with burrows in Edinburgh and Brighton, founded in 2005. We are award-winning experts at planning, buying and creating advertising campaigns for businesses, large and small. We excel across many sectors including Food and Drink, Education, Events, Charity and Travel and our media plans are always bespoke and carefully designed to fulfil your unique goals.
The MEERKAT team’s in-depth knowledge and expertise extends throughout the media landscape, from Digital and Programmatic to OOH (Out-of-Home), TV, Radio and Print.
As a proudly independent media agency, we relish roaming free in the wild and getting stuck into briefs of all shapes and sizes. So, why not call the MEERKATs on 01273 760 100 , or drop us a line? We’re friendly and don’t bite… unless you’re a scorpion!
